The government shutdown is having a large effect on the many National Parks throughout the country. Many are staffed with a skeleton crew or shut down all together. All of these closures and services are closed down because congress can’t seem to get its act together.

Unfortunately it’s times like this that the far off distant politics swing back around and show how they really do affect each and every one of us. Not in some abstract or far reaching impact, these government shutdowns are putting a stop to our camping trips. The inability for congress, and to a lot of extent our entire government, to get anything done is crippling our country and threatening our future and the future of this beautiful countries natural resources.

I urge all of you nature lovers out there to get involved with your local and federal politics and tell your representatives that your vacations, your lives, and the future of this country are not chips that they can bet on a political stage. Let them know that this government shutdown is completely irresponsible and needs to come to an end immediately.

Aside from that I would urge each and every one of you campers out there to make sure that any camping or outdoor plans you have are double checked. Between the floods and now the government shut down there are many camping areas that are closed or limited when they normally wouldn’t be.

We are living in a strange time now. There is nothing more relaxing then getting away for the weekend to go camping to escape the troubles of the world. However, when the troubles get so bad they start to take this small, but very important part of our camping from us, it is time for us to take a more active role to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.