US EditionGovernment shutdown prompts illegal BASE jumping surge in Yosemite
Yosemite faces surge in illegal BASE jumps and camping amid furloughs; National Park Service plans increased enforcement after multiple risky incidents during shutdown.
- On October 6, Charles Winstead, @bigwalltrailrunner, filmed BASE jumpers leaping from El Capitan during the shutdown, and he wrote on Instagram, `Definitely feeling some freedom to flout the rules due to the shut down.`
- Since October 1, the shutdown left many Yosemite National Park employees furloughed, leaving a skeleton crew of park staff and hindering enforcement and operations.
- Federal rules ban BASE jumping in all national parks, and the National Park Service says the activity poses a significant safety risk; Winstead reported witnessing more than eight people engaging in it.
- Campground squatters are occupying open sites with no reservation checks, while permitless hikers swarm Half Dome’s cables, and Park Rangers worry Yosemite could suffer damage like Joshua Tree National Park.
- Conservationists warn the surge recalls the 2018-2019 Joshua Tree shutdown as the National Parks Conservation Association found the Park Service lost about 24 percent of its permanent staff.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Squatters, base jumpers invade Yosemite during federal shutdown: ‘Like the Wild Wild West’
Swarms of squatters, rogue climbers and illicit BASE jumpers have descended on Yosemite National Park as the California site grapples with staffing shortages amid the ongoing government shutdown.
Squatters taking advantage of govt shutdown run amok in Yosemite National Park · American Wire News
The effects of the federal government shutdown are being seen in many areas, including Yosemite National Park, where squatters are reportedly taking advantage of the moment. With rangers being stretched thin during the shutdown, squatters and illegal BASE jumpers are turning the park back into “the wild, wild west,” according to a report from SFGATE. Some of the “dangerous and illegal behaviors” being captured in videos and pictures include “BAS…
Yosemite Is Turning Into the Wild West Thanks to the Government Shutdown
When the government’s away, Yosemite National Park becomes a lawless free-for-all. Since the latest federal shutdown kicked off on October 1, a skeleton crew of park staff has been left to deal with a flood of tourists acting like laws are optional if no one’s around to enforce them. As reported by The Travel, Yosemite National Park, in particular, is being overrun by people taking full advantage of there being no one around to tell them no. The…
Video shows illegal BASE jumping in Yosemite amid government shutdown
(NewsNation) — National Parks have remained open amid the ongoing government shutdown, but insufficient staffing at Yosemite National Park in California has prompted visitors to engage in largely unsupervised and risky activities, such as illegal BASE jumping, without much pushback. While the exact number of federal employees still on duty in Yosemite during the shutdown remains unclear, an anonymous park employee told SFGATE that they were only…
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