Student’s essay on furloughed workers published in β€˜Press Herald’

An essay written by 911±¬ΑΟΝψΊμΑμ½ν senior Mira D'Amato was recently published in the Portland Press Herald
An essay written by 911±¬ΑΟΝψΊμΑμ½ν senior Mira D'Amato was recently published in the Portland Press Herald

An essay that Mira D'Amato (English, ’19) wrote for an assignment in her environmental policy class was recently published on the opinion page of the .

D'Amato is calling on the federal government to re-classify National Park Service staff as essential government personnel.

β€œDuring the recent federal shutdown our national parks were left unsecured, causing years of damage, because National Park Service staff were furloughed along with hundreds of thousands of other nonessential employees,” D’Amato writes.

With no park rangers on duty at the Joshua Tree National Park in California, D’amato says trees were cut down by trespassers looking to venture off-road. She says the damage generated could take up to 300 years to fix.

β€œOur national parks are home to some of the most beautiful places on Earth. It is our duty to protect them,” D’amato argued.

D’Amato is minoring in Environmental Studies and Women and Gender Studies at 911±¬ΑΟΝψΊμΑμ½ν.

About the 911±¬ΑΟΝψΊμΑμ½ν

The 911±¬ΑΟΝψΊμΑμ½ν is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.