Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Visitors to national parks persist amid government shutdown
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Tuesday, October 14, 2025
El Capitan at Yosemite National Park, California. Daniel Erlandson, Pexels ([link removed])
As the government shutdown drags on, concerns over the health of national parks and the safety of visitors continue to grow.
Surfaced photos and videos have shown ([link removed]) visitors to Yosemite National Park BASE jumping from El Capitan and climbing Half Dome’s cables without permits.
“It’s like the Wild Wild West,” said ([link removed]) John DeGrazio, founder of the tour company YExplore Yosemite Adventures.
In one post ([link removed]) to Instagram, climber Charles Winstead filmed visitors BASE jumping from El Capitan. His caption encourages other BASE jumpers to take advantage of the lack of rangers, reading, “More base jumpers! Definitely feeling some freedom to flout the rules due to the shut down. Second group today.”
In Colorado, nonprofits that work closely with the U.S. Forest Service have received mixed messages ([link removed]) about whether volunteers are allowed to work. The Eagle-Summit Wilderness Alliance—a nonprofit that works on the White River National Forest—was told by the Forest Service that all volunteer activities should cease during the shutdown, but a local ranger district has since told the group that volunteers are allowed to work.
The conflicting guidance has left members worried that they could get in trouble for volunteering, or that the workers' compensation usually offered by the Forest Service might not cover them if they were injured while volunteering.
** Quick hits
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Federal lands need the public’s help, retired national park ranger says
North Dakota Monitor ([link removed])
Senate nixes management plans for public lands, expanding access for fossil fuels
Inside Climate News ([link removed])
Squatters, illegal BASE jumpers invade Yosemite amid federal shutdown
SFGATE ([link removed])
Opinion: The case for national monuments
High Country News ([link removed])
Amid government shutdown, Colorado nonprofits describe ‘chaos’ and a ‘scramble to protect the places we love’
Summit Daily ([link removed])
Interior cancels largest solar project in North America
Politico ([link removed])
Farmers, ranchers cut back Colorado River water use while enduring one of the driest seasons on record
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Wyoming congressional delegation wants to override BLM coal lease ban
WyoFile ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” For the future of our natural places, I hope this is not the trajectory we remain on, where we’re all just trying to scramble to protect the places we love.”
—Meara McQuain, executive director of Headwaters Trails Alliance, Summit Daily ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@coparkswildlife ([link removed])
Aspen Nature Trail at Vega State Park 🤝Aspen views for days
It’s not exactly a secret how this trail got named, but we’re fine with that. This easy out-and-back hike is a two-mile-long cruise through a large aspen grove on the south side of the lake. It’s a wonderful walk through the woods, made even more spectacular when the leaves are changing.
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