Government shutdown prompts illegal BASE jumping surge in Yosemite

Squatters, base jumpers invade Yosemite during federal shutdown: ‘Like the Wild Wild West’

Swarms of squatters, rogue climbers and illicit BASE jumpers have descended on Yosemite National Park as the California site grapples with staffing shortages amid the ongoing government shutdown.

Yosemite Is Turning Into the Wild West Thanks to the Government Shutdown

When the government’s away, Yosemite National Park becomes a lawless free-for-all. Since the latest federal shutdown kicked off on October 1, a skeleton crew of park staff has been left to deal with a flood of tourists acting like laws are optional if no one’s around to enforce them. As reported by The Travel, Yosemite National Park, in particular, is being overrun by people taking full advantage of there being no one around to tell them no. The…

Government shutdown prompts illegal BASE jumping surge in Yosemite

The lack of staffing has led some to engage in dangerous and illegal activity, with videos circulating on social media showing people BASE jumping.

Video shows illegal BASE jumping in Yosemite amid government shutdown

(NewsNation) — National Parks have remained open amid the ongoing government shutdown, but insufficient staffing at Yosemite National Park in California has prompted visitors to engage in largely unsupervised and risky activities, such as illegal BASE jumping, without much pushback. While the exact number of federal employees still on duty in Yosemite during the shutdown remains unclear, an anonymous park employee told SFGATE that they were only…

BASE jumpers illegally take to Yosemite’s El Capitan as shutdown hampers park enforcement

A climber in Yosemite National Park captured videos of BASE jumpers illegally leaping from El Capitan during the U.S. government shutdown, when limited staffing left park enforcement weakened.

Illegal BASE jumping from Yosemite National Park amid government shutdown

BASE jumpers were seen at Yosemite National Park as only few staff are on duty during the government shutdown, according to the Yosemite Conservancy.