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Donald Trump has empowered Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to make drastic cuts to the federal workforce across all agencies.
At the National Park Service, that’s meant the indiscriminate termination of 1,000 workers already — more are expected. In addition, the administration has reportedly rescinded job offers for roughly 2,000 seasonal hires just as the NPS has begun preparing for the upcoming spring and summer month rushes. Typically, roughly 8,000 workers are hired annually to cover the busy season. It’s unknown if they’ll have any seasonal hires at all this year.
Over 300 million people visit national parks in America each year. These temporary staffers do everything from collect entry fees to guide tours, manage and repair trails, clean restrooms, remove trash, and more.
These cuts mean that the general stewardship of our national parks will be in danger.
During the first Trump administration, the extended government shutdown had a devastating impact that included unsupervised visitors tearing down protected Joshua trees to use as firewood. That shutdown only lasted 35 days. The changes being demanded by DOGE could be permanent.
