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Science Faces Shutdown as Impasse Drags on in DC

As of a week ago, Virginia has received almost 500 claims for unemployment benefits from furloughed federal workers. But the effects of the government shutdown don’t stop there. There’s also been an impact on science.

 

 

Jeff Atkins is a biologist who works on The Shenandoah Watershed Study -- a federally funded project that goes back 40 years. On a weekly basis, without fail, the team collects water samples from the park. That was until this latest government shutdown.

“We missed three weeks actually. So that’s the largest gap that we have in any data going back that far,” says Atkins.

While three weeks in 40 years may not seem like a big deal, Atkins says it is -- mostly because it’s been such a wet year.

“Definitely not having data during what is a record setting year, because as a function of climate change precipitation is changing,” says Atkins.

The good news is the team was recently given permission to start working again. But Atkins is worried about people who are still impacted.  

“Like USGS offices and Forest Service offices right now are empty,” Atkins says. “And those are the people who we at universities work with very closely. And to not have access to those people that’s hugely detrimental to us.”

They’re slated to sample 50 streams at the end of the month. If the shutdown continues, Atkins doesn’t know if they’ll have the manpower to make it happen.

 
 This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.

Mallory Noe-Payne is a Radio IQ reporter based in Richmond.
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