America's beloved national parks are facing problems that could grow into a full-scale crisis in a few weeks.
The number of people visiting areas managed by the National Park Service – including national parks, monuments and other sites – has risen much. In 2023, the most recent year of national data, Parks visited over 325 million people. This is about 16% bump compared to 2010. Visiting rates continue to rise at least in some parks.
Meanwhile, the National Park Service staffing has been declining, down about 13% over that same period, according to the National Park Conservation Association, an advocacy group. Staffing, especially in the park, has declined further, as agency budgets do not respond to rising labor costs. This means fewer employees will oversee more visitors and mitigate public land and ecosystem impacts.
And this was it in front Recent layoffs.
Later last week, the Trump administration fired about 1,000 workers in the National Park Service, or about 5% of its workforce, as part of a wider upheaval in the federal workforce. The latest cuts target employees who were still on probation. It often means you've been hired recently or moved to a new role. The layoffs do not include many additional employees who have chosen to step down or withdraw their full-time employment offers.
“At agencies that have already experienced significant staffing declines over the past decade, these layoffs have a serious impact on park operations and visitor experience,” he said, “To protect American national parks. Phil Francis, chairman of the coalition executive council of the United Nations Executive Council, said in a statement Friday, current and former employees and national park service volunteers. “National Park Service employees are dedicated to preserving the most precious landscapes and historic places in our country. We should support them – put their livelihood at risk It's not to expose you.”
The Ministry of the Interior and the National Parks Service did not respond to requests for comment.
A report by the Washington Post shows the National Park Service will revive 5,000 seasonal duties that had previously been revoked under a government-wide employment freeze. It may help to meet some immediate needs. Seasonal employees perform a variety of tasks, from collecting fees to investigating wildlife. But it's not clear when these jobs will be revived and they won't be able to compensate for the lost permanent role, said John Garder, senior director of budget and appropriations for the National Park Conservation Association. .
“Seasonal employees important to serve visitors during busy seasons will be able to manage those seasonal workers, and to ensure resource conservation and properly functioning parks. It's not a replacement for full-time employees who provide experience,” Gurder said. .
According to a 2024 poll from the Pew Research Center, the National Park Service is one of the most popular US government agencies, favorably outperforming Postal Services and NASA. The park is also an economic engine, donating approximately $56 billion to the US economy in 2023.
Provided by Pew Research Center
If there are too few employees, the park may need to reduce opening hours at the Visitor Center (access to the toilet) or cancel guided tours. Maintenance projects will be delayed even further. The garbage will be stacked. Fewer educators will teach visitors about the history and biology of the region and its resources.
Probationary workers, such as law enforcement officials, are considered important to public safety, have been exempt from layoffs. However, some experts consider that park workers provide basic visitors support, such as providing instructions to prevent people from getting lost, so layoffs are nevertheless general. I'm worried about putting people at risk.
“I know or pay attention to the main purpose of my position to keep park visitors safe, and to provide preventive search and rescue education. Have you done it?” Stacey Ramsey, a worker at the Buffalo National River in Arkansas, was fired but wrote in a current Viral Facebook post. “Did they know that I was part of the Visitors and Resource Conservation Department and spent my days at the forefront looking for the safety of park visitors?”
Over the weekend, Travis Mason-Bushman, an employee of Nevada's Great Basin National Park, wrote on LinkedIn that he lost five colleagues. “These are people who lead tours, clean toilets, answer cell phones, design signs, and support search and rescue operations,” he said in the post. “We can't fire half of the organization's frontline staff and take over as if nothing has happened.”
Due to the low number of workers, many of the ecosystems Parks preserves are also at risk from tourist crowds, especially during the popular months of spring and summer. These include the damp forests and rivers of Great Smoky Mountain National Park, as well as stunning views of Zion. An important part of Park Service employees' job is protecting these resources, such as keeping visitors away from trash or leaving the trail.
“These reckless actions should never have happened,” Garder said of the layoffs. “But if they are currently reversing, the parks will have the people they need to support millions of visitors who are very important to the tourism economy and protect irreplaceable resources. Depending on the current situation, visitors are expected and have no service worthy of it, and resources are under threat because park experts lack the resources to research and protect. Masu.”
