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ABC News
5 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Once 'America's best idea', National Parks are reaching their breaking point
US national parks are being forced to stay open despite operating on a "bare-bones" crew after cuts to staff and funding. Rangers say they can't sustain it. From the towering sandstone canyons in Zion, to the Rocky Mountain ranges at Grand Teton and the bubbling, rainbow geysers at Yellowstone — there's a reason millions flock to America's national parks every year, including 726,000 Australians in 2024 alone. Famously coined "America's best idea" by Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist and environmentalist Wallace Stegner, the parks are "absolutely American, absolutely democratic … they reflect us at our best rather than our worst", he wrote. But what happens when the "best" of America starts to fall apart? Valentine's Day 'massacre' To the untrained eye, Yosemite National Park hasn't changed a bit. Neither has Glacier National Park, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park and America's other 59 national parks and 433 park units spanning 85 million acres. But just six months into the Trump administration, the parks are dangerously understaffed and dangerously underfunded, all the while being forced by the government to remain open. At least 1,000 probationary NPS workers were abruptly dismissed in February in what is known as the "Valentine's Day massacre" — part of US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's DOGE efforts to shrink the federal government workforce. An additional approximately 3,400 people from the US Forest Service (USFS), who were responsible for the preservation and health of America's forests and grasslands in conjunction with the NPS, were also fired. Weeks later, a court ordered their reinstatement, but the damage had already begun. Since January 2025, the NPS has lost 24 per cent of its permanent staff — 4,000 people — according to a report in July from watchdog-advocacy group National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), a "staggering reduction" that has left parks across the country "scrambling to operate with bare-bones crews" during peak visitation. The Trump administration has initiated the most damaging budget cuts in Park Service history: in May, he proposed cutting more than $US1 billion ($1.5 billion) from the Park Service budget in fiscal 2026, stating there was an "urgent need to streamline staff". His "Big Beautiful Bill" gutted the $US267 million of previously committed funding for staffing, and the NPS is set to take another $US176 million cut in budget for the 2026 fiscal year. There are fewer rangers to educate and protect the public, slower emergency response times, reduced hours at visitor centres, delayed maintenance and conservation of the parks, and more strain on already overburdened staff who remain, according to the report. People demonstrate during a protest against federal employee lay-offs at Yosemite National Park in March. ( AFP: Laure Andrillon ) Bryce Canyon National Park is renowned for its distinctive hoodoos. ( Reutesr: Kaylee Greenlee ) The NPS has lost older rangers with years of experience in the parks. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) The National Park Service operates 433 park units across 85 million acres. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) Kristen Brengel, senior vice-president of government affairs at the NPCA, told the ABC that thousands of Park Service staff have been pushed out since January. The losses were driven by an ongoing hiring freeze delaying seasonal hiring, terminations, early retirement buyouts, deferred resignations and pressured buyouts like the administration's "Fork in the Road" — an email sent to over 2 million federal employees by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offering staff their full salary until September 2025 if they resigned. And it's not sustainable, Ms Brengel said. "They may have to close down some of the parks because they just don't have enough staff," she said. "Park superintendents across the country are saying we can't do this long-term. "We can't have this few staff, it's not going to be good for parks, especially with visitation so high." The NPS recorded its highest summer visitor numbers on record in 2024, with a record-breaking 331.9 million recreation visits, according to data released in March. Yellowstone National Park reported that May was its busiest on record with 566,363 recreational visits, an 8 per cent increase from a year ago and a nearly 20 per cent increase from May 2021. Australian travellers were among the top five visiting US national parks, accounting for 726,000 recreational visits across the country in 2024, according to new figures from the US National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). "So many stories are told through our national parks," Ms Brengel said. "Our national identity is wrapped in them." Yellowstone National Park reported this May was its busiest on record, with 566,363 recreational visits. ( AP: Jacquelyn Martin ) Even while slashing budgets, the Trump administration is pushing for parks to stay open. In April this year, Security of Interior Doug Burgum — a billionaire with ties to the oil and gas industry whose pick promoted backlash from environmental advocacy groups — ordered all parks to remain "open and accessible" and to ensure that the NPS provided "the best customer service experience for all visitors". But past and present park rangers, advocacy groups and experts say the decisions across the past six months have left staff morale at an all-time low and devastated the agency's ability to ensure visitor safety, deliver basic services and protect park resources. Alex Wild, a park ranger of 13 years who lost his job in the Valentines Day Massacre, said to imagine the park as a "human body" that had sustained a "major injury". "It's doing what is called compensation, where it works extra hard to maintain basic functions," said Mr Wild, who was reinstated as Wilderness Park Ranger at Yosemite National Park in March. "You can only sustain that for so long before things start to fall apart." Yellowstone holds the largest bison population on public lands with approximately 5,450 of the mammals. ( Reuters: Go Nakamura ) A play on "Smokey Bear", the advertising icon of the US Forest Service in the Wildfire Prevention Campaign. ( Reuters: Craig Hudson ) The NPS recorded a record-breaking 331.9 million recreation visits to the national parks in 2024. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) A park ranger leads a program at the Fountain Paint Pot geothermal area in Yellowstone National Park. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) Becoming 'almost impossible' to do the job Phil Francis was earning $US1.65 an hour at a textile mill in 1972 when a friend working as a seasonal ranger in the NPS encouraged him to apply to become a park ranger. "After a summer of giving programmes, hiking trails and interacting with the public, I sort of fell in love with it," he said, going on to serve for 41 years in the NPS as a ranger and superintendent in parks across the country, including Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yosemite, Shenandoah and Kings Mountain National Military Park. He said park staff had "a great mission and a great purpose". "As they say, our breath starts turning green because we love the job so much." Phil Francis said the parks' mission and purpose made it easy for rangers to "love their job so much". ( Supplied: Phil Francis via the National Park Service ) Mr Francis was the deputy superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for 11 years. ( AFP: Patrick Gorski ) The NPS staff have "an array of responsibilities to protect and preserve", says Mr Francis, who serves as the executive council chair of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks after retiring in 2013. "Whether it's maintenance of parks, design of buildings, law enforcement responsibilities, administrative responsibilities or safety of employees and visitors — we need the whole team to be present," he said. "And when you're trying to do it with fewer and fewer people, it becomes almost impossible to do the same job we once were able to do." At the time Mr Wild was fired, he was the park's only EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). "I honestly can't imagine how the parks will operate without my position, I mean, they just can't," he said. Mr Francis said park employees had saved people's lives with their training and commitment. "So, it's a political decision to try and keep the public happy, but they're also putting the parks and the public at risk," he said. He warned the effects were already beginning to manifest: beaches left unpatrolled, interpretive programming reduced, historic buildings shut down, campgrounds closed and higher-graded staff being redirected. "National parks cannot properly function at the staffing levels this administration has reduced them to," said NPCA's president and CEO, Theresa Pierno. "And it's only getting worse." Staff stretched thin A park ranger at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) The secretary of the interior pledged in February to add nearly 8,000 additional seasonal positions to the NPS, but halfway through the summer, only about 4,500 have been filled. It came too little, too late, says Ms Brengel, accusing the secretary of the interior of "band-aiding the situation". She said that the order from Mr Burgum to keep the parks open, combined with the seasonal hiring process beginning too late, meant that staff were being pulled from their specialised projects. "So instead of trail maintenance or revegetation, staff are being placed on visitor centres because they don't have enough people," she said. An NPS seasonal interpretation ranger leads a natural and cultural history discussion about the park in Glacier National Park. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) Rangers move dirt and unearth beaver tracks near an information exhibit in Glacier National Park. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) Invasive oxeye daisies are pulled from the shores of Lake McDonald at Glacier National Park. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) An NPS seasonal interpretation ranger leads a fossil walk program in the Grand Canyon National Park. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) It also means law enforcement staff are being moved to work in the visitor centre and forgoing other functions, she added. Mr Francis also pointed to the dangers of losing the more experienced park rangers. "Everybody is trying to be an asset — but it's not the same as someone who's been working there for 20 years." The NPCA said the loss of older rangers to early retirement buyouts represented "not just a staffing shortage, but also the loss of decades of institutional knowledge and specialised experience". In July, multiple fast-spreading wildfires forced evacuations in parts of the Grand Canyon. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) Impact on economy and tourists America's National Park System exists as less than one-fifteenth of 1 per cent of the federal budget — despite contributing over $US55 billion to the nation's economy. The local economy in Utah had grown from "frozen burritos at the gas station" to a world-class food and dining economy that relied on the millions of tourists who streamed into the parks every year, Ms Brengel said. "Even the smallest park unit in America benefits the gateway community, the community just outside of it," she said. "If the visitation ever comes down, even in the next year or so, it would hurt so many people's business model," she added. "The price to pay for making bad decisions on the parks is pretty high." In July, Mr Trump signed an executive order called Making America Beautiful Again by Improving Our National Parks, calling on the NPS to charge foreign visitors an increased entrance fee. According to the order, the price hikes will only occur in parks that already charge admission, which is only about 100 of the 433 park units across the country. "The increased fee revenue from foreign tourists will raise hundreds of millions for conservation projects that improve our national parks," the White House wrote. Mr Francis said the fees wouldn't be enough to compensate for cuts to staffing and budget, though he wasn't opposed to the idea as long as it didn't turn off visitors. "Parks are for everyone," he said. The parks "preserve the full spectrum of our national identity", says NPS. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) A National Park Service ranger conducts a walking tour in the Everglades National Park in Florida. ( AFP: Joe Raedle ) Visitors ride horses near the Teton Range of the Rocky Mountains in Grand Teton National Park. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) Yellowstone is most famous for its scorching-hot geysers. ( Reuters: Kaylee Greenlee ) Those with green breath can't look away Ms Brengel said that current staffing levels could not be maintained. "We can get away with it for this summer, but people will start to notice by next summer," she said. And while many would turn and run from such a problem, those with "green breath" can't look away. Protests have broken out across the country, while advocacy groups and rangers alike — dubbed Park Protectors —say Congress needs to "step in to reject these ideas of both understaffing and underfunding the parks". On August 23, Park Protectors across the country will take part in a nationwide one-day event organised by the NPCA, which they say will be a "national moment to show love for our parks and demand accountability for the devastating impacts threatening them". Demonstrations broke out across the country. ( Reuters: Yuri Avila ) "Something nature has taught me resonates in this moment: creatures together accomplish what lone ones can't," said Mr Wild.
Winnipeg Free Press
28-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Lose yourself, find yourself
In the ditch, I spot my first clump of wolf willow, and I say the words out loud. 'Wolf willow.' And laugh a little at my homage to the title of the book by long-dead American writer Wallace Stegner who, in a way, brought me here. Allow me to explain. It was August and I had just finished reading the book Wolf Willow by Stegner (who would go on to win a Pulitzer for another novel, Angle of Repose). His trademark poetic prose chronicling a childhood in southern Saskatchewan settled deep inside me, and I knew I had to go there. So, I jumped in my vehicle and began a solo adventure to Grasslands National Park. I'm a product of the Prairies — born, raised and settled in places of grass and far-away horizons, so I wasn't expecting something vastly different from the Grasslands. I was wrong. There's a line in one of the local guidebooks here about feeling small in a vast landscape. I felt more than small. Exposed, uneasy. My mind raced for an escape route should a bison come charging out of a coulee. There was neither a boulder nor a bluff to tuck into and hide. A tingle of fear ran up my spine and it was the first time I had this feeling while being outside. Grasslands National Park will make you feel alive. Here's our Top Ten on what to do when you arrive: Technically, Grasslands National Park was established to preserve a representative portion of the Canadian mixed grass prairie ecosystem. But it's so much more than that. This is where Sitting Bull and 4,000 Lakota Sioux sought sanctuary after The Battle of Little Big Horn. It's where Métis hunted bison. Archeological sites number in the thousands here. And it's where ranchers and homesteaders made a brave attempt put down roots on this open range. In any other year, this would be your first stop to purchase a national parks pass. But in 2025, admission is free until Sept. 2. Still, it's a must-visit to pick up info about tours and programs, camping and trail maps because the park is vast — 900 square kilometres divided into two blocks. It was the dog days of summer and I honestly didn't expect to see much wildlife, but again, Grasslands surprised me. Anxious to see the park, I made my way to the West Block just before sunset on my first day. First there was a pair of pronghorns racing across the horizon. Then a doe mule deer and her two young ones. A lone bison was lazily scratching his hind quarters on a post. I spent nearly an hour playing hide and seek with a white-tailed jackrabbit around the historic Larson homestead. Finally, a coyote stopped at the edge of a coulee, peered into the sunset, then disappeared in into the valley. With its distinctive large black-tipped grey ears, the white-tailed jackrabbit is mostly nocturnal, but loves a game of hide-and-seek once in a while. With its distinctive large black-tipped grey ears, the white-tailed jackrabbit is mostly nocturnal, but loves a game of hide-and-seek once in a while. The Village of Val Marie sits at the edge of the park, and down one of its quiet streets is The Sanctuary Inn, a former Anglican church that now holds two suites outfitted with everything you need for a quiet and comfortable stay (a full kitchen, too). I loved entering through the church's front doors to be greeted by vaulted ceilings and original window shapes. The owners have several other properties for rent in the area, plus there are other options including The Convent Country Inn, The Crossing at Grasslands, Sky Story Bed & Breakfast, Don's Place and two campgrounds. The Val Marie Bar and Café inside the village's hotel is where you'll find Rainbow, along with her husband Bob, providing excellent meals along with some of the friendliest service on the Prairies. There's a full Chinese menu, burgers, sandwiches and entrées, plus daily specials and signature homemade drinks like strawberry juice and lemonade. The space has personality to spare with busy pool tables, a mounted mule deer and a long-forgotten piano at the window. Naysayers may call it just a collection of rocks in a circle, and I was leaning toward the same before I took a stroll through Mary's Labyrinth. But then I slipped into a kind of meditation and when I reached the centre, I was ready to reflect on some deep-down things that needed attention. The labyrinth is at The Crossing at Grasslands, so it's private property, but all are welcome between 1 and 6 p.m. Housed inside the absolutely charming Val Marie schoolhouse, Prairie Wind & Silver Sage is a gift shop, bookstore, coffeeshop, art gallery and museum under one roof. There's an impressive collection of guidebooks and local history (admittedly, I could have spent the whole day here), along with adorable stuffed animals showcasing the park's wildlife. Stroll through The Cloakroom art gallery and take in the cultural exhibits of the museum, including a collection of aprons. A black-tailed prairie dog, that is. And the West Block and neighbouring lands are the only places in Canada where the species exists in its natural habitat. If you've never been to a dog town, you're in for a treat. These highly social rodents bark, squeak and call, plus they nuzzle and kiss — showing off their communication skills. One of the best places to witness the fun is on the Top Dogtown Trail. The West Block and neighbouring lands are the only places in Canada where black-tailed prairie dogs exist in their natural habitat. The West Block and neighbouring lands are the only places in Canada where black-tailed prairie dogs exist in their natural habitat. In 2009, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada declared Grasslands National Park a Dark Sky Preserve. And it happens to be one of Canada's darkest. Preserving dark places is important for the billion-year-old natural day-night cycle of flora and fauna, and it also makes for excellent stargazing. Remember to fuel up, stay close to your vehicle and keep an eye out for rattlesnakes, bison and prairie dog burrows. Two Trees Trail, Frenchman Valley Campground and Rock Creek Campground are great stargazing locations. Photos by Shel Zolkewich After a 120-year absence, a herd of plains bison was reintroduced into Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan. Photos by Shel Zolkewich After a 120-year absence, a herd of plains bison was reintroduced into Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan. You're not going to find this request in any guidebook, but think of your visit to Grasslands as an opportunity to embrace silence. These wide-open spaces are your invitation to do just that. As friend and fellow writer Hank Shaw so eloquently put it, 'Silence isn't necessarily rejection — from others or of myself. It is not something that needs to be justified, punished or feared. Silence can be sanctuary. Even solace.'
Washington Post
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
National parks cuts threaten America the beautiful
Author Wallace Stegner once said that our public lands are 'absolutely American, absolutely democratic; they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.' They are a birthright for all Americans, and with that right comes a responsibility to take care of them for future generations. But now, thanks to rash and senseless mass firings at the federal agencies tasked with managing these special places, our public lands are losing their caretakers — and all Americans will suffer the loss.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SLO County teens signed up to pick lemons in Ventura. But melons in Bakersfield? No thanks
To paraphrase the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Wallace Stegner, California is like the rest of the United States — only more so. With the Gold Rush, California became an instant state, comprised of immigrants from throughout the world. The Native American and Hispanic population were overrun by fortune seekers. Within a few short months, the state went from territory to full-fledged statehood. California has always needed labor. The Spanish built the missions and ran the ranches with labor from Native Americans. Later waves of immigrants have taken on the role of builders. Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Hispanic communities have been some of the notable waves of labor. Often immigration has been followed by targeted anti-immigrant backlash. Like California, United States has also long been an attractive beacon to immigrants from all over the world because of its relative economic and political freedom. But entry level work is hard and low paying. People who have options because of education or economic status, generally don't want entry level jobs. This column previously published the story of the A-TEAM, an unsuccessful attempt in 1965 to establish students as summer farm labor. The U.S. Department of Labor came up with an acronym A-TEAM, which stood for Athletes in Temporary Employment as Agricultural Manpower. A Merced tomato-picking job was documented in a June 30, 1965, story — but the program was troubled from the start. This article written by Bill King ran during recruitment phase on June 25, 1965. Three meetings with high school students Thursday on summer farm work proposals produced both good and bad news. At San Luis Obispo High School the news was good as nearly 100 students and parents showed up to consider a job offer to pick tomatoes in Merced County for eight weeks. After hearing details of the proposal, 43 students signed up for the work with their parents' consent. They will leave by bus Sunday and start work Monday. However, things were different at Atascadero and Paso Robles. The question of whether 18-24 students at Atascadero High would have summer farm work was still undecided this morning, and at Paso Robles High students turned thumbs down on melon work offered during a meeting Thursday afternoon with William Westall, representing growers in the San Joaquin Valley. Westall met first with the San Luis Obispo students, offering the tomato jobs, but by the time he got to Atascadero for the second meeting the only work available was in melons. He said they could start work July 1 and work about five weeks in the melon fields near Bakersfield. About 14 Atascadero students indicated they would take the work, not enough for a full crew of 30. Then Westall proceeded to Paso Robles, hoping to find enough students to add to the Atascadero work force to form a full crew for melons. In Paso Robles, however, only eight students indicated they still wanted summer work. But after hearing Westall's offer of melon work, clouded by uncertainties, the students pulled out of the program entirely. Oliver Tanquary, head counselor at Paso Robles High, said the students were very upset about the new development and confusion. Originally 33 Paso students had signed up for Ventura lemon picking jobs which were abruptly canceled. A week ago Westall told students at three schools that 400 jobs were available in the Merced tomato fields and he could use all the students he could get. With Paso out of the picture, the picture was changed for Atascadero students. The situation there this morning was that the melon jobs are out and now Westall is apparently trying to line up tomato jobs in the Salinas or Merced area. Students there were still awaiting word from him today. School officials at Atascadero were wondering why Westall didn't better coordinate the recruitment at Atascadero and Paso Robles to come up with an adequate crew. Gary Kuhn, adult supervisor who is to accompany the Atascadero work force, indicated that Atascadero could have come up with enough students, combined with Paso Robles, to have the minimum number required for a melon crew. The San Luis Obispo students will receive a minimum pay of $1.40 an hour during the green tomato harvest and then some time in August go on a piece work basis during the canning harvest. They will live in barracks under adult supervision.
