LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Day 10 of the government shutdown and still no end in sight. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers including about two-thirds of National Park staff remain furloughed. What does that mean for our local public lands here in Nevada? Friday, FOX5 went to Lake Mead to find out.
“My boyfriend and I left in August. We were on about 8,500 miles now,” explained Nicole Dannenberg, a camper from Illinois, who stopped at Lake Mead National Recreation Area on a cross-country National Park road trip. Though there was no one at the entrance gates nor at the visitor center, she was still able to book her campsite through the park’s website.
“There’s nobody to talk to if you need to know if you can build a fire or where to buy firewood, things like that. It is helpful to have a camp host, but other than that, the bathrooms have been clean,” Dannenberg reported. Dannenberg stated the campground was fully booked for the weekend and there’s concern people who don’t have a reservation may take a campsite as the park gates are wide open.
“You’re on the honor system… You just have to believe that they’re going to do the right thing and pay for the night. Some people do, some people don’t,” Dannenberg revealed.
There was a steady stream of traffic into the park Friday afternoon, but no one collecting fees nor checking passes. However, at trails throughout the park, there were few signs of a shutdown. It appears trash is being removed from metal bins and parking lot bathrooms are open and clean.
“I don’t know who’s doing it, but they are still doing it, so it is still being taken care of,” shared Kimberly Smith, a camper from the Lake Havasu area.
FOX5 did find one restroom at the Wetlands Trail parking area with graffiti all over the walls. Those enjoying the park say in while it is short staffed, they are determined to protect it.
“We’ve picked up trash everywhere we’ve been. It kind of makes me mad when I see such a beautiful place and then just people just throw garbage everywhere. So, people are going to continue to trash it. We just have to keep picking it up,” Dannenberg recounted.
There are more than 900 camping and RV sites at 15 different locations throughout Lake Mead National Recreation Area. On the first day of the shutdown, FOX5 was scheduled to tour the Government Wash area which is set to reopen soon after a year of clean up. We checked on our visit Friday and found the gates to the once popular site still closed.
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