Five former National Park Service directors are telling Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that parks are at risk of compromising their mission amid the Trump administration’s cuts and demands.
In a letter to Burgum on Thursday — also signed by 13 former deputy and associate directors of the service — the retired leaders stressed that the National Park Service is already managing resources efficiently and doing the job with fewer staff and tighter budgets than it needs.
“We believe that the National Park Service has been engaged in management efficiency for decades,” they wrote, noting millions of dollars and voluntary hours that keep parks open, as well as the loss of thousands of park positions because congressional budgets have not kept pace with inflation.
“National Park Service employees, who should be on hand to help serve and protect millions of visitors, are under attack,” they wrote.
