Your support TRIPLES to fight for our national parks.
Photo by Bob Wick/BLM
Friend, the National Park Service has lost 24% of its permanent employees under the Trump administration. This summer, during peak travel season, the parks hired barely half of the seasonal workers they typically rely on to keep the parks running and visitors safe.
These aren't “cost-saving” cuts. They're a deliberate dismantling of our national parks system. And each ranger Trump fires makes it easier to hand our public lands over to private interests.
Across the country, basic operations are collapsing. Bathrooms go uncleaned. Ranger talks and tours are canceled. Historical information is being whitewashed and erased. Visitor centers reduce hours or shut down. Trails, trash, and safety patrols all suffer — while rangers lose income and entire parks face existential threats.
The real-world impacts are devastating:
Voyagers National Park in Minnesota, known for its vast forests and waterways, only had three law enforcement rangers on duty this summer, forcing them to cut emergency services to four days a week during their peak season.
Assateague Island's beaches were open for swimming, but the park had no lifeguards at all, leaving swimmers without emergency rescue from dangerous riptides.
At Utah's Zion National Park, understaffed admission fee stations are projected to lose a whopping $2 million in revenue, starving the very programs that keep the park running and safe for visitors.
We're fighting back on every front — including in court. We sued Elon Musk and the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) that spearheaded these cuts. My team and I are working tirelessly with our partners, including the Resistance Rangers, to keep these special places open and staffed, push back against efforts to rewrite history, and fight for the future of our national parks.
And thanks to thousands of Sierra Club members who submitted comments, Congress can no longer ignore the nationwide outcry. We need to keep the pressure on to stop these attacks on our national parks for good.
85% of Americans have visited a national park, and they have deep support across both sides of the aisle. These are places where we hike, fish, stargaze, come together with our loved ones and communities, and learn about our complex shared history.
Together, we can keep our national parks from being carved up and sold to the highest bidder. Are you with us, friend?
For our rangers and parks,
Gerry James
Deputy Campaign Director, Outdoors for All Campaign
Sierra Club
