As the busy travel season approaches, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over America’s national parks.
Fueled by the cuts made by DOGE, park service staffing levels are critically low. For an agency that hosted 331 million visitors last year, a reduction in workforce could have devastating effects.
“We’re worried that fewer park staff will result in more accidents,” said John Adornato, Deputy Vice President for Regional Programs at the National Parks Conservation Association. “Hopefully not severe, but definitely more accidents and threats to visitor safety, not only this spring but shoulder seasons through the summer and into the fall.”
Fear rippled through the ranks when it was announced earlier this year that 1,000 probationary employees would be terminated, sparking organizations like Adornato’s into action.
Founded in 1919, NPCA prides itself on being the only independent, nonpartisan membership organization that advocates exclusively on behalf of the National Park Service. Adornato, a former mayor of Oakland Park, said the consequences of fewer resources create chaos in the parks and damages the environment.
“We’ve seen it during government shutdowns when parks get overrun by tourists, who unfortunately don’t always treat the parks the way they would if park rangers were around,” Adornato said. “They leave trash or when bathrooms are closed, they use the sides of trails as bathrooms. It can be really devastating in places like Joshua Tree in Southern California, where it takes hundreds of years for a recovery in desert ecosystems.”
In addition to protecting natural environments, America’s national parks are where stories are told and history is preserved. Gary Bremen knows many of those stories well.
For 36 years, Bremen served as a NPS ranger and was the recipient of the Department of the Interior’s highest honor — the Distinguished Service Award. He retired in 2022 and soon after launched his own YouTube channel, //www.youtube.com/@TheTravelingRanger">The Traveling Ranger.
“I’m glad I left when I did because the chaos and stress that my friends and former coworkers are experiencing with every email notification is outrageous,” Bremen told NPR. “Nobody joins the National Park Service to get rich.”
Bremen, a married gay man who lives in Wilton Manors, recalled the old adage that rangers are paid in sunsets.
“That was far from true,” he said. “I got paid a fair wage for work that I absolutely loved, and I often worked late into the evening for no additional pay to get ready for a family event, to swear in junior rangers, or to prepare for a citizenship ceremony.”
Florida is home to three national parks: Everglades, Biscayne Bay and Dry Tortugas. In total, there are 433 sites in the National Park System, which includes battlefields, seashores and monuments such as Stonewall in New York.
Since 2010, the NPCA notes, visitation has increased by 16%, while seeing a 20% decrease in staff.
Data from the NPS website shows there are roughly 20,000 park service staff. For comparison, Walt Disney World employs 80,000 cast members.
“They care for this nation’s most special places,” Bremen noted. “That includes not only the Yellowstones and Grand Canyons, but also places like the Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall and the White House.”
Adornato is encouraging people to contact their elected officials and voice their concerns.
“At every level of government and even some businesses share the feedback up the chain because we are at a crossroads for our national parks,” he said.
Visit nps.gov to learn more about National Park Week (April 19-27).
