National Park Service advocates worry about peak visitor season amid cuts with more on the way
The days are getting warmer and that means hiking season for many is right around the corner. But with the mass layoffs among National Park Service workers, what will our beloved parks look like?
The National Park Service's mission is to preserve 'unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.'
The Department of the Interior agency looks over great swaths of land all over the United States, with an already small staff. Now it is more than 1,000 probationary workers less, thanks to the Trump administration cuts to the federal workforce.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway have reported losing personnel in the firings, and with threats of possibly even more cuts in the coming months, it could have an impact on the experience of visitors during peak months.
So far one park has specifically cited staffing issues as the reason for a reduction in operations. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado will be closing two days a week due to staffing.
In the Smokies, people might not notice changes right away, but the signs could be subtle: visitor centers closing early or opening later, trash cans in need of emptying, restrooms that aren't as clean or trees not being cleared on hiking paths. For national park advocates, it is worrisome.
"I don't know whether we'll see overflowing latrines, polluted streams or deadly wildfires first, but (Secretary of the Interior) Doug Burgum is already leaving a path of destruction across America's parks and public lands," said Aaron Weiss, the deputy director of the public lands advocacy group Center for Western Priorities. "These terminations are foolish, heartless, and do nothing to make the government more efficient.
Major parks have already announced changes and have even cancelled some services altogether:
Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona: Will be closing its two visitor centers on Mondays starting Feb. 24.
Yosemite National Park: Has halted reservations for 577 camping spots this summer.
Effigy Mounds in Iowa: Will be closing its visitor center two days a week until the summer.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park in Carlsbad, New Mexico: Has canceled its guided tours, and announced that self-guided tours will end sometime in March.
Millions of people visit parks each year to catch a glimpse of some of the natural, untouched beauty that has been preserved within those boundaries and learn more about why the site is preserved.
In 2023, more than 325 million people visited national parks, the most recent year for which national park statistics are publicly available.
There are 433 national park sites in the United States and Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam, according to the nonprofit National Parks Foundation. These sites cover more than 85 million acres.
All of the locations are considered park sites, but only 63 have "National Park" in their name, including Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to the National Park Service.
Park rangers, both civilian and law enforcement, cover wide swaths of land while they are working, often by themselves.
Between permanent, temporary and seasonal employees, there are usually around 20,000 people employed by the National Park Service.
Seasonal employees make up thousands of those positions. Many of these are people who work during the busy season, staffing educational centers, giving tours and more.
Permanent employees typically include maintenance staff, law enforcement rangers, park rangers, communications and administration.
The Great Smoky Mountains that crest the border between Tennessee and North Carolina already have lost a dozen national park employees due to the mass layoffs, and there could be even more in the future.
'We have just received word in the last couple of days that layoffs are not finished, that agencies – all federal agencies including the park service – have to submit a reorganization plan which will call for additional, quote, 'massive layoffs,'' Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, told Knox News at the end of February.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Smoky Mountains visits could be very different in 2025 due to NPS cuts
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