Parks to Close, Mine Cleanups to Halt if Government Shuts Down (1)

The lights will go out at the Interior Department unless a short-term funding extension is hammered out before the end of Dec. 21.

If that happens, the National Park Service will immediately stop providing visitor services, including restrooms, trash collection, and road and facilities maintenance, according to its January 2018 contingency plan. Preventative wildfire projects, such as prescribed burns, will also be called off, raising the possibility of more frequent and intense fires in the future.

The agency will only retain 3,298 of its 24,681 employees, according to its plan.

Further, ...