Your National Parks in Peril

Compared to the war in Ukraine, immigration actions in L.A., tariffs, and violation of due process, public lands often fail to make the news.  But make no mistake - your public lands are being destroyed by the current administration and DOGE piece by piece.    

Since January, our nation’s public lands have been thrust into turmoil and it is getting worse by the day. As the busy summer recreation season begins, these agencies face deep dysfunction: funding freezes, mass employee firings, employee buyouts, drastically reduced budgets and possible elimination. 

America’s public lands are represented by areas managed by the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Corps of Engineers.  The following summarizes the status of the National Park Service.

The Pulitzer Prize winning author Wallace Stegner once wrote that National Parks were America’s best idea.  Before Yellowstone was created in 1872, there were no national parks on earth.  The United States of America came up with the idea of National Parks – the first one being Yellowstone.  The National Park Service was created by Congress through the Organic Act of 1916. The agency's mission was clearly stated. "....to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."  Today, the current administration is shredding this revolutionary Act.

The Prior to January, 2025 the NPS employed around 20,000 people nationwide, but has been operating since 2014 with a staffing deficit of 20%, well below functional strength.  Last year, 331 MILLION people visited National Parks.  The estimate for this year is even higher.  With fewer staff and higher visitation, the Parks will be gravely impacted in areas of resource protection, visitor services, and facility maintenance, but staff have been ordered to “keep everything open and all services provided.” 

The President of the National Parks and Conservation Association recently wrote - “The Park Service is in a full-blown staffing crisis.  Even national parks like Yosemite are struggling to provide basic visitor services with overwhelmed park staff.  Thousands of essential positions remain vacant across the system, including roughly 100 superintendent roles.  The agency is being stretched to the limit without the leadership or resources it needs to function.  Any further reduction in force, as the administration is planning, would be devastating to the future of our national parks.

The National Park Service operates on an annual budget of only $2.6 billion in taxpayer money (roughly the cost of one aircraft carrier), but it generates $55.6 billion in economic output.  Every dollar taxpayers spend on national park visits generates more than $18 for the economy. 

Looming is next year’s budget that would eliminate more than 5,000 Park Service jobs – some 27% - and cut almost $900 million from park management budgets.  This is a crippling 34% funding cut to an agency that actually generates money for the U.S. economy.  It is estimated that this means 350 National Parks or Monuments could be eliminated. 

In a threat to accuracy, the Secretary of the Interior recently instructed land managers to post signs asking visitors to report so-called “negative information being shared about past or living Americans.”  These signs could have a chilling effect on rangers just trying to do their jobs and tell the truth.  When the administration rewrites American history, the American people will suffer.  Should rangers at Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument avoid speaking negatively about slavery?  Should rangers at Manzanar National Historic Site avoid talking about the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II?  Should staff at Freedom Riders National Monument not talk about civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

And just when we thought it couldn’t get crazier, incredibly, the administration is now demanding personal loyalty pledges from federal job applicants.  It’s not enough to pledge your support of the US Constitution –you must declare loyalty to the President. 

Imagine yourself being a National Park Service employee who have recently had to REAPPLY FOR A JOB THEY ALREADY HOLD AND JUSTIFY THEIR CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT.  Their performance appraisal records have been deleted, and they must report WEEKLY to Washington what they have accomplished.  All of this while not knowing if they will have a job tomorrow…not knowing if they can fill the job of two people…wondering if they will have a budget to do what needs to be done.  For a vast majority of these folks it is “not just a job” is a CALLING.  What kind of administration asks this of people who’ve devoted their lives to public service?  No wonder agency staff morale is at an all-time low.

Even worse, the administration recently announced plans to transfer federal management of National Parks to their various states.  “Transfer” to state management is simply code for a selling-off.  State management does not contain the same legal mechanisms for local input in decision making for these places; states can’t afford to operate them – they don’t have the budgets to run the parks, and most state constitutions contain for-profit land management mandates that would force sell-offs.  These lands have been deemed by Congress and the American people as places worthy of protection.  The Department of Justice recently ruled that the president can deauthorize ANY National Monument.  Until the courts rule on this issue these cherished lands can disappear with the stroke of a Sharpie! 

U.S. national parks are more than just beautiful landscapes—they are vital ecological systems, places for learning, economic powerhouses, and essential recreational resources for millions of people.  They represent America’s natural and cultural heritage.  Preserving and maintaining these natural treasures is a responsibility that ensures future generations can continue to experience their beauty and significance.

Help us SAVE OUR NATIONAL TREASURES – OUR NATIONAL PARKS! 

For more information, I recommend the following Substack sources:

National Parks Experience – https://thenationalparksexperience.substack.com/

More Than Just Parks - https://morethanjustparks.substack.com/

Wes Siler Newsletter = https://wessiler.substack.com/                                         

National Parks and Conservation Association - https://www.npca.org/

Thank you!

Gregg Bruff (Retired National Park Service Park Ranger and U.S. Forest Service employee)

18 JUN 25