The USFWS plans to kill thousands of barred owls, even inside 14 parks. The goal: protect spotted owls. The reality: a mass shooting program with no proven benefit and lasting ecological harm. We’re urging Congress to pass S.J.Res. 69 to stop it. www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/coal...

👻 Nothing’s scarier than haunted houses in our national parks — unless you count the real horror of understaffed parks, underfunded programs, a looming RIF, and a government shutdown with no end in sight. Our parks and those who protect them deserve more than ghost crews and vanishing budgets.

The U.S. plans to withdraw from UNESCO by Dec. 2026, leaving the future of our 26 🇺🇸 World Heritage Sites — from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty — uncertain. Loss of global funding & cooperation could deepen the NPS’s ongoing staffing crisis. www.islands.com/1997714/what...

The Great Smoky Mountains NP is losing $8M/day during the government shutdown, the highest among all parks. 450+ former NPS leaders, incl. our Coalition, urge closures until parks can be properly staffed again. “Our parks don’t run by themselves." www.thetravel.com/great-smoky-...

“If we don’t have park rangers, we shouldn’t be visiting national parks.” — Emily Thompson, CPANP Executive Director, on ABC news. The shutdown leaves parks understaffed and unsafe. It’s time to protect rangers, visitors, and our public lands. abcnews.go.com/US/video/non...

The recent decision by the Interior Department to issue rights-of-way for the Ambler Road threatens one of the largest intact wild landscapes in America, crossing the Kobuk River and the Gates of the Arctic region. www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/upda...

More than 450 former National Park Service leaders are calling on Interior Secretary Burgum to close national parks as dangerous incidents escalate during the shutdown. “Our parks can’t operate without dedicated staff.” Full letter ➡️ protectnps.org/2025/10/23/m...

New court filings confirm Interior Secretary Burgum’s plans to slash thousands of jobs — including hundreds across the National Park Service. These cuts would devastate an already overstretched agency that’s lost more than a quarter of its workforce. Read more: www.npca.org/articles/111...

As tourists visit national parks during the shutdown, rangers remain furloughed & safety risks grow. “Parks need safety and preventive messaging. Rangers and Park Service staff do a lot to keep people safe and prevent risks.” — Emily Thompson, CPANP Read more from CNN: www.cnn.com/2025/10/20/p...

America's parks remain open, but not protected. The government shutdown has left most National Park Service staff furloughed, while parks across the country remain open without essential services.

As the government shutdown continues, thousands of National Park Service employees are facing impossible circumstances. Many are working without pay, protecting visitors, wildlife, and resources out of deep commitment to the mission they love.

Thousands of NPS employees are being left in limbo. Recent reporting reveals that furloughed NPS staff may not automatically receive back pay once the government reopens, according to comments from former President Trump and a draft White House memo. www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/furl...

A story in SFGate highlights the dangers of keeping national parks open during the government shutdown. www.sfgate.com/national-par... SF Gate reports:

Earlier today, members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks participated in a press call, covered by National Parks Traveler, to highlight the growing impacts of the government shutdown. Read more here: www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/vete...

As the government shutdown continues, most national parks remain technically open—but with minimal staff, no visitor services, and growing risks to both people and park resources. www.cntraveler.com/story/what-t...

Glacier NP is already feeling the strain of the government shutdown. Visitor centers are closed, services have been reduced, and staff are furloughed without pay. Read more from the Flathead Beacon: flatheadbeacon.com/2025/10/01/a...

A shutdown will make an already bad situation at our national parks worse. Leaving parks open w/out staff = vandalism, trash, human waste, unsafe conditions. Parks aren’t meant to run themselves. If the government shuts down, so should the parks. www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/09/join...

NPS staff are sounding the alarm: Parks may look fine on the surface, but behind the scenes, cuts have gutted science, conservation, & research. One ranger stated, “we are really pulling out all the stops to make sure that the impacts are being hidden.” www.theatlantic.com/science/2025...

Shutdown fears are growing. Federal workers, including those at NPS, face unpaid work, layoffs & uncertainty. If parks are left open without staff, history tells us what happens: damage, unsafe conditions, and resources put at risk. Full story via @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/u...

The Trump administration is attacking our public lands (again). Take action today on #PublicLandsDay, and help make sure millions of acres of public lands are not sold off to the highest bidder. Tell @secretaryburgum.bsky.social & Congress that you support #MonumentsForAll: bit.ly/MonumentAction

"We don’t leave museums open without curators, or airports without air traffic controllers — and we should not leave our national parks open without National Park Service workers." — Emily Thompson, Coalition Executive Director 📖 Read more in The New York Times: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/u...

👏 84 Members of Congress, led by Rep. Don Beyer, sent a letter opposing Trump’s directive to censor Park signage & history. Erasing history undermines the mission of our parks. We stand with lawmakers defending truth & visitor safety. Read more: beyer.house.gov/uploadedfile... #ProtectOurParks

This year, the importance of Public Lands Day is hitting harder than ever. As our National monuments and public lands are under threat again, we’re joining together in person (and online) for a weekend of celebrations and action. Find an event near you: www.neefusa.org/npld-event-s...

The Trump admin has ordered the National Park Service to remove signs mentioning climate change, slavery, Japanese internment & Indigenous history. This is censorship. Our parks must tell the full story, not a whitewashed version. Read more: www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

The Trump admin has ordered the NPS to remove signs mentioning climate change, slavery, Japanese internment & Indigenous history. This is censorship. Our parks must tell the full story, not a whitewashed version. Read more: www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Cuts to the National Park Service = fewer rangers, unsafe conditions & lost revenue for local communities. As one NYT reader put it: “There’s too much at stake to let these irreplaceable places go unguarded.” Read the full letters here ⬇️ www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/o...

This week, our Executive Director, Emily Thompson, and Executive Council member, Jeff Mow, joined partners from across the country at the National Park Friends Alliance Fall Meeting in St. Louis.

🚨 Happening today! Join us at 7pm EST for "From Land We Love to Legacy We Keep: Protecting Parks and Monuments for All," a free virtual event hosted by Earth Gives. Hear from Cheryl Schreier of the Coalition about the urgent threats facing our public lands. www.earthgives.org/upcoming-eve...

"staffing cuts aren’t just endangering our parks, they’re threatening the local revenue that visitors bring, just when communities need it most." – Phil Francis, Coalition Chair His op-ed warns how Trump’s NPS cuts threaten NC’s parks and economy. Full piece 👉 www.citizen-times.com/story/opinio...

Scrapping the Public Lands Rule would put national parks at risk from energy development & pollution. Places like Sequoia & Dinosaur NM could see devastating impacts. www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/09/scra...

Former Coalition Executive Council member Michael Allen: Efforts to erase slavery from our historic sites feel “tantamount to eradicating the legacy of our nation.” History must be told truthfully, even when it’s hard. Read more in this op-ed in the @nytimes.com 👇 www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/o...

The Park Service does more than protect parks. It helps towns rebuild after disasters, restores rivers, preserves Tribal history & revitalizes main streets. These programs touch everyday lives—even if you never set foot in a park. But cuts put them at risk. Read more: www.npca.org/articles/104...

America’s parks need safe, reliable transportation. NPS manages 6,600 miles of roads + 1,800 bridges—yet funding falls short by hundreds of millions annually. We urged @usdot.bsky.social to boost key programs that protect parks, local economies, & jobs. Read more ⬇️ protectnps.org/2025/08/29/c...

Coalition member Maria Burks, former Cape Cod National Seashore superintendent, warns that NPS budget cuts are a grave threat to our economy, environment & history. Read her op-ed: provincetownindependent.org/inner-voices...

Labor Day weekend is the end of the peak season for many of the country’s national parks. But, in the last few months, the National Park Service has lost 24% of its staff. From budget cuts to “ideological” changes, the Trump administration is shaping the future of our public lands.

A new report in today’s New York Times shows that while the Trump Administration is pushing national parks to remain open and accessible, our parks are in crisis, and it is likely to get much worse. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/u...

Today, the #NPS turns 109! Our parks inspire wonder, connect us to history, & fuel local economies, but face staff cuts, budget shortfalls, & deferred maintenance. Celebrate the legacy. Fight for the future. Tell Congress to #ProtectOurParks and #ProtectEveryPark.

Since January, the NPS has lost 24% of its workforce, marking the steepest drop in its history. Rangers, scientists & maintenance crews are stretched thin. Closures & program cuts are mounting. As we approach #FoundersDay, demand action. #ProtectOurParks #ProtectEveryPark

It’s been 7 months into Trump’s 2nd term, and there’s still no Senate-confirmed NPS Director. Without leadership, the Park Service is vulnerable to political interference, budget cuts, and workforce instability. Read more: www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/08/trav...

Our parks should be havens of clean air. Instead, they’re being choked by vehicle pollution. @protectparks.bsky.social’s new "Driving Dirty Air" report finds: 🚗 60% of park units are in high-pollution counties 🌍 Vehicle emissions = hundreds of coal plant units 🔗 www.npca.org/resources/42...

Our parks face more than understaffing. A wave of federal personnel actions is destabilizing the very workforce that protects them: ⚠️ “Loyalty” tests in hiring ⚠️ Weakened job protections ⚠️ Limits on performance reviews PEER warns: “We are witnessing the unraveling.” peer.org/commentary-p...

Water line breaks. Closed visitor centers. No lifeguards. 🚧 National Parks Traveler reports on the daily crises unfolding across the park system due to chronic underfunding. Our parks deserve better. Read more ⬇️ www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/08/thes...

Once called “America’s best idea,” our national parks are now facing their breaking point. Since January, the National Park Service has lost nearly 1 in 4 permanent staff, forcing rangers to do the work of entire teams, or abandon critical duties altogether. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

“This is just one more backwards step.” — Brenda Barrett, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks The U.S. is withdrawing from UNESCO, affecting 26 World Heritage sites managed by the NPS. Combined with staffing cuts, the consequences could be long-lasting. www.cntraveler.com/story/us-lea...

It’s the 2nd anniversary of Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. Celebrate by getting to know the monument through maps, videos, insights from tribal leaders, and more. bit.ly/bnik

The Economist highlights the unraveling of America’s most loved agency, the National Park Service. They reveal how politics, not preservation, is driving decision-making, risking the future of our parks & the communities that rely on them. Read more: www.economist.com/united-state...

The Great American Outdoors Act funded 600+ park repair projects & created 72,500 jobs. But without action, that progress could stall. Read this blog by Coalition Chair Phil Francis & @protectparks.bsky.social CEO Theresa Pierno on why we must extend GAOA through 2033: www.npca.org/articles/101...

A Tale of our National Parks Toilets 🚽 Some have a mountain view, while others have a line longer than a national park summer traffic jam. All? 100% essential.

Coalition Chair Phil Francis joins PBS News Hour in a segment that examines how devastating cuts to the National Park Service are affecting staff, public safety, and the future of our public lands. Watch the full story here: www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...