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The entrances to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks were quiet during Oct. 31 through Nov. 2. The typical greeting from a park ranger asking for payments was replaced by a closed window with a printed sign saying, “During this lapse in appropriations, national parks will remain as accessible as possible. We are doing our best to take care of your parks at this time, but some amenities and services may not be available.”

“We do not have anyone available for an interview,” an email from the Office of Public Affairs for the National Park Service stated. Their statement to the public followed and read in part:

“The National Park Service will continue to keep parks as accessible as possible during the lapse in appropriations. Critical functions that protect life, property, and public health will remain in place … We are extremely proud of the dedicated employees and partners who continue to serve the public during this challenging time.”

The contingency plan laid out by the National Park Service in September outlined the services the government was going to fund during the shutdown. These services were limited and included mostly law enforcement and restroom services.

“Our tourism economy is also of vital importance, and we’ve communicated to Interior Secretary (Deb) Haaland our plan to keep Utah’s national parks open,” Gov. Spencer Cox said in a statement through his office, pledging that he would tap into state funds to support the parks beyond what would be covered by federal funds.

According to Ben Cook at Utah’s Office of Tourism, those federal funds did not extend to other services that the state found important, such as the visitor centers. “The state stepped in to fund the visitor centers so that there would be staff there, and people could get information,” Cook said.

The state allocates $8,000 a day to each of the national parks within Utah to keep those visitor centers open. As the weather changes, some of the visitor centers will close as normal, which allows for funds to be reallocated.

The funds generated from tourism at Arches and Canyonlands are a large piece of the economy in Utah. “Ensuring that they are open and accessible is really critical for people whose livelihoods depend on those visitors,” Cook said.

The Office of Tourism has collaborated with nonprofit organizations that help support the park. One of these non-profits is the Utah State Historic Preservation Office. Since 2020, the preservation office has been tasked with building a program specifically designed to mitigate concerns at the parks, including theft, looting, environmental damages and man-made destruction.

“Since that time, we’ve grown the largest cultural site stewardship program in the country with almost 480 volunteers monitoring sites,” said Ian Wright, Utah public archaeologist at the preservation office.

A memorandum of understanding was signed with Arches National Park, but the government shutdown put a halt to getting volunteers out there. Reports of vandalism at Arches surfaced in early November.

“The last time I checked we got 28 reported damages during the shutdown in different areas throughout the state,” Wright said. “I’m sure people took advantage of knowing that there’s less staff and fewer eyes on the ground.”

Damages range from minor to very significant, and volunteers are then responsible for reporting these damages to local land management.

“During the shutdown, people are constantly reaching out, asking what they can do, where they can go,” Wright said. “It is amazing to see the community taking action to safeguard not only their own cultural heritage but also the heritage of other people.”

According to Cook, the Office of Tourism takes into consideration that many park visitors come from all over the world. “We’re doing right by visitors, we’re doing right by local communities, and we’re trying to do right by the parks themselves,” Cook said about the contributions the state has made towards the parks. “I just think it’s a great example of how Utah really steps up to lead in a really unique way.”