Joshua Tree National Park’s Signature Trees Are Among Shutdown Victims – The New York Times

“While the vast majority of those who visit Joshua Tree National Park do so in a responsible manner,” the statement said, “there have been incidents of new roads being created by motorists and the destruction of Joshua trees in recent days.”

Spokesmen for Joshua Tree National Park and for the National Park Service did not respond to messages seeking comment on Friday. Both of their websites contained a notice that said, “During the federal government shutdown, this website will not be updated and may not reflect current conditions.”

National parks across the country have been affected by the shutdown, with most services suspended except those needed to protect human life and safeguard property, according to planning documents published by the Interior Department. Over 21,000 National Park Service employees are on furlough, the documents said. It was not clear how many Joshua Tree employees were working without pay.

In an interview with National Parks Traveler, a news media organization that focuses on national parks, David Smith, the superintendent of Joshua Tree, said some unsupervised visitors destroyed trees to carve new off-road paths through pristine desert areas. Others spray-painted graffiti in the park and damaged government property by breaking chains and locks to gain access to restricted areas, he said.

“We’ve never seen this level of out-of-bounds camping,” he said, adding, “Joshua trees were actually cut down in order to make new roads.”