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

nypost.com

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.

Shocking videos on social media show throngs of reckless jumpers launching off El Capitan, climbers scaling Half Dome’s 8,839-foot cables without permits and hordes of trespassers taking over closed campgrounds — all in blatant violation of national park regulations, according to local reports.

“It’s like the Wild Wild West,” John DeGrazio, founder of YExplore Yosemite Adventures, told SFGate.

Sign on a fee station window reads "STATION CLOSED PAY ON WAY OUT" as a car drives past at Tioga Pass, Yosemite National Park. — Yosemite National Park has remained open despite a staffing shortage during the ongoing government shutdown. Getty Images

“This is different. These people are counting on no enforcement because of the shutdown.”

Since the government shutdown on Oct. 1, National Park Service employees have been furloughed without pay — even as the Trump administration’s contingency plans have kept the federal parks open.

A park employee, speaking anonymously, told the outlet that only one wilderness ranger — a volunteer — has been patrolling the 1,169-square-mile park since the shutdown started.

A BASE jumper parachuting through the sky over Yosemite Valley. bigwalltrailrunner/Instagram

“There are lots of squatters in the campgrounds,” the worker said.

“There are lots of people that truly believe they can do whatever they want because of the lack of rangers. They’ve told us.”

Local climber Charles Winstead — who posted wild clips of law-defying daredevils soaring from El Capitan, the park’s iconic 3,000-foot summit — said he’s seen at least a dozen BASE jumpers this week.

Two BASE jumpers parachuting through the sky above vast rock formations in Yosemite. bigwalltrailrunner/Instagram

The extreme sport — in which adrenaline junkies jump from fixed objects and deploy a parachute to break their fall — was pioneered in Yosemite in the 1970s but outlawed in national parks in the 1980s.

“You hear them before you see them,” Winstead told the San Francisco Chronicle.

“Then the parachute pops, and there’s no more noise. But it’s been happening so much, I hardly look up.”

Sign for Yosemite National Park with an illustration of its landscape. — A park employee anonymously told SFGate that the national park only has one wildlife ranger — a volunteer — patrolling the park. Getty Images

The Department of Interior — which oversees the National Park Service — said it’s “aware of reports” of escalating violations and plans to investigate, noting that essential staff covering “critical functions” protecting life, property and public health are still on duty at the protected reserve.

However, it remains unclear just how many federal workers are patrolling Yosemite.

“Visitors are reminded that law enforcement remain on duty,” a department spokesperson told The Post on Tuesday.

“We are aware of reports of BASE jumping in Yosemite and investigate all reports. BASE jumping is illegal in all national parks, including Yosemite, due to the significant safety risks it poses to participants, the public, and first responders.”