Damage to Joshua Tree during the government shutdown could take centuries to repair

The recent month-long government shutdown may have caused “irreparable” damage to Joshua Tree national park, says former superintendent Curt Sauer. During those 34 days, visitors ruined trails, cut down trees, and vandalized the park, and when workers returned, they found absolute chaos.



“What’s happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years,” Sauer - who ran the park for seven years - told the Desert Sun, as first reported by The Guardian.

The...