@johnldeboer
The knock-on effects on the local economy from park closure are not insignificant. Tourists contribute on the order of $50,000/day to the Estes Park area IIRC.
@johnldeboer
The media - are not what they once were. Negative news brings clicks, first out the door gets the clicks, in-depth (even minimally) coverage is time consuming and expensive. It's the internet now, not daily, weekly or monthly deadlines, but minutes.