While national parks around the country are closing due to the government shutdown, one state is defying orders: Wisconsin.  Much like the veterans at the WWII Memorial, Wisconsin is refusing to comply with federal instructions to close down public parks.

Several Wisconsin parks, including Devil’s Lake, Kettle Moraine, and Horicon Marsh, were ordered to close by the National Park Service; however, the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) refused, choosing instead to keep the parks open and runnning.  Many of these parks are largely funded by state rather than federal funds.

The DNR also reopened a public boat launch on the Mississippi River this past Wednesday. The launch had been closed early this week by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to the government shutdown and the launch residing on federal property, but the DNR removed the barricades anyway, citing its legal authority from an agreement made decades ago with the federal government.

Governor Scott Walker endorsed the DNR’s actions to keep parks open and blamed both Republicans and Democrats in Congress for the government shutdown, stating that politicians in Washington should run the country more like Wisconsin, a state which had recently balanced its budget under Walker’s leadership, turning the state’s deficit of $3.6 billion into a surplus