Aurora Hons
Staff Writer
The ramifications of a government shutdown on the national parks
[Pocatello, ID] The ISU Outdoor Adventure Center has been facing resource challenges with its National Park tours due to the recent government shutdown, as the House and Senate continue to clash and fail to resume federal funding.
What happens when government gridlock collides with university programs and student passion for the outdoors? Since September 30, federal funding for most agencies has been frozen as the House and Senate continue to clash over the 2025-2026 budget. Among the first to feel the sting is the National Park Service. The ISU Outdoor Adventure Center, which frequently tours the parks, provides some insight.
“The OAC, Outdoor Adventure Center, has been around for a really long time,” Alina Jablonski, the program’s recreation coordinator, said. “We go on all sorts of different trips, and full-time, fee-paying students can go on one free trip a semester.”
The program focuses on a mix of education, recreation, and conservation on the trips with students. “We try to teach a good amount of conservation, because when we’re traveling, we tend to be a large group, and we want to make sure we’re taking care of the environment around us,” Jablonski added.
What seems like a political standoff in Washington can trickle down to university programs such as the Outdoor Adventure Center. During shutdowns, up to half of the parks’ workforce can be furloughed, leaving only a skeleton crew to handle maintenance, visitor safety, and emergency services. The result can be devastating.
When the Outdoor Adventure Center packed up their vans with students for a recent trip to Yellowstone, they didn’t expect to see fewer rangers, locked bathrooms, overflowing trash bins, and ‘closed’ signs on trailheads, all because Congress disagreed on a budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
“What we directly saw this weekend was [that] there were not many rangers at the entrance stations, which can lead to very long lines getting into the park,” Jablonski stated, “Another issue was places like visitor centers were not open… It definitely has a profound impact on the park.” But behind those locked gates and lack of rangers lies a much bigger issue, one that’s been brewing in Washington.
Representative Mike Simpson provided his perception, “The impact of a shutdown is significant, with ramifications experienced throughout Idaho and nationwide.” Representative Simpson said, “I understand the frustration many citizens have with the current state of fiscal affairs in this country.”
“Personally for me, I think that it’s hard to see the parks not be able to be fully operational,” Jablonski said, “We ran into a park ranger while we were there… and I got to chat with him for a little bit, and a lot of them have lost their livelihood right now, so that can be a really big impact on them.”
Despite the shutdown leading to a lack of funding, the sun still rises over the parks. For student organizations like the Outdoor Adventure Center, the fight to protect public lands has just begun.
