Friends of Acadia on Government Shutdown and Impact on Acadia National Park

With the government shutdown entering Day 3, David MacDonald, the President of the Friends of Acadia issued the following statement...

“Friends of Acadia is deeply troubled by the federal government shutdown and the challenges it poses for Acadia.
“The fact that it comes in the depths of winter means that impacts on visitors and local businesses are far less than the 2013 shutdown at the height of fall foliage season. The debilitating effect on the park itself, however, cannot be over-stated.
“The park cannot just run itself. More than 75 full-time professionals who help care for Acadia have been furloughed, leaving important work in limbo. Acadia already operates on a razor-thin budget, and to lose core functions for even a few days is a set-back for all of the work necessary to prepare for the coming year and to operate and protect one of America’s busiest and most-beloved parks.
“We want to express our support for our colleagues at Acadia in this time of uncertainty and anxiety. While many parts of the park remain accessible to visitors, we ask members of the public to use extreme care when out in Acadia in the coming days to avoid undue demands on the skeleton crew of rangers still on the job to ensure public safety.
“FOA appreciates the efforts of members of Maine’s Congressional Delegation who are doing everything they can to resolve the stalemate and minimize negative impacts on Acadia and the entire state.
“We will strive to provide updates and information in the expectation that park communications channels will also be affected in the coming days.”

Acadia National Park is currently open, but Park Rangers and maintenance staff are not plowing and maintaining roads and cautioning visitors that those entering Acadia National Park do so at their own risk as they cannot respond to emergencies.