Budget cuts impact national parks: What visitors need to know

National parks log record visitation amid cuts; some increases around Colorado, too

America's national parks reported record visitation in 2024 as government cuts loom over federal lands in Colorado and beyond approaching the busy season.

The Trump administration doesn’t want you to know a record number of people visited national parks last year

The highest-ever 331.9 million visitors in 2024 is not being promoted by the agency after more than 1,000 Park Service workers have been fired.

'A duty to tell the public': How Trump’s cost cutting could screw up your summer vacation

If you ask a National Park Service ranger how the Trump administration’s cost cutting will affect your next park visit, you might get talking points instead of a straight answer.A series of emails sent late last month to front-line staff at parks across the country provided rangers with instructions on how to describe the highly publicized staff cuts. Park leaders further instructed staff to avoid the word “fired” and not blame closures on staff…

Federal Cuts Could Hit Alabama’s Little River Canyon, Other Parks - BirminghamWatch

Little River Falls in the Little River Nature Preserve. (Photo by John Dersham) Your support helps us grow and sustain a newsroom for the City Built to Change the South. Donate today to help Birmingham stay informed. At least 11 National Park Service employees and a lease at one visitors’ center in Alabama have been terminated by the Trump administration’s government efficiency office. Advocacy groups say park visitors are likely to see negative…

Budget cuts impact national parks: What visitors need to know

hristianthiel.net // Shutterstock Budget cuts impact national parks: What visitors need to know On Feb. 14, 2025, the National Park Service laid off about 1,000 probationary employees, targeting those hired less than a year ago, as part of efforts to downsize the federal workforce under the Trump administration. Additionally, over 700 employees opted to resign, further reducing staff levels. These staffing changes occurred just weeks before the …

New Talking Points Issued to National Park Service Staffers on Describing Recent Firings - The Reconstruction Era

ProPublica reports that late in February National Parks sites across the country received an email on “talking points” after the round of firings of staff that started on Valentine’s Day. The email said never to refer to the firings as firings, but to say this was “attrition” and “workforce management actions.” The email said that the National Park Service should be described by spokespeople as “prioritizing fiscal responsibility” and “staffing …