Secretary of the Interior touring Northeast Ohio

as various governors are moving forward with reopening plans, his department’s job is to be “right next to those governors, right on their shoulder.

“As they reopen, we’re working to manage our facilities to be in conjunction with them in a way that’s helpful and responsible,” he said.

Bernhardt said he’s done a number of site inspections throughout the country, “as we move to align with those states and their processes.”

State plans and the president’s plans will be factored into reopening decisions that will be analyzed on a facility-by-facility basis.

“There are certain things that may not be the same when you go to the park than when you went last year,” Bernhardt said. “And concessionaires have businesses and they also have to make decisions about what they want to do and they may be different.”

U.S. Congressman Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township, joined Bernhardt during the secretary’s stop at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. A news release from Joyce’s office stated that stop included a site inspection, a discussion of safely expanding access to the national parks during the pandemic, and reopened a trail in the park.

Joyce and Bernhardt also heard from rangers and other park staff to discuss their experiences during the pandemic and hear their thoughts and ideas on restoring public access.

“As the Cuyahoga Valley National Park begins to responsibly restore access to the public, I will continue to work side-by-side with Secretary Bernhardt and the Interior Department to ensure we are not only protecting the health and safety of the park’s visitors, but also that of the park rangers and hardworking staff,” Joyce said in a statement.