(Image source from: Huffingtonpost.com)

The longest-ever United States government shutdown has gravely affected Joshua Tree national park in California eventually a former official of the park said the recovery would take up to 300 years caused by visitors, according to a media report on Tuesday.

“What’s happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years,” said Curt Sauer, who retired in 2010 after serving as a superintendent for seven years.

After the record shutdown that began on December 22, the park was reopened on Monday. The park workers returned to a state of chaos, including battered trees, graffiti, and destroyed trails.

The reduced ranger supervision during the shutdown saw increased mischief at the park, causing officials to announce on January 8 that Joshua Tree would temporarily close. It was announced a day later that officials were able to use recreation fee revenue to avoid the closure.

“While the vast majority of those who visit Joshua Tree do so in a responsible manner, there have been incidents of new roads being created by motorists and the destruction of Joshua trees in recent days that have precipitated the closure,” park spokesman George Land said on Monday.

The shutdown left nearly 800,000 federal workers furloughed, forcing many national parks to operate without rangers. Volunteers hauled out the trash and cleaned toilets – but in a park covering 1,235 square miles, it wasn’t adequate to stop the damage.

-Sowmya Sangam