During shutdown, some national parks are heavily populated and barely supervised

The government shutdown has left America’s national parks largely unsupervised. No one is at the gate. No one is collecting a fee. The visitor centers are closed. There are some law enforcement and emergency personnel on site, but certainly nothing as standard as a park ranger who can answer a question. People are streaming into the parks, enjoying the free access, but they’re finding overflowing trash cans overflowing and locked restrooms. Vault toilets are not serviced, and there’s hardly a flush toilet to be found anywhere. If nature calls … well, the woods are over that way. "Once those port-a-potties fill up, there's no amount of cleaning that will save them," said Sabra Purdy, who along with her husband, Seth, owns the rock-climbing guide service Cliffhanger Guides in the town of Joshua Tree. Purdy, 40, is among dozens of volunteers who have been collecting garbage, cleaning bathrooms, and generally keeping an eye on the park. Local business owners and park supporters are donating toiletries and cleaning supplies. "People are doing it because we love this place and we know how trashed it'll get if we don't," she said...MORE