“When taken together, the cumulative impact of these actions and orders on our national parks and park staff could be devastating and long-lasting.”
An advocacy group for U.S. National Parks has warned that actions taken by the Trump administration in its first weeks will adversely impact the parks’ conservation and visitor programs.
In a statement, Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), expressed relief that the administration had rescinded a freeze on federal grants, but warned that the impacts on staffing could affect the visitor experience in the parks, and have adverse effects on the gateway communities that rely on park visitors to sustain their economies.
“It’s been a little over a week since the new administration started, yet dozens of executive orders and administrative actions have taken a toll on the Park Service. Jobs have been rescinded. Buyouts are being offered. Park staff across the country are rightfully afraid about their future and the future of our parks,” Pierno wrote.
“When taken together, the cumulative impact of these actions and orders on our national parks and park staff could be devastating and long-lasting. Our parks already have thousands fewer staff than they did a decade ago, and these actions risk further straining an already overwhelmed Park Service and impacting millions of visitors and local communities,” she continued.
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Data released by the National Park Service (NPS) last summer was included in a report by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) that indicates ranger staffing in National Parks is already at its lowest level this century. In 2024, there were 1,200 park rangers across the country—nearly 50% fewer than in 2010. That put the parks under strain, particularly during and after the pandemic when park visitors surged as interest in outdoor recreation peaked.
The number of rescues increased, too, as many of the visitors were unfamiliar with safety warnings and practices shared by the ranger groups. Increased rescues strained already-stretched park budgets and staffing resources, leading to retirements and burnout. Pierno also points out that uncertainty in funding has hindered the Park Service’s efforts to recruit and retain new rangers and other support employees, fearful the jobs they invest in could be eliminated if park funding is further cut.
The fiscal year 2025 spending bill passed by Congress last year cut more than $210 million, or around 6% of the National Park Service’s budget, including budget items meant to support maintenance, repairs, and historic preservation.
The National Park Service was created in 1916 by an act of Congress. The agency’s congressional mandate is a dual mission: to preserve the ecological and historical integrity of the National Parks, Preserves, and Monuments, and make them available for public use and enjoyment. As public lands, National Parks are owned by the people of the United States. Their upkeep is funded primarily by Congressional appropriation, user fees, and private donations.
The NPCA was founded in 1919 and is a nonpartisan advocacy group calling attention to issues affecting public lands in the United States. The group’s most pressing current concerns include park staffing, renewable energy to preserve park ecosystems, proper enforcement of the Endangered Species Act, preventing the construction of a mining road in Alaska’s Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, and advocating for responsible hunting regulations.
The NPCA offers an advocacy crash course in the relevant laws governing National Parks, top conservation priorities, and how to individually advocate for proper governance of public lands.
The National Park Service reported 325.5 million visitors to national parks, preserves, monuments, and other NPS-managed public lands in 2023, a 4% increase from the prior year. 20 parks set all-time visitor records in 2023. July is the most popular month for park visits aggregated across the entire NPS system.
