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The Trump administration has issued an order requiring that all national parks remain open amid a severe understaffing. This is a lawsuit this summer, where park officials call it “reckless and unreachable” as braces for millions of visitors.
“This order is intended to ensure that all national parks and national historic sites managed by the Department of the Interior (department) are open and accessible for the interests and enjoyment of Americans, and that the National Park Service (NPS) provides the best customer service experience for all visitors.”
The mission requires that closures or shortened opening hours at the park site be initially reviewed by the National Parks Director and Assistant Secretary of Fish and Wildlife and Parks for approval.
The order raised immediate concerns to Kristen Brengel, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the National Park Conservation Association. In a statement, Brengel was called “yet another attempt by the administration to stand by the expertise of dedicated park staff.”
The association said the decision to close the park’s sites will be determined by staffing levels, weather and maintenance needs. Requiring staff to get approval first before closing services creates an unnecessary network of bureaucracy for those who know the park best.
“The worst is micromanagement, and we’ll make more red tape when our park staff is already dangerously thin and dealing with peak visit season,” Brengel said. “This order is reckless and not in contact.”
The National Park Service reported record highs of over 331 million visitors last year to 433 individual park units and 63 national parks, the order said. But the order comes after President Trump has significantly cut around 1,000 National Park Service workers this year and hundreds more shopped.
With these reductions, popular federal agencies are responsible for managing their beloved California sites from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to Joshua Tree and Yosemite National Park. The cuts mean that fewer workers could be used to collect admission fees, clean up, or assist in search and rescue operations.
assn. The National Park Rangers warn that more reductions are possible, further bashing the service’s ability to protect the land and ensure it’s accessible to everyone.
“Even though the value and benefits of Americans are being provided by national parks, [workers] Rick Mossman, president of the association, said in a statement in March.
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