Arts & Entertainment

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Reopens

The area had been closed since Oct. 1 due to the government shutdown.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area reopened early Thursday morning after having been closed since Oct. 1 due to the government shutdown.

The openings include the Santa Monica Mountains Interagency Visitor Center in Calabasas. 

“We are very excited to welcome people back to their national park lands in the Santa Monica Mountains,” said Superintendent David Szymanski, according to a press release . “We hope people get outside this weekend and have a wonderful time in their parks.”

Areas also reopened include Cheeseboro and Palo Comado Canyons, Rancho Sierra Vista, Paramount Ranch and Circle X Ranch.

Should the parks have been closed in the first place? Was closing them a necessity or was it a ploy to make things inconvenient for the American people so they'd demand a quick fix? Should furloughed rangers be paid back pay if they weren't working? Let us know what you think in the comments section.


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