The Trump administration’s layoffs are leading to reduced hours and services across America’s national parks. President Trump recently fired approximately 1,000 permanent National Park Service employees. Many of them were still in their probationary period, and they have left parks across the nation scrambling to maintain operations. This reduction in workforce comes at a critical time when parks are usually gearing up for the influx of summer visitors.
The effects of these layoffs are already being felt across the park system. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado announced closures on Mondays and Tuesdays due to staffing shortages. Meanwhile, visitors to Zion National Park in Utah have reported lengthy delays at entry points, with only one or two workers managing the booths.
Perhaps most alarmingly, Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico has been forced to cancel its guided tours, with self-guided tours also facing cancellation starting March 23. These cutbacks affect the visitor experience and raise concerns about the parks’ ability to maintain and protect their natural and cultural resources.
What These US National Parks Cutbacks Mean In The Long Run
The layoffs are part of President Trump’s broader initiative to reduce the size of the federal government. However, this decision has been criticized, especially given the National Park Service’s popularity among the American public. A Pew Research study from last July revealed that the NPS topped the list of government agencies viewed favorably by U.S. adults.
To mitigate the impact of these layoffs, the National Park Service has been approved to hire 7,700 seasonal workers for the upcoming busy season. While this number is slightly higher than in previous years, experts argue that these temporary positions cannot fully compensate for the loss of experienced, permanent staff members.
Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association, points out that many of the fired employees held managerial positions or had specialized responsibilities that seasonal workers cannot easily fill. The loss of this institutional knowledge and expertise could have long-lasting effects on park management and conservation efforts.
