Trump Ushers In A Bleak Future For Our National Parks
The superintendent, Tina Cappetta, decided to retire early at the end of May. Cappetta suffers from chronic health conditions that are exacerbated by stress. She realized that managing a highly visited federal park through President Donald Trump's workforce cuts was literally making her sick.
'What I was noticing, as this year progressed, is that I was having more bad days,' said Cappetta, who lives in rural Maryland, about 60 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., right across from the park. 'I could see the writing on the wall, health-wise, that it was better for me to leave.'Cappetta worked more than three decades across eight sites within the National Park Service, a career spent not in Yellowstone or Denali but in the less-flashy historical parks that make up a large chunk of the National Park System. She'd planned to work three more.
Her premature exit is just one example of the deep experience being drained from the park service as many employees choose to hang it up rather than face budget cuts, layoffs and uncertainty.
Cappetta worked more than three decades across eight sites within the National Park Service, a career spent not in Yellowstone or Denali but in the less-flashy historical parks that make up a large chunk of the National Park System. She'd planned to work at least three more.
Her premature exit is just one example of the deep experience being drained from the park service as many employees choose to hang it up rather than face budget cuts, layoffs and uncertainty.
Around 100 of the park system's 433 sites — or nearly one-quarter — are without a superintendent right now, according to the office of Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate committee overseeing the park service. Five of the system's seven regional director positions are also vacant.
'The amount of expertise and institutional knowledge that has left the National Park Service over the last couple of months – it really is a major concern,' said Edward Stierli, a regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit that advocates for park funding. 'The future is bleak, and it's going to take a really long time to rebuild that level of talent.'
The park service declined to answer several questions from HuffPost about attrition and layoffs, including how the agency plans to maintain park quality with fewer people and whether certain vacant positions will be backfilled.
There are already signs of strain in the park service at large. The Assateague Island National Seashore, a park on the Atlantic Ocean in Maryland and Virginia, is heading into the July Fourth holiday with no lifeguards on its beaches due to a staffing shortage. The local emergency services director for Chincoteague, Virginia, the town beside the park, has said lifeguards handled 24 rescues last year.
Affection for national parks crosses party lines, and many Republican lawmakers are worried about Trump's plans for the system. After all, the parks contributed an estimated $56 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023, with much of that stimulus going to red areas.
In Allegany County, Maryland, which contains 48 miles of the C&O Canal, nearly 70% of voters went for Trump in November. The park helps boost bed and breakfasts, bike shops and other small businesses.
The park is a prime illustration of what could be lost with Trump's slash-and-burn approach to federal resources and services.
The administration is expected to announce the elimination of more than a thousand park service jobs in an upcoming 'reduction in force.' It already tried to fire around a thousand probationary employees and push many more into early retirement. The White House has put forth a budget proposal that would cut the park service's funding by more than $1 billion and transfer many federal park sites to the states, although state officials would have little interest in managing them.
Even if bipartisan opposition stops the worst of Trump's plans, the park service will almost certainly find itself with fewer bodies and resources in the years ahead. And what many park lovers don't realize is that NPS sites were already strapped for cash before the arrival of Trump's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, despite record visitor numbers last year.
That's certainly true of the C&O. Cappetta served as the park's chief resource manager for a three-year stint starting in 2002. When she returned to be its superintendent 15 years later, she found a staff that was nearly half the size it had been when she left.
'I walked into the room and I'm like, 'Where is everybody?'' she recalled. 'In large part, it's because the budget didn't keep pace with inflation. Visitation is up considerably.'
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The C&O is a quiet workhorse in the NPS system. Though it isn't famous nationally, it has the highest traffic of any park designated as historical, with 4.4 million visitors last year. It follows the Potomac River from the Western Maryland city of Cumberland all the way to Georgetown, in Washington, D.C., featuring terrific views of the river, some cool old lockhouses and a gravel towpath that serves as a major cycling destination.
If you want to protect the park's trees and keep the towpath clear, you're going to want an arborist. And if you want to keep the 200-year-old lockhouses and other canal structures from falling into disrepair, you're going to want a carpenter. Cappetta said that, like herself, those workers chose to take a 'voluntary early retirement,' one of a handful of resignation programs pushed by the Trump administration.
Stierli said the loss of specially trained workers is happening across the park system right now.
'It's really all of these positions, many of them behind the scenes, that visitors probably don't even realize are helping to shape what the entire experience is like,' he said. 'I think you would want to know, as a visitor surrounded by trees, that there is a well-qualified arborist making sure that none of those are going to fall down on you while you're riding your bike.'
Cappetta said that parks may end up having to bug one another to borrow personnel, or try to contract more work out to private firms — a cumbersome process likely to get more difficult as the White House pushes out agency administrators.
The C&O also lost an exhibit specialist who happened to be the park's most experienced mule handler. The C&O currently has two mules — Jen and Julie — that help show kids what canal life was like in the 1800s. Other employees will be picking up more of the mule duties now.
And one of the C&O's maintenance workers is retiring next month, Cappetta said. She described him as the most knowledgeable about a particular region of the park.
It isn't clear if those jobs will be filled. Trump has instituted a hiring freeze across the federal government, though it contains a vague exception for 'necessary positions.' NPS currently has only 43 open positions listed nationally on the government's official site, USAjobs.gov, for a system that covers 85 million acres.
The park service did not address specific questions about staffing at the C&O.
Facing political backlash and anger from park supporters, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has ordered all sites to remain 'open and accessible' and avoid reducing hours or closing visitor centers, even with fewer staff — in other words, to make it look as though everything is fine.
Stierli said this has resulted in specially trained employees at various parks taking up side duties, like fee collection and trash pickup.
To keep up appearances, the Trump administration might focus its impending layoffs on 'back-of-house' positions rather than front-facing staff — think administrative clerks rather than park rangers.
But Cappetta said such cuts eventually filter down to the park experience.
'Those positions make sure that the toilets get pumped… that people's paperwork gets processed [for] their health insurance benefits,' she said. 'There's just a ton of stuff, and there's no fat there to be trimmed.'
Even if parks can fill open positions, it's going to be harder to attract talented people when the system's future looks so uncertain. The park service might sound like a dream internship for many college students and recent grads, but Cappetta said applicants are showing signs of hesitation.
'We had a really hard time recruiting for interns this year, and we pay our interns,' she said. 'We got a lot of feedback — 'Well, we don't know that we want to come work for the federal government. We don't know if there's a future there.' So I anticipate it will be difficult for the park service to recruit.'
How much money could be saved by trimming the park workforce? In general, NPS employees don't make a whole lot. A current job listing for a park maintenance worker starts at $22.79 per hour, for an annual salary around $47,000. A mid-level park ranger position — one that typically requires park experience and graduate school — starts at $73,900.
The Trump administration tried to fire the lowest-paid among them by terminating probationary employees en masse in February. These were, for the most part, workers who had less than two years of experience and hadn't attained full job protections.
The administration attributed the firings to poor work performance, even for employees who had sterling records. Many returned to work temporarily under court order after a judge ruled the terminations were likely illegal.
Cappetta said she and her team had to fire six probationary employees, comprising about 9% of the park's entire staff. One of them had a baby two days later.
Managing employees under such conditions has felt untenable for many supervisors in the federal workforce, knowing they can't provide any clarity on the administration's plans or reassurance that workers' jobs will still be there.
'I care very much about the people that I work with, and, right or wrong, take on a lot of their stresses, too,' Cappetta said.
In a lot of parks, the layoffs and attrition might reveal themselves gradually, through shorter operating hours, less visitor programming or poorer upkeep of trails and structures. Even before Trump began pursuing cuts, the park service estimated it had racked up $23 billion in 'deferred' maintenance — repairs that were already needed for roads, buildings and utility systems.
But the effects could go on display suddenly, like when a summer storm strikes and there aren't enough staff to clear roads and paths. Such was the case on a recent afternoon, when HuffPost sent a photographer to the C&O to shoot pictures for this story.
An extreme thunderstorm downed trees at the park's Great Falls entrance in Maryland, backing up exiting cars for more than an hour. Relief eventually arrived — in the form of locals with chainsaws. They cleared the road while park employees were busy dealing with fallen limbs along other roadways, according to Capetta, who was stuck in the traffic.
'Imagine losing even more staff,' she said afterward. 'It's just not going to get any better.'
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The meeting will come as the two sides race to secure a deal ahead of next Friday — Trump's self-imposed deadline for 30% tariffs on EU goods to kick in. On Friday, Trump put the odds of a deal at "50-50." From the report: Bloomberg reports that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet with President Trump this weekend as he travels to his golf club in Scotland in a bid to secure a trade deal. The meeting will come as the two sides race to secure a deal ahead of next Friday — Trump's self-imposed deadline for 30% tariffs on EU goods to kick in. On Friday, Trump put the odds of a deal at "50-50." From the report: Trump: 'We haven't really had a lot of luck with Canada' President Trump on Friday expressed pessimism on US trade negotiations with Canada, suggesting he may simply impose threatened 35% tariffs on Canadian goods not covered by the existing US-Canada-Mexico trade agreement. "We haven't really had a lot of luck with Canada. I think Canada could be one where there's just a tariff, not really a negotiation," he said. More from Reuters: President Trump on Friday expressed pessimism on US trade negotiations with Canada, suggesting he may simply impose threatened 35% tariffs on Canadian goods not covered by the existing US-Canada-Mexico trade agreement. "We haven't really had a lot of luck with Canada. I think Canada could be one where there's just a tariff, not really a negotiation," he said. More from Reuters: Boston Beer Company says strong profits helped brewer absorb tariff costs The Boston Beer Company (SAM) continues to feel the effects of President Trump's tariffs, but a strong quarter of sales and profit is helping the Samuel Adams brewer absorb some of those cost increases. Boston Beer expects tariffs to add about $15 million to $20 million in costs for the full year. Previously, it modeled tariff costs of $20 million to $30 million. Expect the company to raise prices by 1% to 2% to offset some of the costs as well, executives said. Boston Beer did see tariffs negatively affect its gross margin toward the end of the second quarter, but it benefited from improved brewery efficiencies. For the second quarter, the company reported profits of $5.45 per share on revenue of $625 million, versus estimates for earnings of $4.00 per share on $588 million, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. "Right now, I think we're very happy with the performance," Boston Beer CEO Michael Spillane said on the earnings call. "Not only that, but that's allowed us to offset some of the tariffs that we've seen so far." The Boston Beer Company (SAM) continues to feel the effects of President Trump's tariffs, but a strong quarter of sales and profit is helping the Samuel Adams brewer absorb some of those cost increases. Boston Beer expects tariffs to add about $15 million to $20 million in costs for the full year. Previously, it modeled tariff costs of $20 million to $30 million. Expect the company to raise prices by 1% to 2% to offset some of the costs as well, executives said. Boston Beer did see tariffs negatively affect its gross margin toward the end of the second quarter, but it benefited from improved brewery efficiencies. For the second quarter, the company reported profits of $5.45 per share on revenue of $625 million, versus estimates for earnings of $4.00 per share on $588 million, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. "Right now, I think we're very happy with the performance," Boston Beer CEO Michael Spillane said on the earnings call. "Not only that, but that's allowed us to offset some of the tariffs that we've seen so far." Some headlines from Trump on tariffs this morning Via Bloomberg: Via Bloomberg: Trump: US will sell 'so much' beef to Australia President Trump said on Thursday that the US will sell "so much" beef to Australia, following Canberra relaxing import restrictions. Trump added that other countries who had refused US beef products were on notice. Reuters reports: Read more here. President Trump said on Thursday that the US will sell "so much" beef to Australia, following Canberra relaxing import restrictions. Trump added that other countries who had refused US beef products were on notice. Reuters reports: Read more here. World's No. 3 automaker Kia takes $570M tariff hit in Q2 Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Puma shares dive after warning of full-year loss, US tariff impact Puma ( shares fell 17% on Friday after the sportswear brand said that it now expects an annual loss due to a decline in sales and US tariffs denting profit. Reuters reports: Read more here. Puma ( shares fell 17% on Friday after the sportswear brand said that it now expects an annual loss due to a decline in sales and US tariffs denting profit. Reuters reports: Read more here. LG Energy Solution warns of slowing EV battery demand due to U.S. tariffs, policy headwinds Reuters reports: South Korean battery firm LG Energy ( Solution warned on Friday of a further slowdown in demand by early next year due to U.S. tariffs and policy uncertainties after it posted a quarterly profit jump. Its major customers Tesla (TSLA) and General Motors (GM) warned of fallout from U.S. tariffs and legislation that will end federal subsidies for EV purchases on September 30. "US tariffs and an early end to EV subsidies will put a burden on automakers, potentially leading to vehicle price increases and a slowdown in EV growth in North America," CFO Lee Chang-sil said during a conference call. Read more here. Reuters reports: South Korean battery firm LG Energy ( Solution warned on Friday of a further slowdown in demand by early next year due to U.S. tariffs and policy uncertainties after it posted a quarterly profit jump. Its major customers Tesla (TSLA) and General Motors (GM) warned of fallout from U.S. tariffs and legislation that will end federal subsidies for EV purchases on September 30. "US tariffs and an early end to EV subsidies will put a burden on automakers, potentially leading to vehicle price increases and a slowdown in EV growth in North America," CFO Lee Chang-sil said during a conference call. Read more here. Japan, US differ on how trade-deal profits will be split Japan said Friday that profits from the $550 billion investment deal with the US will be shared based on how much each side contributes. A government official suggested the US will also put in significant funds, but details of the scheme remain unclear. The White House had announced earlier in the week that the US would retain 90% of the profits from the $550 billion US-bound investment and loans that Japan would exchange in return for reduced tariffs on auto and other exports to the US. This would mean that returns would be split 10% for Japan and 90% for the US, according to the White House official, and that it would be "based on the respective levels of contribution and risk borne by each side." Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Japan said Friday that profits from the $550 billion investment deal with the US will be shared based on how much each side contributes. A government official suggested the US will also put in significant funds, but details of the scheme remain unclear. The White House had announced earlier in the week that the US would retain 90% of the profits from the $550 billion US-bound investment and loans that Japan would exchange in return for reduced tariffs on auto and other exports to the US. This would mean that returns would be split 10% for Japan and 90% for the US, according to the White House official, and that it would be "based on the respective levels of contribution and risk borne by each side." Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. US business activity rises; tariffs fuel inflation concerns US business activity rose in July, but companies increased the prices for goods and services, supporting the view from economists that inflation will accelerate in the second half of 2025 and it will mainly be due to tariffs on imports. Reuters reports: Read more here. US business activity rose in July, but companies increased the prices for goods and services, supporting the view from economists that inflation will accelerate in the second half of 2025 and it will mainly be due to tariffs on imports. Reuters reports: Read more here. It sounds like Trump now has a new minimum tariff rate: 15% President Trump set a new rhetorical floor for tariffs on Wednesday night in comments in a shift that raises the president's baseline rate from 10%. Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul writes: Read more here. President Trump set a new rhetorical floor for tariffs on Wednesday night in comments in a shift that raises the president's baseline rate from 10%. Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul writes: Read more here. Keurig Dr. Pepper brewer sales volume drops 22%, CEO says tariff impacts 'will become prominent' Keurig Dr. Pepper CEO Tim Cofer said that tariffs are putting additional pressure on the company in an earnings call Thursday, especially when it comes to its coffee business, which KDP expects to be "subdued" for the remainder of the year. "Commodity inflation will build as we roll into the back half and we roll into our higher cost hedges on green coffee," Cofer said. "The tariff impacts will become prominent. And we all know that tariff situation is a bit fluid." Keurig is one of the biggest coffee importers in the US, along with Starbucks (SBUX) and Nestle (NSRGY). The US sources most of its coffee from Brazil, which is set to face 50% tariffs on its products on Aug. 1, and Colombia, which faces a tariff rate of 10%. In Keurig's coffee business, appliance volume decreased 22.6% during the quarter, reflecting impacts of retailer inventory management, and K-Cup pod volume decreased 3.7%, reflecting category elasticity in response to price increases, the company reported. "Our retail partners will likely continue to manage their inventory levels tightly, in particular on brewers," Cofer commented. "And then finally, you know we did a round of pricing at the beginning of the year. We've announced another round of pricing that will take effect next month, and we'll need to closely monitor how that elasticity evolves." Read more about Keurig earnings here. Keurig Dr. Pepper CEO Tim Cofer said that tariffs are putting additional pressure on the company in an earnings call Thursday, especially when it comes to its coffee business, which KDP expects to be "subdued" for the remainder of the year. "Commodity inflation will build as we roll into the back half and we roll into our higher cost hedges on green coffee," Cofer said. "The tariff impacts will become prominent. And we all know that tariff situation is a bit fluid." Keurig is one of the biggest coffee importers in the US, along with Starbucks (SBUX) and Nestle (NSRGY). The US sources most of its coffee from Brazil, which is set to face 50% tariffs on its products on Aug. 1, and Colombia, which faces a tariff rate of 10%. In Keurig's coffee business, appliance volume decreased 22.6% during the quarter, reflecting impacts of retailer inventory management, and K-Cup pod volume decreased 3.7%, reflecting category elasticity in response to price increases, the company reported. "Our retail partners will likely continue to manage their inventory levels tightly, in particular on brewers," Cofer commented. "And then finally, you know we did a round of pricing at the beginning of the year. We've announced another round of pricing that will take effect next month, and we'll need to closely monitor how that elasticity evolves." Read more about Keurig earnings here. The EU's Trump insurance As my colleague detailed below, EU member states voted to impose tariffs on over $100 billion of US goods from Aug. 7. The Financial Times reported that this move that allows the bloc to impose the levies quickly at any point in the future should its trade relationship with the US take a turn for the worse. From the report: Read more here (subscription required). As my colleague detailed below, EU member states voted to impose tariffs on over $100 billion of US goods from Aug. 7. The Financial Times reported that this move that allows the bloc to impose the levies quickly at any point in the future should its trade relationship with the US take a turn for the worse. From the report: Read more here (subscription required). Europe approves $100B-plus tariff backup plan A report in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday said that the European Union has now approved its retaliatory tariff package on US goods that could start in August if no trade agreement is reached. The EU announced on Wednesday that it will hit the US with 30% tariffs on over $100 billion worth of goods in the event that no deal is made and if President Trump decides to follow through with his threat to impose that rate on most of the bloc's exports after Aug. 1. The US exports, which would include goods such as Boeing (BA) aircraft, US-made cars and bourbon whiskey would all face heavy tariffs that match Trump's 30% threat. The approval of the package comes despite the growing optimism that the US and EU will reach a deal that would put baseline tariffs on the bloc at 15%, matching the level the US applied to Japan. The EU is keen to reach a deal with the US but as a cautionary measure has approved 30% tariffs if a deal is not made. A report in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday said that the European Union has now approved its retaliatory tariff package on US goods that could start in August if no trade agreement is reached. The EU announced on Wednesday that it will hit the US with 30% tariffs on over $100 billion worth of goods in the event that no deal is made and if President Trump decides to follow through with his threat to impose that rate on most of the bloc's exports after Aug. 1. The US exports, which would include goods such as Boeing (BA) aircraft, US-made cars and bourbon whiskey would all face heavy tariffs that match Trump's 30% threat. The approval of the package comes despite the growing optimism that the US and EU will reach a deal that would put baseline tariffs on the bloc at 15%, matching the level the US applied to Japan. The EU is keen to reach a deal with the US but as a cautionary measure has approved 30% tariffs if a deal is not made. Trump tariffs wreaking havoc in Brazil's citrus belt Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here.


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