Yosemite National Park is seeing a sharp rise in illegal BASE jumping and other banned activities as the prolonged federal shutdown strains enforcement — a surge conservatives say proves White House warnings about security lapses when government operations stall.
The National Park Service on Friday announced the conviction of three individuals for illegal BASE jumping inside Yosemite National Park, part of a noticeable increase in lawbreaking during the shutdown as federal enforcement bandwidth is stretched thin.
The agency said the cases, some dating back to 2020, were announced now because similar activity appears to be escalating during the shutdown, with jumpers openly leaping from iconic formations in broad daylight.
Yosemite Superintendent Raymond McPadden said park rangers remain active but made clear the federal government is being tested.
“We do not tolerate illegal activity in Yosemite National Park,” he said.
BASE jumping — leaping with a parachute from cliffs, bridges, or other fixed sites — is banned in all national parks, yet Yosemite remains a magnet for thrill-seekers. The park’s allure has turned deadly before, including the 2015 deaths of renowned climbers Dean Potter and Graham Hunt after a fatal jump from Taft Point.
In one recent viral video shot from El Capitan, a voice is heard, expletive-laden, saying, “Right in the middle of the meadow, that’s insane!” as a jumper lands in the busiest area of Yosemite Valley at midday.
Yosemite was the sixth most-visited national park last year, drawing more than 4.1 million people.
The convictions announced Friday include Christopher I. Durell, who admitted to a July 2023 wingsuit jump and received 18 months unsupervised probation, $600 in fines, 40 hours of community service, and forfeiture of all equipment.
Another jumper, Joshua Losue, was sentenced to two days in jail, 24 months’ probation, and $2,510 in fines and was banned from the park. David Nunn, previously convicted in 1998, received jail time and restitution after crashing during a 2020 jump from El Capitan and requiring rescue at taxpayer expense.
Conservatives argue that the episodes highlight the broader national security risks posed by prolonged, politically driven shutdowns.
The White House has argued that a shutdown jeopardizes public safety and law enforcement capacity, while President Donald Trump has pressed to prioritize paying federal law enforcement officers during the shutdown.
Yosemite observers report jumpers are now operating more brazenly, not at dawn or dusk but “at noon instead of 6 in the morning,” said Echo Adventure Cooperative co-founder Elisabeth Barton. She also reported a spike in illegal drones, another federal misdemeanor, appearing “as many as seven times a day since the shutdown began.”
California officials have long been criticized for permissive enforcement environments, particularly concerning federal immigration policies, with tensions escalating during administrations that have prioritized federal enforcement.
The conflict primarily revolves around California's "sanctuary" laws, which limit state and local law enforcement cooperation with federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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