National Park sites nationwide are addressing staff shortfalls by canceling educational and research programs, cutting visitor hours, and even passing on collecting entrance fees, according to internal agency data published Wednesday by an advocacy group.
The National Parks Conservation Association released details of an internal report with information about the “operational status” of National Park Service units. The data, published as a Google spreadsheet, was first reported by The New York Times.
The report showed 90 NPS sites identifying problems caused by reduced staff that resulted in reductions to visitor center hours or other services at 70 parks, as well as decisions to postpone maintenance projects at nearly two dozen others.
“This crisis was both predictable and preventable. Gutting staff, freezing seasonal hiring, and pushing out experienced rangers was a recipe for disaster,” said Theresa Pierno, NPCA’s president and CEO.
