MAINE MORNING STAR • October 17, 2025
Bare-bones staffing during the government shutdown across the Interior Department and the U.S. Forest Service is leaving America’s treasured natural assets vulnerable to lasting damage, according to advocates for public lands, including current and former agency employees. National parks and most public lands remain accessible to visitors, including those run by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service. But the lack of staff already has led to reports of bad behavior and parks advocates and workers say they fear more to come as the shutdown that began Oct. 1 continues with no end in sight.