By Alison Seagle

Staff Writer

This past weekend, a dozen CSUSM Cougars were planning to trek to Joshua Tree with campus recreation for some hiking, camping and rock climbing until the government shutdown closed all of the national parks.

Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 1, the government went into a shutdown, furloughing all federal employees who were not deemed essential, which included those employees of the National Park Service (NPS). Even the website for the NPS is shutdown. All of the nearly 400 national parks across the U.S. had to put up signs and barricades to turn away day visitors, and overnight visitors were given 48 hours to leave the parks.

Oct. 1 also marked the 123 birthday of beautiful and beloved Yosemite National Park. Although the Yosemite Grant was signed on June 30, 1864, the park celebrates its birthday on Oct. 1, but not this year. All planned activities were canceled and future events were put in limbo until the resolution of the shutdown.

San Diego’s own Cabrillo National Monument has also been closed. Aside from disappointing hundreds of school children who had field trips canceled, Cabrillo, like Yosemite, has birthday plans that are now in jeopardy.

Oct. 14 will mark the 100 birthday of this monument since President Woodrow Wilson made a proclamation to have part of Fort Rosecrans reserved to commemorate Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s landing. Though the park has been celebrating its 100 birthday all year, the weekend of Oct. 12 through 14 is particularly jam-packed with events and activities that may also have to be canceled. Hopefully the shutdown will be lifted before Oct. 12 arrives.

As for the Joshua Tree trip, campus recreation is evaluating the possibility of rescheduling the trip once the parks re-open. The next campus recreation group is planned to go desert camping in Anza, Nov. 2 through 3. Unless the government goes for a new record for being shutdown (the longest previous shutdown lasted 21 days), then the trip to Anza should be in the clear.

Sign-ups for that trip are scheduled to begin Oct. 14 at the Clarke. More information can be found on the campus recreation website at http://www.csusm.edu/rec/.