National Mall resumes operations Sunday; National Zoo reopens Tuesday

The empty entrance of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is seen, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019, in Washington. Smithsonian’s National Zoo is closed due to the partial government shutdown. President Donald Trump is convening a border security briefing Wednesday for Democratic and Republican congressional leaders as a partial government shutdown over his demand for border wall funding entered its 12th day. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

A young boy at the gates of the National Zoo on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019, during the government shutdown. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

A closed sign is posted on the gate of Smithsonian's National Zoo, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019, in Washington. Smithsonian's National Zoo is closed due to the partial government shutdown. President Donald Trump is convening a border security briefing Wednesday for Democratic and Republican congressional leaders as a partial government shutdown over his demand for border wall funding entered its 12th day. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) — A closed sign is posted on the gate of Smithsonian’s National Zoo, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019, in Washington. Smithsonian’s National Zoo is closed due to the partial government shutdown. President Donald Trump is convening a border security briefing Wednesday for Democratic and Republican congressional leaders as a partial government shutdown over his demand for border wall funding entered its 12th day. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

In this Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, photo the empty Baked by Yael bakery is seen in Washington. The bakery is located across from Smithsonian’s National Zoo that is closed because of the partial government shutdown. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

In this Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, photo a statue of a panda bear is seen behind the closed gate of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo that is closed because of the partial government shutdown in Washington. The Baked by Yael bakery is located across the street. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

FILE — In this Dec. 25, 2018, file photo, the Capitol building is visible as a man picks up garbage during a partial government shutdown on the National Mall in Washington. No city experiences a shutdown quite like Washington. Besides the economic impact, a shutdown warps the nation’s capital on a cultural, recreational and logistical level. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File

The Capitol building is visible as a man who declined to give his name picks up garbage and stacks it near a trash can during a partial government shutdown on the National Mall in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

In this Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019, photo visitors to Great Smoky Mountain National Park drive through the park but facilities like the Sugarlands and Cades Cove visitor centers in Townsend, Tenn. Nonprofits, businesses and state governments nationwide are putting up money and volunteer hours in a battle to keep national parks safe and clean for visitors as the partial U.S. government shutdown lingers.
(Robert Berlin/The Daily Times via AP)

Robert Berlin/The Daily Times via AP

FILE — In this May 25, 2017 file photo, a class of eighth-grade students and their chaperones sit in a meadow at Yosemite National Park, Calif., below Yosemite Falls. Some of the West’s iconic national parks are beginning to partially close as they deal with overflowing restrooms and vandals on the 10th day of a federal government shutdown. (AP Photo/Scott Smith, File)

AP Photo/Scott Smith, File

In this Monday, Dec. 31, 2018 photo provided by Dakota Snider shows a road lined with trash in Yosemite National Park, Calif. Human feces, overflowing garbage, illegal off-roading and other damaging behavior in fragile areas were beginning to overwhelm some of the West’s iconic national parks on Monday, as a partial government shutdown left the areas open to visitors but with little staff on duty. (Dakota Snider via AP)

Dakota Snider via AP

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WASHINGTON — Monuments and memorials on the National Mall in D.C. will resume normal operations Sunday, the National Park Service announced Saturday.

All facilities will be open, though Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site and Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument will have a delayed opening at 10 a.m., NPS spokesman Mike LItterst said in a statement.

Litterst said that it will be “business as usual” on Sunday.

The National Zoo will reopen on Tuesday, along with other Smithsonian museums affected by the partial government shutdown.

Pending passage of a continuing resolution to fund the government, all Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo will reopen Tuesday, Jan. 29 at their regularly scheduled times.

— National Zoo (@NationalZoo) January 25, 2019

Using prior-year funds, the zoo and other Smithsonian museums closed on Jan. 2, 11 days after the shutdown which started on Dec. 22. This gave visitors a chance to visit them over the winter holidays.

During the shutdown, some zoo staff remained to care for the animals, with help from volunteers. A National Zoo spokesman told WTOP that the shutdown did not change their commitment to the safety of the staff, and “the standard of excellence in animal care.”

However, the live animal cameras, including the popular Giant Panda Cam, remained dark while the zoo was closed.

In an Op-Ed for USA Today, Smithsonian secretary David J. Skorton said that the shutdown cost the Smithsonian Institution $1 million a week in revenue from restaurants, IMAX theaters, shops and other operations. He also said that more than 4,000 employees were furloughed and did not get a paycheck; and some 45,000 visitors a day were not able to access the collections.

Near the National Zoo, businesses that were usually bustling from zoo traffic experienced a slowdown on the first day of the zoo’s closure.

“We went from having thousands of people every day for Zoo Lights in December to having nobody in January,” Yael Krigman, of nearby shop Baked by Yael told WTOP.

In a statement Friday, the National Park Service said that it was preparing to resume regular operations nationwide. Because of individual parks’ staff size and complexity of operations, the opening schedule may vary and some parks may not open immediately. NPS asked visitors to contact individual parks or visit their websites.

“Following the enactment of the continuing resolution, the Natl Park Service is preparing to resume regular operations nationwide though the schedule for individual parks may vary depending on staff size and complexity of operations.” Full statement at https://t.co/j0R3Kdo8b8

— NationalParkService (@NatlParkService) January 26, 2019

Several parks left areas open to visitors during the shutdown, but there was little staff on duty, causing trash, illegal off-roading and other damaging behavior in fragile areas, The Associated Press reported.

In areas around the National Mall, the D.C. government and outside groups stepped up and helped pick up trash while NPS employees were furloughed.

Litterst said that maintenance staff came back on Jan. 11 so trash and similar issues experienced by other parks in the country were not a big issue.

“Everyone is ready to go back to work,” Litterst said, and they’ve been ready to get back almost since funding ran out and had to shut down.