Our national parks, often referred to as “America’s Best Idea,” may now find themselves on the endangered species list as a result of draconian budget cuts by the Trump administration.
On Feb. 14, the Department of Governmental Efficiency, known as DOGE, abruptly fired 1,000 probationary park service staff and suspended the hiring of seasonal workers. Since then, due to a court order, the National Park Service has been authorized to rehire the terminated staff and to lift the freeze on seasonal employees.
The crisis, however, created by this chaotic whiplash is hardly over. Who knows what will happen in the courts down the trail?
Founded in 1916, the park system encompasses 433 sites that span more than 85 million acres, including 63 sites that have “National Park” as part of their name. The famous archway above the entrance to Yellowstone National Park reads, “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People.”
This underscores how the founders of our national park system believed that these places should be preserved, not for the rich but for everyone. Indeed, our national parks have splendidly served Americans from all walks of life for more than a century.
I can attest to this from my personal experience. Since I retired, my wife and I have spent our summers hiking, kayaking, bicycling and fishing in Glacier National Park.
Located in northwest Montana, this astonishing wilderness spans almost 1,600 square miles. Many wild animal species roam the park, including moose, wolverines, mountain lions, bighorn sheep and grizzly bears.
A few years ago, my wife and I decided it was time to give something back to the park that had given so much to us. So, we became volunteer rangers. Last summer, we were assigned to the busy Agar Visitors Center.
During our weekly shift, we provided advice nonstop to visitors from all over the United States, including many from Texas. It was rewarding to use our knowledge of the park to help others enjoy it. By far the most gratifying volunteer experience was swearing in children as junior rangers after they pledged to protect and preserve our national parks.
Due to a staggering increase in visitors, our most popular national parks were already in danger of being loved to death before DOGE’s shocker.
For example, in 2000, there were 1.7 million visits to Glacier National Park. In 2024, that figure had shot up to 3.2 million. Our own Big Bend National Park’s statistics are comparable. In 2000, Big Bend welcomed 262,000 guests. In 2024, the number had swelled to more than 561,000.
Staffing increases for the national parks have hardly kept pace with the growth in visitations: Since 2011, the workforce has declined by 15%.
As an investment, our national parks provide a virtual cash cow. According to government statistics, in 2023, 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in communities near national parks, adding 415,000 jobs. The parks’ operating budgets are miniscule compared to what they genrate in dollars.
In 2023, Glacier National Park generated $372 million in local communities, but the operating budget for that year was only about $16 million.
If the DOGE’s draconian cuts are not stopped, our national parks and historic sites may no longer operate for the benefit and enjoyment of all Americans.
That would be a monumental disaster.
