By: Chaco Culture Conservancy
As the federal government shutdown enters its 38th day, the Chaco Culture Conservancy continues to monitor its impact on the landscape, the park infrastructure, and, most importantly, the dedicated staff who steward these irreplaceable lands.
On October 28th, furloughed employees missed their first full paycheck and will not receive back pay until the government reopens. The impact of this shutdown deepens each day for park staff and the protected places they care for.
Real-time update: Currently, all but essential staff are furloughed at both Chaco Culture and Aztec Ruins. Both parks remain closed to the public, with all visitor services suspended until the government reopens.
Unfortunately, the Chaco Culture Conservancy is limited in its ability to offer direct financial support to furloughed staff. However, we are working closely with park leadership to connect individuals with community resources and to rally our community to local support wherever possible. Our National Parks are more than landscapes; they are living classrooms, cultural archives, and sacred places. The people who protect them deserve our care, and our advocacy.
In March 2025, the Chaco Culture Conservancy reaffirmed our commitment to serve these parks and their communities in times of challenge. Today, as the parks and their employees face the longest federal shutdown in history, we call on you, our friends, neighbors, and partners, to stand with us.
Use your voices, your resources, and your hearts to help our National Park Service family weather this storm. We stand with them, together, for our parks.
If you are local and looking for a way to directly help the staff of Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument, or if you are a local federal employee impacted by the shutdown, these community resources are here to help. We continue to compile additional resources as we learn about them. If you’d like to be added to this list, or receive updates as new support options become available, please contact us at: contact@chacoculture.org.
Local Foodbanks
NM restaurants offering free meals to furloughed workers:
Other resources:
Here at the Chaco Culture Conservancy, our mission has always been rooted in community. Community built the sacred landscapes that we work to preserve and protect, and community has sustained them for more than a thousand years.
In times of celebration, we look to our community to share in our successes with. In times of hardship, we look to our community to lift us up.
Today, we ask you – our community – to stand with us as we support our National Park Service family.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
-Margaret Meade
If you believe in protecting Chaco and Aztec, consider supporting the Chaco Culture Conservancy. Become a Friend if you aren’t already, share our story, and support our Parks. Together, we can make sure the story of these sacred sites continues, even in the hardest moments.
Friends of the Conservancy enjoy exclusive benefits. Join our community of stewards today and help us create a greater impact.
