The federal government shutdown continues, but Utah’s National Parks will open this weekend.
Thursday, the Obama administration announced that it will work with governors who want to open their National Parks if they foot the bill, and Utah’s governor Gary Herbert took the Department of the Interior up on that offer. Eight sites run by the National Parks Service—including Arches, Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks—will be open to visitors by Saturday and remain open for the next 10 days.
?that he hopes to restore tourism dollars to the communities that depend on them.?
Utah will shell out $166,572 per day out of the state’s coffers to briefly open its parks and bring dollars back to many tourist towns that have been turned into ghost towns during the shutdown. , the shutdown is costing parks around the country about $76 million per day.
If the National Parks in your state are still closed, you do have recourse. The website allows you to enter your phone number and connect to a random member of the House. The website also prompts you with talking points, such as “,” “” and “I can’t watch the panda.“