The National Park Service announced that it would resume maintenance services in Washington-area parks on Friday, including the National Mall, George Washington Memorial Parkway, and Rock Creek Park. It will also reopen several bathrooms at sites around the Mall.
The Park Service has not completed any trash collection, roadwork, or sanitation services in its parks since the federal shutdown began on Dec. 22. It will dip into fee revenue from national parks across the country to cover the costs. Those funds are typically reserved for future projects.
Local agencies and individuals have been picking up the federal government’s slack during the shutdown. D.C.’s Department of Public Works took over trash pickup at the National Mall and more than 100 other NPS properties, several business improvement districts have expanded their services, and groups of volunteers have organized trash cleanups at parks including Fort Dupont and Fort Stevens.
This is nuts. Hundreds of tires dumped illegally near Ft. Dupont Park in SE DC. @DCPoliceDept @DOEE_DC and @anacostiaws cleaning up the mess. “This will take hours.” pic.twitter.com/jL53ZguV8V
— Jacob Fenston (@JacobFenston) January 10, 2019
DC’s Ft. Stevens is a @NatlParkService site – Lincoln came under fire there during the Civil War. It hasn’t been cleaned since the #shutdown, so today, a handful of folks showed up to do it themselves. @wamu885 @NPR pic.twitter.com/5AL8Xo9QUI
— Mikaela Lefrak (@MikaelaLefrak) January 10, 2019
“We appreciate the generous support of many of our partners, the D.C. government and BIDs across the city who helped us maintain our parks during the lapse in appropriations,” said acting National Capital Regional Director Lisa Mendelson in a press release on Thursday.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says she plans to ask the federal government to reimburse the city for cleanup costs once the shutdown is over.
The following parks will be affected by the new policy: Anacostia Park, Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Capitol Hill Parks, Civil War Defenses of Washington, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Georgetown area parks including Georgetown Waterfront Park, Kenilworth Park, Meridian Hill Park, National Mall and Memorial Parks, President’s Park, Rock Creek Park and Suitland Parkway.
NPS will also reopen bathrooms at the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the World War II Memorial, Constitution Gardens, and the Washington Monument.
Visitor centers, ranger talks and programs, and some emergency services in the area’s national parks will remain unavailable.
This story originally appeared on WAMU.
Mikaela Lefrak