Over $1 billion in federal funding for the National Park Service (NPS) could be slashed in the proposed 2026 federal budget, in what would be the largest funding cut in the agency’s history.

Advocates say tourism in and around the 433 parks and sites in the NPS system will suffer, along with the tour operators that offer national park itineraries.

The proposed budget would cut almost a third from the $3.1 billion the NPS has for fiscal year 2025. It would remove $900 million from NPS operations alone, much of it targeting sites that the budget request submitted May 2 described as not being parks “in the traditionally understood sense,” suggesting that some smaller sites would be “better categorized and managed as state-level parks.”

Advocates sounded the alarm.

“We worry [about] places like Flight 93, presidential birthplaces, Civil and Revolutionary War battlefields and places that preserve and teach Americans about some of the more difficult chapters of history, like Minidoka, the Japanese internment camp,” said John Garder, a senior director for the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association.

He said the NPS creates “significant economic value,” with $21 in visitor spending for every $1 Congress invests.

Garder said “countless” local economies depend on park tourism from visitors spending money in “hotels, restaurants, gas stations, souvenir stores” nearby and along the way. According to the NPS, the 2023 economic output for economies around the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park near Hodgenville, Ky., was $23.4 million. The Blue Ridge Parkway generated $1.8 billion along the 469-mile Appalachian Mountains drive from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.

The Department of the Interior already terminated 1,000 full-time NPS employees earlier this year, and Garder said its workforce has been reduced by 13% since January.

National Tour Association (NTA) president Catherine Prather said putting national parks “on the chopping block” will only further diminish the tourism economy, not only for gateway communities but for tour operators: More than 75% of NTA members operate tours in national parks.

Caleb Lawson, vice president of Sunrise Tours, which offers national parks itineraries, said the company has fielded calls from clients about the impact of NPS budget and staffing cuts. Despite the concern, he said, the tours continue to “have very strong reservation numbers.”

“I’m not sure what to attribute that to, other than that we are all in a wait-and-see situation in so many ways right now,” Lawson said, citing everything from park funding to tariffs.

Tauck is “cautiously optimistic about the upcoming season,” a spokesperson said, adding that one product manager was recently in Yellowstone and had visited Bryce and Zion during spring break and saw no long lines or anything amiss.

“While it’s still early, we’ve been running some of our national parks tours [for] the past several weeks now without experiencing any real issues at all,” the spokesperson said.

Xanterra Travel Collection, which handles concessions and lodging in several national parks, is also the parent company of tour operators Country Walkers and VBT Bicycling Vacations, which offer park tours. Both operators have more guests booked for 2025 than they did for last year.

Todd Walton, director of marketing and sales for Xanterra’s Yellowstone offerings, said the company’s Yellowstone National Park Lodges have seen few cancellations this year. Guests typically book six months to one year in advance, he said, but the company is now noticing a 60- to 90-day window for bookings. Like Lawson, he attributes this to a “wait-and-see” mentality from guests.

Walton said that NPS superintendents recently shared at a meeting that Yellowstone and Grand Teton are both fully staffed for the season and that “NPS is doing a fantastic job making sure people have a great experience.”

But Garder said the impact of cuts are not just what’s visible to visitors.

“What’s critical for people to understand is that it’s not just the things they notice, like trash cans and bathrooms and visitor centers, but the work that’s being done to protect those resources,” he said — for example, the monitoring of invasive species. “People may not see it, but there’s damage.”

Intrepid Travel’s president of the Americas, Leigh Barnes, said he hopes the proposed and previous NPS budget cuts will serve as a “rallying cry” that pushes consumers and other brands to take action in support of the NPS. Intrepid expects impacts to maintenance and scheduling to be visible on its tours but is also waiting to see what happens.

The company is hoping to inspire more travel to the U.S. and its parks with a 20% discount on U.S. tours, including to 18 national parks.

View image in fullscreen Mark Nebel, who took early retirement after Doge cuts made his job ‘impossible’, at the San Francisco Peaks, which contain Arizona’s tallest mountains. Photograph: John Burcham/The Guardian

Throwing up his hands in disgust and abruptly resigning was not how Mark Nebel envisioned he would end his long career with the National Park Service. He loved his job at the Grand Canyon, where he had worked for 15 years.

As manager of the park’s geosciences program, Nebel, 68, oversaw efforts to protect its geology and paleontology as well as monitoring water sources, air quality and the effects of climate change. He had planned to stay in his position at least five more years before retiring. There was still much research to do to support the vulnerable ecosystems in one of the world’s greatest natural wonders.

But after Donald Trump took office, Nebel’s rewarding job turned into a bottomless pit of frustrations. As “department of government efficiency” (Doge) staff embedded themselves in the National Park Service on their hunt for “waste, fraud and abuse”, Nebel says his program – which works closely with universities, non-profits and Native American tribes – became hamstrung.

“They made it impossible to do agreements with outside organizations, uphold contracts, purchase the tools we needed or send samples out to a lab for analysis,” he says. “And we were supposed to stop talking about climate change.”

He and his staff were also experiencing constant emotional stress. So Nebel made the tough decision to retire early to protect his health. “It was incredibly difficult and heartbreaking,” he says. “But I was tired of being manipulated, humiliated and unable to do the work that I was hired to do for the American people.”

Famously described as “America’s best idea” by the writer Wallace Stegner, the US national park system encompasses 85m acres with units in all 50 states, ranging from crown jewels such as the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone to national battlefields and tiny historic sites. The system is almost universally beloved; a recent Pew survey found it was, at 76%, the most-approved-of federal agency. And it seems to only grow more popular, hosting a record 331 million visitors last year. It is also a reliable economic engine for rural communities across the country, generating billions of dollars in tourism spending.

But this summer, the mood inside the parks is bleak. Interviews with more than a dozen current and former National Park Service employees paint a picture of turmoil and fear – the result of unprecedented staff reductions, untenable new rules and proposed funding cuts to the tune of more than $1bn. Adding to this anxiety is a decision by the US interior secretary, Doug Burgum, to give Tyler Hassen, a former oil company executive working for Doge, broad administrative authority over the Department of Interior, which oversees the national park system.

View image in fullscreen A ranger conducts a walking tour in Shark Valley, part of the Everglades national park in Florida. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

When the Trump administration’s slash-and-burn approach to the federal government and the environment began to take shape last winter, park insiders held their breath. Now, they say, their worst fears are bearing fruit – threatening the agency’s ability to recover endangered species, monitor ecosystem health, protect air and water quality, uphold treaty obligations to Native American tribes, and study the impacts of climate change.

As peak tourist season looms on the horizon, Burgum has sought to reassure the public that everything will be running smoothly. In a recent Fox interview, he said that the staff cuts were merely “clearing out the barn” and that the agency was simply turning its focus toward “customer-facing” services.

But employees – many of whom asked to remain anonymous due to fear of losing their jobs – warn that the new regime is seeking to run these natural wonders the way a corporation might run an amusement park, attending to the superficial needs while ignoring the environment beyond visitor parking lots. Though toilets may sparkle and visitor centers are staffed, they say the integrity of the country’s 109-year-old national park system is being eroded, along with the agency’s legally mandated responsibility to protect park resources.

The National Parks Conservation Association estimates that 2,500 full-time National Park Service positions – 13% of the total staff – have been eliminated since January. In addition to firing 1,000 agency employees who had probationary status, staff reductions have come from deferred-resignation and voluntary-early-retirement programs that are generally geared toward more senior and management positions – people such as Nebel. And while a federal judge recently halted plans to cut an additional 1,500 positions this month, providing some temporary relief, chaos and a lack of leadership remains the norm.

They are making our jobs harder, less efficient and preventing us from monitoring vital environmental systems Mark Nebel

Four months into Trump’s second term, the cracks are showing: a shortage of people working the entrance booths at the Grand Canyon prompted the park to allow visitors in for free during several busy days in February. And five of 10 campgrounds in the Great Smoky Mountains – the most heavily visited park in the system – are closed due to lack of staffing.

Meanwhile, over in Yosemite, more than half of the senior management positions remain vacant as a result of an agency-wide freeze on hiring permanent staff. A moratorium on seasonal hires that lasted for a month, before being abruptly lifted, caused Yosemite scientists to resort to cleaning public bathrooms because there was no one else to do it. Deep cuts at the agency’s Alaska regional office have left just one person to oversee archaeology and cultural resource protection for the state’s more than 50m acres of national park land. And more than 100 parks in the 433-unit system are currently without permanent superintendents.

View image in fullscreen People demonstrate during a protest against federal employee layoffs at Yosemite national park in California. Photograph: Laure Andrillon/AFP/Getty Images

In tandem with the cuts, employees say they have experienced a devaluing of their careers in government, describing a kind of “bullying” and “hazing” that is now part of the daily work atmosphere as the administration takes a cudgel to environmental and climate policies nationwide. Nebel and his staff, like all federal employees, received regular unsigned emails from the office of personnel management – taken over by Doge – that demeaned them for being public servants and pushed them to opt into a resignation program.

“We encourage you to find a job in the private sector,” stated one message. “The way to greater American prosperity is encouraging people to move from lower productivity jobs in the public sector to higher productivity jobs in the private sector.”

The Guardian contacted the Department of Interior for comment on the impact of recent staff reductions and other changes, but did not receive a response.

“The Trump administration says this is all about efficiency, but it is nothing of the sort,” says Nebel. “They are making our jobs harder, less efficient and preventing us from monitoring vital environmental systems.” A case in point: a $7m program funded primarily through the non-profit Grand Canyon Conservancy to monitor seeps and springs across the 2m-acre park is in limbo due to hiring and contract restrictions.

Many other scientific programs are on the chopping block, too. The New York Times reported earlier this month that Doge has earmarked $26m in park service grants for elimination this year, grants that support a variety of research conducted in partnership with universities, state historic preservation offices, tribes and youth corps. Scientists in Parks, which places students and early career scientists inside parks, is one of dozens of programs slated for removal.

Scientists such as Nebel are sounding the alarm about the dire environmental consequences that could result from these erratic and seemingly nonsensical cost-cutting measures and policy changes.

“Our ability to send people out into the field was temporarily shut down,” says a biologist who oversees an endangered species recovery program. “There is so much uncertainty about keeping our jobs, maintaining contracts and being allowed to work with other agencies that are going through their own staff reductions.”

She is also concerned about the Trump administration’s proposed rule change to the Endangered Species Act that would remove the law’s mandate for preserving critical habitats.

“If we are no longer able to do our jobs to protect the habitat in this park, we could quickly lose an entire species,” she says. “National parks are intended to be havens for native species. If we can’t maintain the ecosystem here, then I don’t see much hope for other places.”

View image in fullscreen Tourists gather to watch the sunset over the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Photograph: Rebecca Noble/Reuters

Another senior supervisor at a large park says they have haemorrhaged full-time staff, leaving seasonal summer employees without the necessary support and managers. The supervisor says new edicts are handed down on a regular basis from Doge that directly affect her park’s operations, but are decided without any input from park management. In addition to the hiring freeze, new restrictions have included banning the use of agency credit cards for travel, requiring Doge approval for large purchases, canceling contracts and grants, and prohibiting anything that could fall under the ambiguous umbrella of DEI.

National parks are intended to be havens for native species. If we can’t maintain the ecosystem here, I don’t see much hope for other places Anonymous NPS biologist

There is also the constant specter of employees losing their jobs simply because Doge deems them expendable. Many people interviewed for this story expressed another existential fear: given that employees often live in housing provided by the park service, a lost job can mean suddenly becoming homeless.

“I have spent a lot of time trying to calm our staff,” says the supervisor. “Every day you come to work and you have no idea what is going to happen next. It’s like we are all being subjected to psychological warfare.”

‘Heading towards facade management’

When the former national parks director Jonathan Jarvis surveys the current landscape, he is reminded of a trip to China he took more than two decades ago.

At the time, China was developing its first ever national park system and looked to the US as a shining example. Jarvis – who was then the superintendent of Alaska’s Wrangell-St Elias national park – found himself deep inside a cave that Chinese representatives wanted to show off. “I brought a flashlight,” he recalls, “so I could see what they weren’t showing me.”

While the environment of the main cavern had been restored to what appeared to be a healthy cave ecosystem, Jarvis’s flashlight beam revealed side caverns that were full of garbage. “They were taking all the human litter left by the visitors above ground and stuffing it below,” he says. “Their idea of a park was pure facade management.”

Jarvis, who spent more than three decades in the NPS before becoming its director under Barack Obama, sees a chilling lesson for today. While the Chinese government has since improved its land management policies and now has a national park system that embraces protecting the environment, Jarvis says the US is at risk of regressing under Trump to the crude approach taken by Beijing decades ago.

“We are headed toward facade management,” Jarvis says of the Doge-induced changes.

The Trump administration’s proposed funding cuts of more than $1bn for 2026, or nearly 25%, would be the largest in the agency’s 109-year history. Trump’s budget also seeks to transfer an unidentified number of national park sites over to states, in effect shrinking the park system – a move never before proposed by a US president.

Another casualty, according to park staff interviewed for this story, is the NPS’s relationship with Native American tribes. Under Biden, the NPS got its first ever Indigenous leader – Chuck Sams – and the agency was encouraged to consult tribes on park initiatives and highlight traditional ecological knowledge.

View image in fullscreen Jonathan Jarvis, the former national parks director, in Maine in this 2016 picture. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

Now, the interior department is moving in the opposite direction. Programs focused on increasing diversity in the parks have been scrapped. The agency’s once robust tribal liaison program has been gutted, with regional and national offices that once employed several dozen staff members reduced to approximately five people in total, according an Indigenous liaison who recently resigned.

“What happened in the Biden administration was very positive,” says an Indigenous national park employee. “It seemed like the park service was moving into a new era of co-management with tribes, and encouraging reconnection to our homelands. But now everything has changed. Like all minorities, we have once again become second-class citizens.”

Yet, despite the emphasis on cost-cutting and rooting out waste, there is actually little excess at the chronically underfunded National Park Service. The agency has not received a significant budget increase in decades and it has a deferred maintenance backlog totaling more than $22bn. According to statistics from the National Parks Conservation Association, the congressional appropriation for park operations in 2025 was about the same as it was in 2002. Full-time staff positions have decreased over the past decade as visitation soared to record heights.

There are ideologues who want to dismantle the federal government. This is their chance to kill the golden goose Jonathan Jarvis

And given that the parks are the economic lifeblood of many rural towns – bringing jobs and tourist dollars into the kinds of communities the Trump administration says it wants to support – the proposed cuts have left many park advocates scratching their heads.

“It’s unbelievable to me that the administration would target the National Park Service to prove their point on the federal budget,” says Kristen Brengel, senior vice-president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association. “It just doesn’t compute.”

But Jarvis believes the assault is not really about the economy or government efficiency. Although the National Park Service experienced cost-cutting and other stresses during the first Trump administration, he fears this time there is a deliberate strategy to prevent national park employees from carrying out their mission to protect irreplaceable resources.

“There are ideologues who want to dismantle the federal government,” he says. “And the last thing they need is a highly popular federal agency that undermines their argument about how the government is dysfunctional.

“So their approach is to make the agency fail,” he adds. “This is their chance to kill the golden goose.”

Despite the grim outlook, park staff say they are not giving up without a fight. “What the Doge people do not understand is that this is not a job for us,” says an employee who has worked for the NPS for several decades. “It is a calling.”

She says that while Doge may have its strategy to “move fast and break things”, park employees are abiding by their own mantra: “Keep calm and ranger on.”

Community Corner DOGE Cuts Could Affect Your Summer Visit To National Parks In These Ways Visitors to national parks and monuments may see visible changes due to downsizing, bigger, longer-lasting effects may go unnoticed.

Tourists should prepare for the unexpected when they visit Zion National Park — or any of the 63 overseen by the National Park Service — including storms, because the capacity for search-and-rescue could be compromised due to staff cuts. (AP Photo/Sandy Huffaker, File)

The millions of tourists expected at national parks this summer could see long lines, limited hours and fewer guided activities due to the Trump administration’s aggressive downsizing at the agency overseeing these natural treasures.

Earlier this year, the Department of Governmental Efficiency cut 1,000 probationary park workers and suspended seasonal hiring. Though a court ruling later reinstated many of these positions, the uncertainty disrupted operations at multiple parks. The strain on park resources has led to overcrowding, maintenance delays, and visitor safety concerns. Despite the uncertainty surrounding national parks, officials are expecting a year similar to 2024, which saw a record 331.9 million recreational visits, a 2 percent increase from the year prior and surpassing the all-time high set in 2016.

Great Smoky Mountain National Park was the most visited of the 63 national parks last year. This year, visitors could see fewer personnel assigned to monitoring species that threaten visitors, including bears. (Shutterstock) What You Will And Won’t See At busy parks, visitors may not notice the work that is going undone this year, former national park ranger Cassidy Jones wrote in a recent blog post for the National Parks Conservation Association, an independent, nonprofit group advocacy group where she heads the group’s visitor program. “Park managers will be forced to prioritize visitor-facing roles and services, pulling staff away from other duties to do so,” Jones wrote. “In other cases, administrative actions have hamstrung park managers and taken important decisions out of their hands.”

A few things visitors may notice: Gated entrance stations to the park, where visitors pay fees and receive valuable information such as maps, may be closed due to staffing shortages. That means more visitors may be funneled through fewer entrance stations.

(Story continues below photo.) Grand Canyon National Park has multiple entrances, but some may not be staffed due to staff cuts ordered by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. (Shutterstock) Visitor centers, where rangers help visitors determine which hikes match their endurance levels, find the most scenic hikes, and issue back-country permits could be short-staffed or closed entirely. Some of the buildings that house visitor centers are for sale. National parks and historic monument sites may offer fewer ranger-guided tours, which Jones said Is “the best, or only, way to experience the place.” The restrooms and campgrounds at national recreation areas may not be as clean as visitors prefer. At areas best experienced by boat, including Lake Mead and Glen Canyon, boat ramps could see long lines for vessel inspections to prevent the spread of invasive species. If you are traveling: 11 Of The Weirdest Street Names In America What they won’t see is a disruption of scientific research and services required by law, such as tribal consultation and historic preservation compliance.

“Between the elimination of key science and research positions, severe travel restrictions and a $1 spending limit imposed on park staff, critical work is being shelved in national parks as well as at other public land agencies,” Jones wrote, describing far-reaching effects. Those activities include archaeological surveys of cultural resources, removal of invasive vegetation species that threaten key resources and monitoring species that threaten visitors — bears, for example. It also may mean that fallen trees may block some trails (Story continues below photo.) Visitors planning a trip to Great Basin National Park in Nevada should check to see if guided tours of caves are available. (Shutterstock) What To Do: Visitor Checklist Above all else, be patient when visiting public lands, advocates say. Park employees are working in stressful and uncertain conditions, and fellow visitors may not be at their best as they navigate traffic jams and other experiences that don’t match their expectations. “A little kindness goes a long way,” Jones wrote on the blog.

It’s also smart to have a backup plan and call ahead about park hours. Know whether advance reservations and permits are required — which is the case at Acadia, Arches, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Shenandoah and Zion national parks. More information about reservations and permits is found National Park Conservation Association’s Know Before You Go website Also, go to the home page of the park you’re visiting and click the “Plan Your Visit” tab. Restrooms may be closed, so visitors should plan ahead with a personal hygiene kit. They should also pack supplies to carry out their trash and garbage. Because of slim staffing levels, visitors are encouraged to pick up others trash as they see it At many parks, an honor system will be in place and visitors will be trusted to respect the land and its history and cultural significance, Jones said. (Story continues below photo.) Visistors to the sites such as the Ancient Casa Grande Ruins National Monument of the Pre-columbian Hohokam native Americans in Arizona should avoid touching or climbing on the rock formations in the absence of rangers to enforce . (Shutterstock) At many national parks, thousands of years of Native American history have been documented. Ancestral lands are considered sacred, Jones said. Fossils, bones and cultural objects should be left undisturbed; visitors should avoid touching rock imagery; and children and pets should be kept out of sacred cultural sites. All visitors should stay clear of ancestral structures and avoid leaning or climbing on them, she said.

You may like: Explorers Surprised By ‘Exciting Find’ In Sunken WWII Aircraft Carrier Overall, the federal government oversees 640 million acres of land. The Agriculture Department oversees the forest service; the Department of the Interior’s purview include national parks, monuments, wilderness areas, more than 650 National Wildlife Refuges, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation Support has traditionally been bipartisan, with legislation such as the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020, which Trump championed and signed in his first term, along with the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The landscape has shifted dramatically. Congressional Republicans plan to sell potentially hundreds of thousands of acres of federal land to generate revenue and ease growth pressures in booming Western cities. Yet without clear details on how it will work, skeptics worry it could be a giveaway for developers and mining companies and do little to ease the region’s housing crisis. Specifically, legislation passed by the House Natural Resources Committee earlier this month includes about 460,000 acres in Nevada and Utah to be sold or transferred to local governments or private entities. (Story continues below photo.)

About 80 percent of the land in Utah is under the control of the federal government, including Bryce Canyon National Park, above, one of five national parks collectively known as the “Mighty Five.” (Shutterstock) About half of the acreage under federal control is in the West. Utah, where the feds oversee 80 percent of the land, has five national parks known as the “Mighty Five” (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion), and 11 national monuments historic sites, and recreation areas. In Nevada, 63 percent of the land is under federal control, including Death Valley National Park, Great Basin National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument. Nevada also shares the California Trail, the Pony Express Trail, and the Old Spanish Trail with California. Who should control such sites has long been a burning source of disagreement in the West, where about half the acreage is under federal control and cities that sprawl across open landscapes face rising demand for housing, water and other necessities. The Republican budget has rekindled the fight, generating strong blowback from Democrats and conservationists, who see the measure as a precedent-setting move that would open the door to public land sales in other states. “We have grave concerns that this is the camel’s nose under the tent,” Steve Bloch with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, told The Associated Press. “If it can happen in Utah, if it can happen in Nevada, it’s not going to stay here. It’s going to spread.”

Yellowstone National Park appears to be faring well in the wake of budget cuts initiated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to observations and visitor feedback. While less popular parks struggle, Yellowstone continues to attract tourists without significant disruptions.

WATCH: Park Service Prioritizes Visitor Engagement While Facing Budget Constraints

Yellowstone: Still popular with tourists despite budget cuts

Tina Flanagan, a recent visitor, expressed her satisfaction, stating, “So far so good, it was nice. We got here yesterday. No problem on traffic, no problem getting in the park, you zip right through.” Her experience reflects a seamless entry at the busy West Yellowstone entrance last week.

“There are a lot of questions about whether we’re open and how things are going. We just reiterate that the park is open, we’re here, it’s fully staffed…” Katrina Wiese, President & CEO of the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce

In a recent memo, Acting Park Service Director Jessica Bowron instructed park superintendents to focus on activities that provide the greatest benefit to visitors, adding that “work that does not directly contribute to these priorities should be adjusted, scaled back, or deferred.” However, five former National Park Service directors and 13 deputy directors raised concerns in a letter to the Interior Secretary, warning that resource protection and research are suffering as a result of these cuts. They warned that local economies dependent on visitor spending could also be adversely affected.

Nevertheless, during a recent visit, Yellowstone was buzzing with activity. Park service workers were seen conducting research at the Biscuit Basin area, which experienced an explosion last summer.

WATCH: Aftermath of Biscuit Basin explosion revealed in National Park Service photos

Aftermath of Biscuit Basin explosion revealed in National Park Service photos

Katrina Wiese, President & CEO of the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce, noted that enthusiasm for visits to the area remains strong. “There are a lot of questions about whether we’re open and how things are going. We just reiterate that the park is open, we’re here, it’s fully staffed,” she said.

Reports indicate that the park seems adequately staffed, with Rangers on duty at the visitor center and facilities appearing well-maintained. However, communication from the park has been limited, with several recent requests for comment being declined.

Wiese pointed out that the tourism industry usually sees trip planning happening six to twelve months in advance. However, due to uncertainties regarding international travel and changes in administration, booking windows have shrunk, with families sometimes planning trips just weeks ahead. “If a family sees the gas prices have dropped, then they’re going to travel,” she added.

Visitors have encountered some staffing issues at other national parks. Flanagan recounted her experience trying to visit Little Bighorn Battlefield, which was closed despite being listed as open on the National Parks Service app. “We got there, it was closed. It’s only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,” she said. MTN News has reported that, according to the National Park Service website, the park would be closed Monday through Thursday. The closure took effect on April 28 as the park undergoes renovations, including constructing a new visitor center and road improvements. The park will remain open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The National Park Service manages ten park units in Montana, with Yellowstone and Glacier National Park being the only large national parks in the state.

Parts of this story were converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Veteran leaders of the National Park Service (NPS) have joined forces to voice their anger at the cuts to services and staff under the Trump administration.

The former directors and deputy directors signed a letter to Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Department of the Interior, to slam concerns about an edict that called on national parks leaders to prioritize work that delivered “the greatest benefit to the greatest number of visitors” and scale back or defer other services.

The letter, organized by the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and the Association of National Park Rangers and sent on May 8, was signed by five former NPS directors and eight former deputy directors in response to a Secretarial Order issued by the Department of the Interior.

They say the order directs park managers to neglect their park protection responsibilities in favor of providing visitor services. Not only do the former directors believe the directives contradict the law and the intent of Congress, they also fear they will put NPS leaders in a hugely challenging position when it comes to protecting the entire National Park System.

The letter later goes on to state, in light of deteriorating budgets and conditions, that “National Park Service employees, who should be on hand to help serve and protect millions of visitors, are under attack”.

What did the Secretarial Order say?

Burgum’s Secretarial Order, distributed on April 3, says it is “intended to ensure that all national parks and national historic sites… remain open and accessible for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people and to ensure that the National Park Service (NPS) will provide the best customer service experience for all visitors”.

A subsequent implementation memo from the Acting NPS Director on April 7 stated that: “Park managers should prioritize activities that deliver the greatest benefit to the greatest number of visitors. When making operational decisions, managers should evaluate ongoing activities to ensure they are focusing on core visitor services, statutory mandates, and Executive and Secretarial Orders. Work that does not directly contribute to these priorities should be adjusted, scaled back, or deferred as appropriate, and staff that do not directly support these priorities may be redirected to higher priority needs.”

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What concerns do the NPS have?

The NPS experienced its busiest year in history in 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)

The letter, sent to the Department of the Interior, said the ability of the NPS to leave national parks in a fit state for future generations would be under threat if park managers were solely focussed on visitor services.

The coalition of former directors and deputies also said the Secretarial Order contradicted the key directives of the Organic Act of the National Park Service of August 25, 1916, as well as the clarifying 1970 General Authorities Act and the subsequent 1978 Redwood amendment.

They fear NPS employees will no longer be able to effectively manage the national parks. Furthermore, their stewardship, through no fault of their own, will no longer be in accordance with the law, should the directives be followed.

National parks are busier than ever

America’s national parks are busier than ever (Image credit: Getty Images)

The letter points out that the NPS is consistently voted as America’s favorite government agency and that the popularity of the nation’s national parks is growing year on year. Last year was the busiest on record, with a reported 331.9 million visits, up 6.36 million in 2023.

While the letter agrees that elimination of waste has a place, it goes on to say that the NPS has been grappling with management efficiency for decades, budgets haven’t kept pace with inflation and that thousands of jobs have been eliminated. In essence, the service is down to the bare bones.

In a final plea, the letter highlights the negative impact that crippling the national parks and other public lands will have on the local economies that rely on visitor spending. It claims that every dollar that’s assigned to the NPS generates 15 times as much for the national economy. This is added to the fact that the NPS budget is less than 0.5 percent of the total federal budget.

The letter ends by saying: “We ask that you join the millions of Americans who support the National Park Service and the parks and public lands under your jurisdiction to ensure that these special places are protected and conserved for future generations.”

“A dire situation”

Critics point out that the national parks were already understaffed and having to do more with less (Image credit: Getty Images)

Emily Thompson, Executive Director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, was scathing in her assessment of situation.

In a press release issued on May 8, following the Secretarial Order, she said: “Our national parks are facing a dire situation. Even before the Trump administration’s cuts, national parks were understaffed and having to do more with less. But recent actions have made a bad situation worse.

“Safety at parks could be compromised and visitors this summer should prepare for longer lines, reduced hours of operation at facilities, trails that are not maintained, limited access to some park amenities, and far fewer park rangers to help ensure they have a safe and memorable visit to their national parks. We urge the administration to reverse course and protect our national parks and visitors to them.”