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1h ago

40 Former Park Superintendents Urge Closure of National Parks if Shutdown Hits

They warn that parks left open with minimal staffing would invite damage, jeopardizing visitors.

Visitors gather near the Valley Store in Yosemite National Park in May 2025. More than three dozen former park superintendents are urging President Trump to close Yosemite and all 433 national park sites if the government shuts down next week.
A Yosemite National Park sign is seen in El Portal. More than three dozen former park superintendents are urging President Trump to close Yosemite and all 433 national park sites if the government shuts down next week.
A once-vibrant Joshua tree has been severed in half in an act of vandalism in Joshua Tree National Park on January 8, 2019, in Joshua Tree.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum watches as President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to Joint Base Andrews, Md. after attending a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Overview

  • Forty former National Park Service superintendents sent a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum urging full park closures if Congress fails to fund the government by Wednesday.
  • They cite past shutdowns that saw vandalism, habitat damage, trash buildup, and unsafe conditions when sites remained accessible without adequate staff.
  • The appeal follows Burgum’s April directive instructing park units to stay open during posted hours, a policy the signers say leaves basic maintenance and oversight undone.
  • The letter points to a reported 24% workforce reduction and budget cuts at the Park Service as factors that magnify risks during any funding lapse.
  • The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and the Association of National Park Rangers organized the letter, and the Interior Department and NPS did not immediately comment.