Mountains yes, Ellis Island no: Some US parks open, some not
Published January 20. 2018 11:17PM
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. (AP) — The snowy mountains and frozen lakes of Rocky Mountain National Park are still accessible to visitors, despite the federal government shutdown.
But across the country in New York, the nation’s most famous monuments to immigration — the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island — were closed Saturday.
The National Park Service oversees both natural wonders and historic landmarks across the nation. The park service’s parent agency, the Interior Department, had vowed to keep as many parks and public lands open as possible during the shutdown, which began at midnight Friday on the East Coast.
But by mid-day Saturday, the pattern was spotty.
The USS Constitution, the 220-year-old warship anchored at Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, was open, but Boston’s Bunker Hill Monument was closed.
A United States Park Police officer, center, locks a gate leading to a Statue of Liberty ferry, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in New York. The National Park Service announced that the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island would be closed Saturday “due to a lapse in appropriations.” Late Friday, the Senate failed to approve legislation to keep the government from shutting down after the midnight deadline. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
People who work at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island disembark from a ferry at Battery Park, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in New York. The National Park Service announced that the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island would be closed Saturday “due to a lapse in appropriations.” Late Friday, the Senate failed to approve legislation to keep the government from shutting down after the midnight deadline. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
United States Park Police officer Fernandez, right, inform tourist that the Statue of Liberty is closed, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in New York. The National Park Service announced that the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island would be closed Saturday “due to a lapse in appropriations.” Late Friday, the Senate failed to approve legislation to keep the government from shutting down after the midnight deadline. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
A United States Park Police officer post a sign informing of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island closing at an entrance to the ferry, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in New York. The National Park Service announced that the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island would be closed Saturday “due to a lapse in appropriations.” Late Friday, the Senate failed to approve legislation to keep the government from shutting down after the midnight deadline. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Visitors to the Statue of Liberty take in the sight from battery park, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in New York. The National Park Service announced that the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island would be closed Saturday “due to a lapse in appropriations.” Late Friday, the Senate failed to approve legislation to keep the government from shutting down after the midnight deadline. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Visitors to the Statue of Liberty stand in line to board a ferry that will cruise the bay around the statue and Ellis Island, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in New York. The National Park Service announced that the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island would be closed Saturday “due to a lapse in appropriations.” Late Friday, the Senate failed to approve legislation to keep the government from shutting down after the midnight deadline. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Visitors to the Statue of Liberty take photos from onboard a ferry that will cruise the bay around the statue and Ellis Island, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in New York. The National Park Service announced that the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island would be closed Saturday “due to a lapse in appropriations.” Late Friday, the Senate failed to approve legislation to keep the government from shutting down after the midnight deadline. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
An advertisement for a cruise around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island is placed at the entrance to Castle Clinton, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in New York. The National Park Service announced that the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island would be closed Saturday “due to a lapse in appropriations.” Late Friday, the Senate failed to approve legislation to keep the government from shutting down after the midnight deadline. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2013, file photo, the Grand Canyon National Park is covered in the morning sunlight as seen from a helicopter near Tusayan, Ariz. Arizona officials on Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, guaranteed that the Grand Canyon National Park will remain in full operation if Congress fails to pass a budget and a government shutdown ensues. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)
A sign is posted at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018 advising visitors that some services would be unavailable due to a government shutdown. Reflected in the window is the Sunken Road, the site of fierce fighting during the Battle of Fredericskburg in 1862. (Mike Morones/The Free Lance-Star via AP)
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., arrives for a meeting of fellow Republicans on the first morning of a government shutdown after a divided Senate rejected a funding measure, at the Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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