\u201cWe\u2019re definitely really nervous and anxious about the upcoming season, especially with the staff shortage we already have,\u201d said a National Federation of Federal Employees union member at Yosemite who requested anonymity to speak candidly.<\/p>\n
The National Park Service has lost nearly a quarter of its staff to buyouts, early retirements and other departures since the Trump administration took office last year, according to an estimate<\/a> by the National Parks Conservation Assn. This month, the administration proposed cutting nearly 3,000 more positions in its 2027 budget<\/a>. It also offered a recent new round of buyouts. <\/p>\n The push to cut the park system even further \u2014 ahead not only of peak season but of America\u2019s 250th birthday, which the Trump administration has promoted in relation to national parks \u2014 has underscored ongoing questions about how smoothly parks can operate as warm weather and summer vacations draw tourists.<\/p>\n Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the budget proposal on Capitol Hill last week, telling senators that the visitor experience to parks can be improved even while spending and staff reductions are made. <\/p>\n He said the agency plans to hire 5,500 seasonal workers and asked Congress to approve funding for those employees to work for nine-month stints rather than six months.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of that\u2019s going to help us get this thing in shape, even with an overall reduction,\u201d Burgum said Wednesday. <\/p>\n He was met with skepticism by Democrats, who confronted him over the spending proposal.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is just a recipe for disaster,\u201d Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told Burgum.<\/p>\n Congress will have the final say on the proposed cuts, but in the meantime, the reductions that have already occurred presented challenges last season and appear likely to do so again, said Cheryl Schreier, a retired superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial and chair of the Coalition to Protect America\u2019s National Parks.<\/p>\n Whether the parks will get enough qualified candidates to hire the number of seasonal workers needed is also \u201ca really big concern,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s really important to have all of those individuals to be able to operate a park in a good fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n Campers prepare food in Yosemite Valley last December. 9, 2025 in Yosemite, CA.<\/p>\n (Eric Thayer\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n The lower staffing has prompted worry about parks\u2019 capacity for emergency response, protection of the natural landscape and custodial maintenance. Fewer rangers could mean, for instance, fewer people to reach dehydrated, stranded or lost hikers, said Chance Wilcox, California desert director for the National Parks Conservation Assn.<\/p>\n A park service spokesperson said Friday that staffing decisions are made based on local conditions at each park and that the agency is \u201cfocused on ensuring parks remain open, accessible, and safe for visitors.\u201d <\/p>\n About 323 million people visit America\u2019s national parks annually, according to the Interior Department. While the parks can expect heavy traffic, a drop in international tourism and the rise in gas prices has injected additional uncertainty into the tourism industry this year.<\/p>\n The number of Canadians visiting the United States has dropped since Trump took office, according to the Canadian government<\/a> \u2014 with the number of Canadians making car trips to the United States this March declining by 35% compared with March 2024.<\/p>\n![\"Campers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777208830_731_.jpeg\")
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