National parks being overrun with garbage

For The Madera Tribune Parts of the national parks are being closed because officials are finding human feces and urine all along the roads.

According to the Sacramento Bee, mountains of garbage and human waste are challenging efforts to keep U.S. national parks open during a partial shutdown of the federal government, National Parks Traveler reported.

In California, Yosemite National Park officials have closed the Wawona and Hodgson Meadows campgrounds, along with the after finding human feces and urine beside Wawona Road, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“It’s a free-for-all,” Dakota Snider, 24, who lives and works in Yosemite Valley, told The San Francisco Chronicle by telephone Monday, as Yosemite National Park officials announced closings of some minimally supervised campgrounds and public areas within the park that are overwhelmed. “It’s so heartbreaking. There is more trash and human waste and disregard for the rules than I’ve seen in my four years living here,” Snider said.

Park officials are urging visitors to use restrooms in nearby communities before they enter the park and to pack out their trash. Yosemite Valley’s lodgings, restaurants, ski area at Badger Pass and the park shuttle remain open.