A few years ago, while visiting Shenandoah National Park, I took a bit of a tumble.
I was hiking up the side of a mountain when I slipped on a loose rock. It was a total freak accident — I couldn’t believe it. But there I was, covered in dirt with a pain in my leg and ankle and three options:
I chose to walk all the way back down the mountain — on what turned out to be a broken leg — because I couldn’t stomach the idea of taking our National Park staff away from their work, even for a few hours.
The federal workers who care for our public lands have absolutely crucial jobs to do. They preserve and protect our public lands for millions of visitors each year and for future generations.
But right now, nearly two-thirds of them are furloughed due to the government shutdown — and the few still on duty are stretched thin without pay.
Now, Donald Trump is threatening to make those furloughs permanent — and if he does, this could be the beginning of the end for our national parks.
This isn’t just irresponsible for public lands and the people that protect them — it’s extremely dangerous for visitors. People are entering parks without reliable safety updates, road closure information, or enough rangers on duty. For anyone who takes a fall like I did, gets lost, or has a medical emergency, it could quickly become life-threatening.
Meanwhile, parks will lose up to $1 million a day in revenue. The rural communities that depend on tourism? They could lose nearly $100 million in visitor spending.
This breaks my heart.
But just like the day I chose to hike down the mountain on my broken leg, I am determined to stand up and fight back.
Be fierce,
Deb
P.S. In case you’re wondering, not even a broken left fibula could keep me away from our beautiful parks for long. Here’s a photo of me from one of my favorite places to visit, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.
