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As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the country, the Interior Department has delayed closing high-risk areas in national parks. Employees with knowledge of the situation say that the delay is due to decision-making in the upper tiers of the department.
The delay is causing unrest on the front lines of the National Park Service (NPS), where rangers engage with the public on a daily basis, often in the context of bustling visitor centers and main attractions. While national park superintendents have been eager to make significant closures to protect employees and the public, they have been hamstrung by their superiors.
The Trump administration has a history of avoiding bad news: during the 2019 government shut-down national parks were kept open, resulting in significant damage. Now, an organization representing Park Service retirees has called for closing of additional facilities.
According to a former NPS director and labor management experts, the current situation displays a lack of leadership and unacceptable deficiencies. The Park Service has not had a Senate-confirmed director for three years, demonstrating the consequences of President Trump's efforts to avoid senate-confirmed leaders.
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[The poll respondants] know who's getting the raw end of the deal with these practices. And it's not oil and gas executives. It's Montana public lands users, and it's Montana communities."
