It’s the latest shake up for the NPS.
The Interior Department has come under the control of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This means that the tech mogul’s team will be able to make changes to more than 400 national parks in the U.S. and over 500 million acres of federal land.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed an order to give control to DOGE executive Tyler Hassen to oversee the department for “consolidation, unification, and optimization of administrative functions.”
Hassen, a former oil executive, is the assistant secretary of policy, management, and budget in the Interior Department. The order effectively gives him the reins of the offices of “human resources, information technology, financial management, training and development, international affairs, contracting, communications, federal financial assistance, and other administrative functions.” He now has the power to fire employees, transfer funds, and make policy decisions without Burgum’s approval. According to the Washington Post, his team has been reviewing all contracts and grants and looking to potentially terminate them.
The move has raised alarms because this is a powerful position for someone who has not been approved by the Senate. DOGE, an unofficial government department, has been tasked with cutting federal spending and improving efficiency. Billionaire Elon Musk has been heading the department as a special government employee, but many of his moves have received backlash and lawsuits. His department has fired federal employees, then rehired them—either due to their error or court orders—and placed many on leave and offered buyouts. The National Park Service has been one of the victims.
Continue Reading Article After Our Video
Recommended Fodor’s Video
The Center for Western Priorities criticized the interior secretary, saying that if Burgum doesn’t want the job, he should quit. Its executive director, Jennifer Rokala, said in a statement, “This order shows what it looks like when leaders abdicate their jobs and let unqualified outsiders fire thousands of civil servants who are working on behalf of all Americans and their public lands.”
This comes at a time when the National Park Service is already understaffed and underfunded. More than 1,000 permanent park workers have been fired and at least 700 have taken buyouts. A court order reinstated fired employees, but the administration has received the thumbs-up to fire them again. With another buyout in April, the staff numbers could shrink by as much as 2,500.
Related: You Should Start Planning Your Summer National Park Trip *Now*
Tough Summer Ahead
National parks are more popular than ever. Last year, a record-breaking 331.8 million people visited, an increase of 2% from 2023. The National Park Service (NPS) has 20,000 employees, including 7,000 seasonal workers who pick up the slack in busy months, but it has been understaffed for years. With these recent firings and a hiring freeze, this summer might spell trouble.
John Garder, senior director of budget and appropriation at the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), highlighted the problem on a podcast recently. He mentioned that morale among park employees has been low since the park service lost 20% of its staff between 2010 and 2013, and the current situation has made it worse. Apart from the obvious problems that visitors might see–like overflowing trash, crowds, and the closure of some trails–other areas might also be affected, including research, planning, and support offices. The training of new workers has already been impacted since older employees, who are no longer there, trained them. Human resources is also short-staffed, leading to delays in onboarding that will be noticeable everywhere.
The Interior Secretary ordered the parks to remain open this summer despite staffing issues, but there will be many constraints, according to Garder. For example, only two credit cards have been allocated per state for expenses, and a $25,000 credit limit. “And so, what this means is, we’re hearing stories of people who can’t buy toilet paper, and if they can’t get a truckload of toilet paper soon enough, they’re going to have to close the bathrooms.”
It will be more challenging to procure materials for maintenance and repairs, as well as to protect national resources. “Altogether when you add all of these various pieces—the missing people, the freeze to the credit line, the travel ban, and more—you have the hands being tied of Park Service personnel unable to do the basic things to protect resources and to serve visitors. The threats that that creates are diverse,” he added.
Related: ‘Micromanagement at Its Worst’: New Order Sparks Uproar Over National Parks Oversight
Fewer employees mean fewer gatekeepers for the resources that these parks offer. A reduction in rangers may also hamper the safety of visitors, as they are responsible for keeping them away from dangerous areas and animals, and responding to emergencies. Dan Wenk, a retired National Park Service employee, told CNN, “If you don’t have those long-term seasonals who are trained in firefighting, or those probationary employees who chose not to come back, or permanent employees who may have taken one of the buyouts, well, I think this is going to be kind of a hold-your-breath year.”
This summer, when visiting national parks in the U.S., pack your patience and be more mindful than ever of your impact on the surroundings. Also, treat those working at the parks with respect—they are working multiple jobs to ensure a good experience for visitors.
