Trespassing citations have been issued to several people attempting to enter Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks since the federal government shutdown closed the parks.
Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash says that the park is running on minimal staff, with hundreds of employees furloughed due to the shutdown.
“We have just over a hundred national park service employees on duty on any given day during this shutdown” explains Nash “Across 2.2 million acres mind you, and hundreds of miles of road.”
Nash also says that during the month of October there are usually nearly 140,000 recreational visits to the park, a tourist volume which will surely be missed by surrounding towns.
The section of US route 212 which connects Cooke city to the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway will remain open along with sections of U.S. route 191. The public is not allowed to venture off of the main road during the park closures.