Trump's Disastrous First 100 Days for National Parks

When Teddy Roosevelt was inaugurated in 1901, he inherited a handful of park sites without a connected vision. During his time in office, he laid the foundation for what would become the National Park Service. Through the establishment of five national parks, 18 national monuments and over 200 additional forests and preserves, President Roosevelt gave the United States a conservation legacy that would be handed down for generations to come.

The National Park System has grown to 433 sites across the country, protecting landscapes and interpreting our history now and for future generations. From the shores of Acadia to the canyons of Zion, these sites exist so that all Americans can relax, recreate and reflect in our shared natural inheritance.

Through a series of misguided directives, however, President Trump and Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are destroying Teddy Roosevelt’s vision during the administration’s first 100 days. Congress, meanwhile, has stood by and is letting it happen — even though its members have authority over the money they appropriated for national parks and the laws that protect them.

The list of attacks feels endless — cuts to critical park staff, removing safeguards for vulnerable wildlife, erasing history, cutting out public input and hints of much more to come. Our national parks will feel the effects for generations.

Here are the major areas in which NPCA sees the most damage in these first few months.

A Staffing Crisis

The national parks remain protected because dedicated public servants strive to uphold their mission day after day. The Organic Act of 1916, creating the National Park Service as the official agency charged with protecting these sites, mandates that park staff manage natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment of future generations. Park rangers, scientists, archaeologists and other park staff lead tours, upkeep facilities, study wildlife and plan for the long-term, ensuring parks thrive. For so many park staff, it’s not just a job — it’s a calling. These are the people on the front lines, defending what makes our public lands special.

In just a matter of months, the current administration has taken concrete steps to undermine the future of the Park Service workforce — the beating heart of the park system:

• Through a series of orders, President Trump and Sec. Burgum have fired thousands of staff and pressured countless others to retire or resign. The Park Service has lost a wealth of expertise, experience and knowledge it may never get back.

• Sec. Burgum continues to enforce a hiring freeze, leaving park managers unable to fill the critical vacancies caused by the administration’s relentless staffing reductions. Parks have been left short-staffed going into the busiest season of the year.

• Field offices that employ staff to welcome school groups, preserve and study artifacts, and protect park visitors are arbitrarily slated to be terminated — all while park staff are being stripped of the essential tools and resources needed to do their jobs. This includes eliminating the ability to make everyday purchases, such as toilet paper, gas for vehicles or office supplies.

The National Park Service is in a full-blown staffing crisis. In the first 100 days, it has dealt with a 13% reduction in full-time staff, at a time when parks are more popular than ever. These reductions, coupled with a concerted effort from Sec. Burgum to keep parks open, are already pushing the overextended staff to the breaking point.

Removed Safeguards for Clean Air and Water and Protected Wildlife

The Park Service depends on numerous federal agencies to protect and manage our national parks and public lands in a rapidly changing world. From effectively managing wildlife habitat to protecting vital river corridors, land management agencies have conservation policies in place that are designed to preserve ecosystems that go beyond park boundaries.

Alarmingly, President Trump and Sec. Burgum have pushed a series of harmful regulations that undercut vital resource protection, jeopardizing our parks’ most iconic wildlife, as well as the air we breathe and water we drink.

• The administration is attempting to weaken the Endangered Species Act, which provides protections for our most vulnerable plants and animals, including the 600 threatened and endangered species with habitat in our national parks. A proposed rule would fundamentally alter our ability to protect the habitats these species depend on by removing the definition of “harm” from the regulations that guide implementation of the Endangered Species Act. And the federal government is only giving the public 30 days to provide input on this decision, down from the usual 45 to 60 days.

• The Trump administration has publicized intent to rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule, a clarifying policy that brought balance between conservation and extractive use on public lands. This action threatens equitable access to public lands and could roll back protections and restoration efforts for some of the most celebrated landscapes in the country.

• President Trump and Sec. Burgum have issued a series of orders that prioritize energy extraction over conservation on our public lands. By promoting mining in places like Mojave National Preserve, the Trump administration has signaled that none of our treasured landscapes are safe.

Erased History That Shaped Our Country

In addition to protecting our most treasured natural spaces, the Park Service is also our nation’s best storyteller. From the battlefields of Gettysburg to the Manzanar internment camp, the Park Service provides the opportunity for all to learn our nation’s history.

But now, Sec. Burgum is taking concrete steps to erode the Park Service’s historical accuracy:

• Under Sec. Burgum’s direction, the National Park Service is actively erasing history that doesn’t fit President Trump’s political narrative. From removing references to slavery on webpages dedicated to the Underground Railroad to deleting the contributions of the transgender community at Stonewall National Monument, the current administration has decided that park sites can be used to push propaganda over fact.

• The administration is also taking direct aim at the landscapes that tell our stories. Under an order from Secretary Burgum, DOI is reviewing our national monuments and determining which of them should be sacrificed for mining and other extractive activities.

Cumulatively, these actions represent the greatest threat that our national parks have seen. Each action harms our national parks, but together they undermine the very conservation foundation the Park Service was founded on and the legacy conservation champions like Teddy Roosevelt left for our country.

But there is still time to change course before the damage becomes irreversible. It is up to us to defend the places we hold dear. We must tell President Trump and Sec. Burgum that these places are worth protecting and demand our members of Congress uphold their responsibility to protect our national parks. We cannot be the generation that lets these atrocities happen on our watch.

The views expressed here are those of the National Parks Conservation Association and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Park Service.