FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — As the nation inches closer to a potential government shutdown, one of West Virginia’s most famous national parks is preparing for cutbacks.
Tim Naylor, executive assistant at the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce and New River Gorge Convention and Visitors Bureau, told MetroNews Wednesday essential employees would still be required to work, but a lot of maintenance staff would be furloughed for the time being.
“If the government were to shut down, then it would just be essential employees which would damper the Canyon Rim Visitor Center as well as some of the maintenance of the restrooms which would probably be shut down,” he said.
That means trash left behind on trails and in other public spaces at the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve would not be picked up.
Naylor said it could create an eyesore for visitors, many of whom visit the park during the fall months when the leaves start changing colors.
There will be no impacts to Bridge Day which is set to take place Oct. 21 along the New River Gorge Bridge. BASE jumpers and visitors will still be allowed on the bridge; however, there won’t be a lot of maintenance workers around to clean up.
Trails will remain open if the government were to shut down.
“You could visit the park freely like you normally would, but things may be more closed off like restrooms and visitor centers,” Naylor said. “If visitor centers were to shutdown, then people aren’t going to have that easy access to that information to learn about the area and to know exactly where to go and what to see.”
If Congress doesn’t pass a spending plan by Saturday, millions of Americans would lose their paychecks including some national park workers in Fayette County.
“They would just keep their essential employees and even those would not be paid during the shutdown, but then the back pay would come once the government reopens,” Naylor said.
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed a short-term stopgap spending bill that would fund the government through Nov. 17., but House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he and his caucus oppose the $6 billion dollars of additional Ukraine aid in that stopgap measure.
The House of Representatives is set to vote Wednesday on bills funding the troops and homeland security.
The most recent government shutdowns were in 2013 and 2018.