Catastrophic” is the word former Yosemite Superintendent Don Neubacher used to describe the looming staffing situation to SFGATE.

Yosemite National Park has announced it will delay the sale of summer reservations for its popular campsites. In a post on its social media pages Friday, the park said the delay impacts five campgrounds: Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Wawona, and Hodgdon Meadow. The delay will impact reservations from June 15 to July 14.

Yosemite National Park has announced it is delaying reservation bookings at popular camping sites amid uncertainty and widespread firings of federal positions.

Yosemite faces a staffing shortage as it heads into the busy season, risking decades of conservation efforts at the national park.

Yosemite's inability to hire seasonal staff could be "catastrophic" for the national park, said a former superintendent.