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When you shut down the government for five weeks, there are going to be some unintended consequences.
At the NASA Ames Research Park, one side effect has been wild turkeys running amok. For years, a flock of gobblers has resided at Moffett Field, and the birds appear to have seized the moment as the federal shutdown turned the area into a ghost town. These turkeys apparently decided to move into areas that were previously off-limits, roosting right in front of NASA Ames’ main auditorium.
The birds scattered once the humans returned to work, but they left behind a scene of avian squalor — lots of poop and feathers. It was quite a mess in the auditorium breezeway, said Deb Feng, NASA Ames associate center director.
“The turkeys were just out there doing their thing over the course of the shutdown,” she said. “Our janitors and caretakers had to come clean it up. It would’ve be a hazard if we just left it there.”
It was just one example of nature filling the vacuum left by humans during the shutdown. More famously, a pack of about 100 elephant seals settled at a stretch of beach in Point Reyes that was mostly abandoned by parks rangers.
Unlike the turkey mess, other lingering impacts from the federal shutdown are harder to clean up. NASA officials say they are still unsure exactly how many employees may have left for other jobs.
It is a hard thing to assess, explained Feng. Retirements are often higher around January, making it difficult to discern which employees left due to the furloughs.
Through the shutdown, NASA Ames experienced a variety of pipeline leaks and minor maintenance issues, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. It was extremely fortunate that no major emergency occurred during this time, said Feng.
The return to work has also been hamstrung by uncertainty that another government shutdown is right around the corner. The government reopened last month under a stopgap measure that funded federal agencies through this Friday, Feb. 15. On Friday, President Donald Trump signed a budget compromise, averting another shutdown.
I thought turkeys were running the government.
Still are.