The National Park Service plans to use money collected from entrance and usage fees in previous years to help pay for trash cleanup, restroom maintenance and increase law enforcement in the parks.
Even though the Interior Department is largely closed during the shutdown, open-air national parks remained open with limited staff. After the first week, visitors started reporting problems with excess trash and dirty restrooms. Some volunteer groups attempted to help at multiple campgrounds and other areas have closed citing concerns about health and safety.
