National Park Service employees are pictured above at the American Museum of Science and Energy. (Submitted photo)
The three-day federal government shutdown ended Monday, and staff at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, resumed regular operations, officials said.
Congress passed a short-term spending bill on Monday that will fund the government through February 8, and President Donald Trump signed it Monday night.
On Tuesday, the National Park Service said employees of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park are “happy to be back at work, serving the American people and welcoming visitors to their national parks.”
The Park Service said it appreciated the support of local partners who “stepped up to offer support and continue to serve our visitors over the last few days,” and the NPS thanked the following partners:
- Hanford, Washington: park visitor center, operated through a U.S. Department of Energy contract.
- Los Alamos, New Mexico: Bradbury Science Museum operated through a DOE contract, and Los Alamos History Museum, operated by the Los Alamos Historical Society.
- Oak Ridge, Tennessee: American Museum of Science and Energy operated through a DOE contract, and the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, operated by a nonprofit organization.
The Manhattan Project National Historical Park was formally established in November 2015 by an agreement between the Department of Energy and the National Park Service. It preserves portions of three World War II sites where the United States developed the first atomic weapons: Hanford, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge. The park marks the history of the people, science, events, and controversy associated with the creation of the atomic bomb in the top-secret effort known as the Manhattan Project. Under the agreement, the NPS and DOE jointly manage and administer the park.
In Oak Ridge, the park had an open house at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on Wednesday. It had been announced in December by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of Energy, and Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, and it was meant to celebrate the new location for providing information about the park.
This past Saturday, Oak Ridge Today reported that employees at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge had been expected to continue working during the brief shutdown, with some apparent exceptions, and last Friday, the U.S. Department of Energy, which has facilities in Oak Ridge, said federal employees were expected to continue to report for work.
You can visit www.nps.gov/mapr for updated information about the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
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