(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 aware of one volunteer patrolling the entire park.
The lack of staffing has led some to engage in dangerous and illegal antics, with videos circulating on social media showing people BASE jumping, squatting in campgrounds and scaling cliffs in the park without permits, as reported by local NewsNation affiliate KTLA in Los Angeles.
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Footage captures illegal BASE jumpers in Yosemite amid shutdown
Videos posted to social media by local climber Charles Winstead showcase some of the dangerous endeavors thrill-seekers have undertaken since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, including BASE jumping from Yosemite’s iconic El Capitan summit.
“Definitely feeling some freedom to flout the rules due to the shutdown. Second group today,” Winstead wrote on Instagram.
BASE jumping is the extreme sport of parachuting off of fixed structures, and the acronym stands for the four platforms jumpers can leap from: buildings, antennae, spans (bridges) and earth (cliffs).
“BASE jumping is illegal in all national parks, including Yosemite, due to the significant safety risks it poses to participants, the public, and first responders,” the National Park Service’s Office of Public Affairs told Newsweek.
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BASE jumping nothing new in Yosemite
BASE jumping was pioneered in Yosemite in the 1970s but subsequently outlawed in the 1980s. Still, adrenaline junkies have continued to jump in secret over the years.
John DeGrazio, founder of the tour company YExplore Yosemite Adventures, told SFGATE that things have gotten out of control since the shutdown began and likened it to “the Wild, Wild West.”
“This is different. These people are counting on no enforcement because of the shutdown,” he said.
In response to reports of illegal activity in Yosemite, Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued a statement: “This is exactly what we warned about. And this is why national parks need to be closed until the government re-opens. This shutdown is making an already bad situation at national parks and public lands far worse.”
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National Parks dealing with understaffing
Before the government shutdown, National Parks were already dealing with staffing shortages, spurred by budget cuts from the Trump administration.
In July, the National Parks Conservation Association announced that the National Park Service had lost 24% of its permanent staff since the Trump administration took office.
“National parks cannot properly function at the staffing levels this administration has reduced them to. And it’s only getting worse,” said Theresa Pierno, the National Parks Conservation Association’s president and CEO.
Local NewsNation affiliate KTLA contributed to this report
