The government shutdown has resulted in the closure and/or cutback of staff at national parks across the United States. Many parks are left without staff to monitor visitor activity and instead of packing out their trash visitors are piling their liter into bins overflowing with garbage.

At Joshua Tree National Park in the California desert just outside Palm Springs visitors left without supervision cut illegal roads and rangers are finding Joshua trees that have been cut down with chainsaws. The story from LiveScience