With the government shutdown temporarily over after 35 days, the National Park Service is back and providing service to areas including the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
So far, SMMNRA staff confirmed “Sandstone Peak is now open, along with Paramount Ranch, Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa, Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyons & the Visitor Center at King Gillette Ranch.”
Eighty-eight percent of federal lands and 47 percent of the total land in the Santa Monica Mountains area burned in last November’s fire, as previously reported in The Malibu Times. Due to the damage, many areas still remained closed to the public.
The government, however, has only been approved to stay open for three weeks. It is unclear whether lawmakers will come to an agreement by mid-February to keep the government—and agencies such as the NPS—running. Already, reports indicate national parks such as Joshua Tree have sustained centuries-worth of damage due to the lack of personnel from the weeks-long shutdown.