TROUBLE BREWING ON PUBLIC LANDS

With the shutdown over, White House may be preparing for new, more extractive approach to managing these spaces

- BY ALEX WIGGLESWORTH

During the last government shutdown more than six years ago, the main narrative when it came to public lands was the damage caused by unsupervised visitors.

Trash cans and toilets overflowed with waste. Tourists reportedly mowed down Joshua trees to off-road in sensitive areas of Joshua Tree National Park.

This time around, national parks were directed to retain the staff needed to provide basic sanitation services, as I reported in a recent article with my colleague Lila Seidman. But meanwhile, something bigger and more coordinated was unfolding behind the scenes, said Chance Wilcox, California Desert program manager for the National Parks Conservation Assn.

"We're not seeing Joshua trees getting knocked down, things getting stolen, damage to parks by the American people, but we are seeing damage to parks by this presidential administration on an even larger scale," Wilcox told me last week before lawmakers struck a deal to reopen the government.

Wilcox and other public lands advocates allege that President Trump's administration used the shutdown to expedite an agenda that prioritizes extraction while slashing resources dedicated to conservation and education. What's more, they fear the staffing priorities that came into sharp relief over the 43 days offer a preview of how these lands will be managed going forward, especially in the aftermath of another potential mass layoff that could see the Interior Department cut 2,000 more jobs.