In the wake of the federal government’s cutbacks on hiring, 22 senators sent a letter to newly-confirmed U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum warning that the deep staffing cuts could bring about national park closures. The letter was prompted by a January 20 federal hiring freeze. The freeze resulted in more than 2,000 job offers to seasonal Park Service employees being rescinded. The administration has also offered early retirement and resignation options to millions of federal employees. That offer would apply to all federal employees who work for the Park Service. The Democratic senators have denounced these cuts and fear national park closures could be the result.
According to an article in SFGate, the letter from the senators stated that, “If a significant number of National Park Service employees take one of the offers — or further terminations are made — park staffing will be in chaos.” The senators wrote, “Not only does this threaten the full suite of visitor services, but could close entire parks altogether.”
National park closures, however, have not been stated as an objective of the current hiring freeze under the Trump administration.
Park Service Employees Resign, Seasonal Workers Reduced
That letter was shared with SFGate by Don Neubacher. Neaubacher is a former Yosemite superintendent and member of the executive council of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. He is credited with stating that around 1,900 Park Service employees have already resigned. “That’s a little less than 10 percent of the park’s workforce,”
In a typical summer, the Park Service will bring on more than 6,000 seasonal employees according to the letter. Whether this could result in national park closures remains speculative.
“Without seasonal staff during this peak season, visitor centers may close, bathrooms will be filthy, campgrounds may close, guided tours will be cut back or altogether cancelled, emergency response times will drop, and visitor services like safety advice, trail recommendations, and interpretation will be unavailable,” they wrote.
Staffing Already Down as Visitation Increases
Staffing is down 20 percent already since 2010, but visitation has increased by 16 percent. According to the letter, an estimated 415,000 jobs and $55.6 billion in total economic output in the national economy are created as a result of people visiting the parks.
“Americans showing up to national parks this summer and for years to come don’t deserve to have their vacations ruined by a completely preventable — and completely irresponsible — staffing shortage. And local economies don’t deserve to have their livelihoods destroyed for political gain.”
The U.S. senators who signed the letter are Senators Jeff Merkley, Angus King, Patty Murray, Martin Heinrich, Jon Ossof, John Fetterman, Mark Warner, Jack Reed, Ron Wyden, Jeanne Shaheen, Bernie Sanders, Richard Durbin, Richard Blumenthal, Kirsten Gillibrand, Edward Markey, Chris Van Hollen, Mazie Hirono, Cory Booker, Tim Kaine, Alex Padilla, Maria Cantwell, and John Hickenlooper.
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