National Parks face cuts to an already underfunded budget 

Recent federal cuts to the National Parks Service show a much deeper issue facing our national landmarks. 

By: Jake Boyette

In early February of 2025, the Trump administration cut 1,000 employees of the National Parks Service. Since then, more than 4,000 jobs from full-time rangers and seasonal employees have been cut in the administration’s efforts to lower federal spending.  

The cuts aren’t surprising to see from this administration, but the cuts reveal a much larger issue with National Parks budgets. 

National Parks have been underfunded for nearly two decades, as reported by The Harvard Gazette. The budget has mostly stayed the same since 1999, from $2.2 billion dollars of funding to $2.5 billion. National Parks have expanded since then, with operation costs rising each year. Two decades of underfunding and the additional cuts have seriously endangered National Parks. 

“Reducing this staff will reduce visitor capacity in already overcrowded parks. It will mean closed trails, locked bathrooms, reduced hours at ranger stations. Understaffed parks means fewer rangers to manage crowds, provide emergency response and prevent illegal activities. Last summer the Rainier National Park was in such high demand that there were long lines at entrance booths and trails were crowded,” Tom Koontz, professor of Environmental Policy at UWT said. 

The reduced ability of National Parks staff hurts the recreational ability of parks. In 2023 alone, 325 million visitors went to National Parks and provided more than $55 billion in economic output to the U.S. economy by spending in communities around and in the parks, according to the National Park Service. 

In the same report, the parks supported more than 400,000 jobs. When we look at what they provide, it doesn’t seem right that we are leaving them with so little. 

The parks provide personal benefits, with millions of hikers coming to National Parks to enjoy the natural beauty of the region. 

“I love how protected they are, so I, as an avid nature lover, can see them in their real glory. A lot of natural places are ruined due to industrial gains and profits. A dedicated area to preserve the natural beauty, and that’s the result of why we have such a beautiful hike, which myself and a lot of people enjoy,” Sarab, an avid hiker, told The Ledger. 

Without the budget for more staffing, we lose access to these beautiful places, and we aren’t able to enjoy the parks as often or at all with closures happening like in Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Parks. 

Even more importantly, National Parks aren’t just beautiful places, but they are a part of our shared National identities. In Washington, Mount Rainier is an important symbol for our state, next to Seattle and the space needle. 

Mount Rainier is also important to many different Native American communities, as it was formally named Tahoma, where over 9,000 years of human history have been found through archeological digs, according to the National Parks Service. Tribes like the Cowlitz, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, Squaxin and Yakama all have connections to Mount Rainier. 

When we lose access to the park, we don’t just lose our ability to enjoy the parks, but also our ability to connect with them on a spiritual or emotional level. 

These cuts are also a serious danger to the ecological services of National Parks. Mount Rainier is the primary water source for the Puget Sound region, and the National Park Service protects it and the local wildlife and Native vegetation. Mount Rainier and the other National Parks are important forces in conservation, and the cuts to staffing affect how we can protect them. 

National Parks are also a way to educate people about what needs to be protected. All National Parks are obligated to teach people about the park and the importance of its ecological functions. 

As a child I remember going with my family to Mount Rainier or the Olympic National Park. I would watch the beauty around me in wonder. More importantly, I remember learning about the natural environment. I remember seeing the topological map of Mount Rainier and being so amazed at how the water curved and ran through the valleys and over the cliffs. For me, it was magical just seeing how connected everything was. 

“One of the roles of National Parks play is as ambassadors for endangered animals and places. If people don’t see these places, it will have a downward spiral effect. The less and less we help people to see these parks, the less power we have to show people what we need to protect,” Assistant Teaching Professor of Biological Conservation at UWT, Morgan Heinz, said. 

It’s good to realize that we are lucky to have National Parks. Especially in such an industrialized world, most of our experiences aren’t in such wonderful natural places. By visiting them, we can see their importance in how they provide for us economically, but also recreationally, spiritually and ecologically. 

While understanding that is nice, it’s hard to get past all the negatives. Already, parks are experiencing the closure of hiking paths and longer lines due to critical staffing issues. With less staff, this means less monitoring of areas with endangered species of flora and fauna, which can also increase the risk of guests going off trail in those areas and ruining them. 

A similar issue occurred in 2019 at Joshua Tree National Park, where visitors came and damaged the ancient trees, which would take centuries to repair, according to the New York Times. This happened due to the Covid shutdowns at the time, with a small amount of park rangers who didn’t have the people to stop the vandals. With the recent staff cuts, the Joshua Tree National Park warns that the recent cuts could cause similar issues, according to the Independent. 

With all the issues facing our National Parks, I feel like there is nothing we can do as individuals. While protests have already been organized against the cuts, it isn’t easy to tell people to stop what they are doing and go out and protest. However, when it comes to something as important as our National Parks, we should at least try to find something we can do. 

“I feel like the way for an individual to make some of the greatest impacts is that they can repeatedly give their attention to National Parks. For each person, the kind of contribution we can make is going to look different. Rather than the one-off activity, think about the skills you already have, and those are the things that you will be able to maintain for longer,” Heinz said.  

For Professor Heinz, he teaches about conservation and doing what he can for the environment. If you can protest, you should, as protests helped restore some of the jobs lost, as well as the National Parks Service pledging to hire more than 7,000 seasonal workers, according to Associated Press. 

Everyone should try to make an impact because we cannot allow our National Parks to be harmed any more than they already have.