From The Editor’s Desk: Don’t Chop Our National Parks

Given how quickly the new federal administration has been firing government employees, it’s been difficult to keep track of every area that’s been impacted. While staffing shortages at the Social Security Administration and Environmental Protection Agency will certainly have a more immediate impact on people’s lives, perhaps the most disheartening cuts so far have been at the National Parks Service.

It was reported March 10 the Trump administration is planning a 30% cut in payroll funding at the NPS, according to The Hill. These likely cuts follow the firings of about 1,000 recently hired Parks employees Feb. 19, The Associated Press reported.

These cuts have already affected NPS operations and have had impacts for visitors, including some who had their reservations cancelled due to staffing shortages, according to The Washington Post. After the initial firings, which included the four employees who worked at the south entrance to Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, the wait to enter the park was twice as long as normal.

These problems are only expected to escalate as it gets warmer and the highest traffic months arrive in the summer. Combined with staffing cuts at the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service, as a nation we’re jettisoning thousands of preservationists who have dedicated their lives to public service while signaling to young people that these occupations aren’t worth pursuing. 

In the short-term though, our National Parks and the experiences they offer visitors are going to suffer — and there’s little reason to believe the Trump administration will stop there. It’s been a long-term goal of conservatives to wrest public lands from public agencies and put them in the hands of private, extractive industries, according to the Center for American Progress.

Even before Trump, the NPS has struggled with staffing shortages. Park staffing has eroded 20% since 2010, while in that same period the parks have experienced a 16% increase in visitation, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.

Conservation as a movement and practice is directly rooted in America. In establishing the first public lands, President Teddy Roosevelt felt an obligation to ensure the beauty of nature would be preserved so they could be enjoyed by future generations. 

It was his cousin Franklin who later said, “There is nothing so American as our national parks. The fundamental idea behind the parks is that the country belongs to the people, that it is the process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us.” 

As a member of those future generations Teddy envisioned, I’ve benefited immensely from the NWS and am feeling incredibly weary about its future. Growing up just a few hours from Yellowstone National Park, my childhood was in part defined by the two or three annual trips my family would take to a national park. 

You can’t put a price on the feeling of wonder the sight of geysers, hot springs, bears and bison imbues in a six year old. These experiences present an opportunity for young people to gain a greater sense of where they fit in the natural world. I worry about the path we’re on, and whether generations beyond ours will have the chance to share in these experiences.

Beyond the importance of preserving natural environments, national parks are a source of economic growth in surrounding communities and also serve as iconic cultural landmarks. Why now of all times, as the world is grappling with the effects of climate change, would we abandon the long-held American value of conservation?