• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Government shutdown affects National Park Service in Oak Ridge

Posted at 7:59 pm January 11, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The partial government shutdown that started three weeks ago has affected the National Park Service in Oak Ridge. There are no National Park Service staff members or volunteers working at the Park Service desk at the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, as pictured above on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The partial government shutdown that started three weeks ago has affected the National Park Service in Oak Ridge. There are no National Park Service staff members or volunteers working at the Park Service desk at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, as pictured above on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The partial government shutdown that started three weeks ago has affected the National Park Service in Oak Ridge.

There are no National Park Service staff members or volunteers working at the Park Service desk at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The Park Service left maps and brochures for visitors to pick up at the museum, but there is no one there to give a certain type of stamp that visitors can use to log visits to national parks.

A sign on the National Park Service desk on Friday said “Closed until further notice,” with a simple sketch of a frowning face underneath it.

Oak Ridge is part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Established about three years ago, the park commemorates the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. Besides Oak Ridge, the park includes Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

The partial government shutdown started Saturday, December 21, and it has lasted three weeks. It will soon hold the record for the longest shutdown. The shutdown of nine cabinet-level federal departments and other agencies hinges on a dispute between President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress over whether to allocate $5.7 billion in funding for a wall on the border with Mexico.

During the shutdown, the National Park Service is not providing visitor services at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, including public information, and all park programs have been canceled. Normally, the Park Service’s activities in Oak Ridge include events like bicycle rides and hikes with rangers, and a program on secrecy, security, and spies during World War II. Other programs have included historical films and celebrations.

The National Park Service is not monitoring or updating social media and websites during the shutdown.

In December, the National Park Service said national parks will remain as accessible as possible during the partial government shutdown while following all applicable laws and procedures.

The following locations in Hanford, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge were to remain open to the public and continue to provide visitor services:

  • Hanford: The park visitor center, operated through a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, located at 2000 Logston Boulevard in Richland.
  • Los Alamos:
    • The Bradbury Science Museum, operated through a DOE contract, located at 1350 Central Avenue.
    • Los Alamos History Museum, operated by the Los Alamos Historical Society, located at 1050 Bathtub Row.
  • Oak Ridge:
    • The Childrens Museum of Oak Ridge located at 461 West Outer Drive.
    • The American Museum of Science and Energy, operated through a DOE contract, located at 115 East Main Street.

The U.S. Department of Interior, which includes the National Park Service, is one of the departments that is affected by the shutdown.

Also affected by the shutdown in Oak Ridge is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration building on South Illinois Avenue. It has closed for now due to the shutdown. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which is one of the departments affected by the shutdown.

The U.S. Department of Energy, which has major sites in Oak Ridge, is not affected by the partial government shutdown because DOE’s fiscal year 2019 appropriations bill was approved by Congress and signed by the president in September.

On Friday, the American Museum of Science and Energy, which relocated to renovated space at Main Street Oak Ridge in October, said it is not affected by the government shutdown.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

The partial government shutdown that started three weeks ago has affected the National Park Service in Oak Ridge. There are no National Park Service staff members or volunteers working at the Park Service desk at the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge. A sign on the National Park Service desk on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, said "Closed until further notice," with a simple sketch of a frowning face underneath it. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The partial government shutdown that started three weeks ago has affected the National Park Service in Oak Ridge. There are no National Park Service staff members or volunteers working at the Park Service desk at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. A sign on the National Park Service desk on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, said “Closed until further notice,” with a simple sketch of a frowning face underneath it. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, contributors, and subscribers. This is a free story. Thank you to our advertisers, contributors, and subscribers. You can see what we cover here.


Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

Copyright 2019 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Community, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, government shutdown, Hanford, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, Oak Ridge, partial government shutdown, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Interior, World War II

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Community News

Outdoor Pool to close for season Aug. 12

Indoor Pool to re-open Monday The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool will closed for the season on Monday, August 12, and the Indoor Pool will re-open Monday, July 29, after being closed for a few months for renovations. The … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge announces Independence Day concert, fireworks

The City of Oak Ridge is sponsoring its annual fireworks show to celebrate Independence Day. The display will be held in Alvin K. Bissell Park on July 4, and it is scheduled to begin at dark, around 9:45 p.m. The Oak … [Read More...]

First Oak Ridge Outdoor Festival is Saturday

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department and Explore Oak Ridge are teaming up to host the first-ever Oak Ridge Outdoor Festival on Saturday. The free event will be a day of fun activities at Oak Ridge parks, … [Read More...]

Lavender Festival is Saturday

The annual Lavender Festival is Saturday in Jackson Square. It's the 24th festival and presented by the City of Oak Ridge. It's scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the city's historic … [Read More...]

Volunteer team plans Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival

Volunteers from civic, charitable, and business organizations throughout the community are planning to welcome three renowned storytellers to Oak Ridge for the June 7 and 8 Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival at the … [Read More...]

More Community

More Government News

Election is Thursday

The Anderson County general election and state and federal primary elections are Thursday. Competitive races include the Democratic and Republican primaries for U.S. Senate, Republican primary for Tennessee House of … [Read More...]

Kairos Power begins construction on demonstration reactor​

Kairos Power has started construction on a test nuclear reactor in west Oak Ridge. The Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor is the first of its type to be approved for construction by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory … [Read More...]

County law director dies at 65

Anderson County Law Director Nicholas “Jay” Yeager, of Clinton, died Friday. He was 65. Yeager was assistant attorney in Anderson County from 2001 to 2006, and he has been law director since then. "Mr. Yeager was … [Read More...]

Outdoor Pool to close for season Aug. 12

Indoor Pool to re-open Monday The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool will closed for the season on Monday, August 12, and the Indoor Pool will re-open Monday, July 29, after being closed for a few months for renovations. The … [Read More...]

Tennis court dances recreate wartime event

Monthly dances by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park recreate the open-air tennis court dances that entertained 75,000 workers and their families in the Secret City during World War II. "Put on your … [Read More...]

More Government

Recent Posts

  • Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival Announces 2025 Storytellers
  • Laser-Engraved Bricks Will Line Walkway of New Chamber Headquarters
  • Democratic Women’s Club to Discuss Climate Change, Energy and Policy
  • Estate Jewelry Show at Karen’s Jewelers Features Celebrity Jewelry
  • Keri Cagle named new ORAU senior vice president and ORISE director
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal+ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal More than $1 million raised in past 10 years benefits United Way and Community Shares Oak Ridge, Tenn. —ORAU exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 in donations as part of its internal annual giving campaign that benefits the United Way and Community Shares nonprofit organizations. ORAU has raised more than $1 million over the past 10 years through this campaign. A total of $126,839 was pledged during the 2024 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign. Employees donate via payroll deduction and could earmark their donation for United Way, Community Shares or both. “ORAU has remained a strong pillar in the community for more than 75 years, and we encourage our employees to consider participating in our annual giving campaign each year to help our less fortunate neighbors in need,” said ORAU President and CEO Andy Page. “Each one of our employees has the power to positively impact the lives of those who need help in the communities where we do business across the country and demonstrate the ORAU way – taking care of each other.” ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/orau Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau ###
  • Children’s Museum Gala Celebrates the Rainforest
  • Jim Sears joins ORAU as senior vice president
  • Oak Ridge Housing Authority Receives Funding Assistance of up to $51.8 Million For Renovating Public Housing and Building New Workforce Housing
  • Two fires reported early Friday

Search Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2025 Oak Ridge Today