Even in January, the fishermen are out along the Canarsie Pier. It's part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. But with the federal government shutdown now in its second week, garbage barrels here are overflowing. There are no National Park Service workers to empty them.

“I think it’s disgusting this is one of my favorite places,” said one worried citizen walking along the pier. “And it’s nice to have the birds around but we don’t want them for that reason.”

Over at Floyd Bennett Field, the geese are the only ones flocking to the Ryan Visitor Center. It's normally open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but a sign on the locked door reads, “Area closed because of a lapse in federal appropriations.” Still, some adventurous Brooklynites did make their way over to the archery range on Wednesday.

“I come out here to shoot my bow. I get target practice so when hunting season is on I’ll be able to get a deer,” one man said.

Archers here say they usually see US Park Police driving by, but the patrols have stopped since the shutdown. The bowmen say they can deal with the lack of park police. The real problem, they say, is when nature calls.

“A lot of people have to urinate in the bushes over there because the bathroom is closed,” one archer said.

New York State is spending $65,000 a day to keep open the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, landmarks that draw tourists from around the world.

But there has been no spending to maintain services at Gateway, a 27,000 acre national park that stretches from Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to Jamaica Bay in Queens.

At Plumb Beach, Sheepshead Bay resident Mario Savit says there needs to be a focus on this shoreline.

“There’s a three mile stretch of beach that no one pays any attention to,” Savit said.

There’s a sign listing environmental crimes, but no federal employees to enforce them. On the sand, there are remnants of exploded fireworks and more than a dozen burned candies.

“It would be nice if they came here and cleaned up the beach,” Saivt said.

A similar sentiment was expressed over at the fishing pier.

“It would be nice to see government doing what it supposed to do,” said one woman.

With no clear end in sight to the partial government shutdown, for now, it looks as though these places of play and relaxation will continue to go by the wayside.