Secretary Burgum’s order also calls for a review of each national park’s operating hours, trail and campground closures, and staffing levels. He said the Interior Department will ensure there’s enough staffing to support the operating hours and needs of each park.
But given the White House’s budget-cutting, some are raising concerns about what visitors to national parks may experience this year.
Kate Groetzinger, communications manager with the nonpartisan conservation organization Center for Western Priorities, said some park services may be stretched thin, including search and rescues.
“Maybe bring your own toilet paper – I'm not kidding when I say that,” she said. “And don't do anything dangerous, because these park staff are already stretched thin.”
Groetzinger said visitors should also have a backup plan in case parks are overcrowded and understaffed.
“Look for other trails and hiking opportunities or biking opportunities around parks in case you can't get in, or you can't find parking when you do get there,” she added.
National parks welcomed more than 331 million visitors last year. The sites were run by more than 20,000 employees and 300,000 volunteers.
Asked how many of the roughly 1,000 fired park employees have been reinstated, the Interior Department told the Mountain West News Bureau, “We do not have comment on specific personnel.”
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
