Particle.news
Download on the App Store
9 ARTICLES
·
2h ago

Former Park Superintendents Urge Burgum to Close National Parks If Shutdown Hits

They warn unattended parks would endanger visitors and resources given steep staffing cuts and damage seen in prior shutdowns.

Image
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.

Overview

  • Forty former superintendents, organized by the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and the Association of National Park Rangers, sent an open letter urging closures if funding lapses.
  • The group cites a roughly 24% reduction in permanent National Park Service staff this year as a key factor that heightens safety and conservation risks.
  • An April secretarial order from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directing parks to remain open drew criticism from the former leaders, who say reduced staffing already led to neglected basic maintenance.
  • The Interior Department and the National Park Service have not released updated shutdown contingency plans and did not provide immediate comment.
  • The National Parks Conservation Association estimates up to 433 sites could be affected, with nearly 1 million daily visitors turned away and losses of about $77 million a day to gateway communities, as some states weigh limited funding to keep select parks accessible.