Legal Dispute Shuts Down National Park Service Web Site

The National Park Service shut down its Internet site this month because of a court dispute involving the Department of the Interior, which runs the park service. As a result, Internet users could not reserve campsites at reservations.nps.gov or review park profiles and a wealth of other information at the main park service site, www.nps.gov.

The sites had been down for at least 13 days as of the Travel section’s press time Tuesday.

In a Dec. 6 news release, the Department of the Interior said its “external network connections have been shut down” to comply with a U.S. District Court order on Dec. 5 involving data on a trust fund that processes mining and other royalties from Indian lands. In that case, Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton was accused of contempt of court for what a federal judge said was deception about efforts to clean up the fund system. On Monday the judge said he would allow gradual restoration of Internet service in the Interior Department, the Associated Press reported.

“It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing we can do,” said Lisa Bourne, program analyst for technology at the National Park Service. A note citing “conditions outside our department” as the reason for the shutdown was posted Tuesday at www.nps.gov.

Bourne said campsites could be reserved as usual by calling (800) 365-2267 or (888) 530-9796 (for the hearing impaired); or, in the case of Yosemite National Park, by calling (800) 436-7275.