I am a National Park Service brat.
I grew up in Mesa Verde National Park, where my father was the chief ranger, and I followed in his footsteps for decades at locations across the country that included time as superintendent of Shenandoah National Park.
During all those years, I learned that these extraordinary parks belong to every American and that the people entrusted to care for them carry a sacred responsibility to protect our country鈥檚 breathtaking natural resources and key elements of our nation鈥檚 history.
But never — not once in decades 鈥� have I witnessed such systematic degradation, disrespect and dismantling of the National Park Service as I see today under the thumb of the President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Every administration has left its mark on the national parks. Priorities change, budgets rise and fall and policy disagreements occur. But what is happening now is an assault on the people, the mission and the values that have made the National Park Service one of America’s most valued institutions.
The most obvious damage has come through the unprecedented loss of staff. According to a recent analysis by the nonpartisan nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, national parks and public lands agencies have lost more than one-quarter of their permanent workforce during the past year and a half. These were individuals ranging from park rangers and maintenance workers to scientists and leaders who represent decades of institutional knowledge, technical expertise and guidance that cannot be quickly replaced.
National parks do not manage themselves. Historic buildings require preservation; trails require maintenance; wildlife and the natural resources need monitoring, and the possibility of wildfires and emergency rescues requires planning and staffing. Visitors require assistance, and the cultural resources need constant stewardship.
Every vacant position means another responsibility is left undone, and while the impact may not be immediate or always visible to the public, the long-term consequences will be significant and outlast this current administration.
For the employees who remain, morale is low, the workload has increased, and edicts from Washington have made clear that speaking honestly about what is going on could cost them their jobs.
Moreover, recent directives require employees to remove interpretive programs to conform to a preferred political narrative, undermining one of the agency’s most cherished principles. Whether interpreting the Civil War, discussing climate science or describing the complex stories of indigenous people, rangers have sought to present evidence, not political ideology, and that is now being lost.
The effects of the staff cutbacks and loss of funding, with some money diverted to the president抖阴ap vanity projects in Washington, D.C., have been visible at some of the parks where visitor centers are operating with reduced hours, campgrounds and facilities are receiving less maintenance and hiking trails are not being maintained as in the past. There are also long entrance lines at some locations, while some educational programs have lapsed, and essential maintenance is being deferred.
Much more worrying to me are the 鈥渂ehind-the-scenes鈥� losses of scientific study and research, monitoring of resources that give park managers information needed for decisions to effectively manage them and the experienced leadership to manage parks and their programs. Recovery from these losses is likely to take years, if not decades.
These are the predictable consequences of starving an agency of the people and resources it needs to fulfill its mission, and the consequences are both immediate and will be felt for many years.
America’s national parks are far more than scenic destinations. They preserve our shared history, protect ecosystems, inspire scientific discovery and provide millions of people with opportunities to learn, reflect and reconnect with nature. They belong to every citizen regardless of politics.
The National Park Service certainly has weathered other difficult times and will endure this chapter as well, but only if Americans recognize what is being lost and demand that their parks — and the public servants who protect them 鈥� receive the respect, investment and independence they have earned.
As someone who has spent a lifetime serving this extraordinary agency, I cannot remain silent while the work of park service employees and our cherished public lands are being diminished. These parks are our inheritance. We should not allow them to become casualties of shortsighted politics and policies.
Bill Wade聽spent decades with the National Park Service and is now executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers.
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