Acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron told park leaders across the U.S. to borrow park rangers from other parks, lean on volunteers and seek help from state governments to support their core missions, according to a memo viewed by POLITICO’s E&E News.
The directive issued Monday comes ahead of the busy summer season for national parks and on the heels of an order from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for parks to stay open during their operating hours.
Burgum’s order, noting record-high visitation, also promised to provide adequate staffing. But staffing at the agency that typically has around 20,000 workers has become a sore point as the department seeks to implement the Trump administration’s drastic personnel cuts.
Burgum, who green-lighted the hiring of seasonal workers after public pushback to park service layoffs and a Trump administration hiring freeze, requested a report last week from all parks spelling out their hours, staffing needs and current vacancies.
