Defend Our National Parks
On February 14, the Trump administration succeeded in firing several thousand National Park Service (NPS) and US Forest Service (NFS) workers under the guise of “cutting costs”, representing 5% and 10% of those workforces, respectively. Earlier this month, the national park system had warned that staffing levels were already insufficient to support increasing park usage, so this firing will leave our national parks and forests even more understaffed and vulnerable as they enter their high seasons.
We are already seeing dramatic impacts. For example, over the weekend Yosemite has delayed opening up summer camping reservations and Grand Canyon’s south entrance was heavily delayed due to staffing losses. Over 100 million visitors are expected during the summer season alone, and the impact of losing critical staff will not only be inconvenient but potentially dangerous to the visitors who enjoy these public lands.
Contacts for this topic:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].
I’m calling to demand [REP/SEN NAME] to demand oversight hearings to push back on the Trump administration’s efforts to devastate our national parks and public lands under the guise of “cutting costs”. These parks and public lands were already understaffed, and the recent chaotic firings of park workers are dangerous not only to the lands, but the people who enjoy them. It’s inappropriate for the Trump administration to take these dramatic and dangerous actions without any oversight.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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