Parks Association Says Planned National Park Cuts Will Wipe Out The American Park System

  NATIONAL PARKS FACE DESTRUCTION 

"President Trump’s Proposed Budget Could Decimate At Least 350 National Park Sites" Says Parks Association 

Over The Weekend, The President Came Up With The Idea Of Turning The Crumbling Ruins Of Alcatraz 
(Now A National Park) Back Into A Symbolically Tough Prison 

The Kennecott Mines in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in the Copper River Valley.
(Photo, Copper River Country Journal)

FROM THE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION 

HIGHLIGHTING BY THE JOURNAL FOR EASIER READING

Washington, DC – May 5th, 2025

The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has calculated the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to the National Park Service budget could result in more than a 75% reduction to the National Park System. With 433 national park units across the country, that would essentially wipe out budgets and staffing for at least 350 national park units.

The administration’s recently released budget proposal calls for a cut of more than $1 billion to the National Park Service, which includes a $900 million cut to the operations of our national parks, the largest proposed cut in the Park Service’s 109-year history. A list of targeted national parks will likely not be available until the president’s full budget comes out later this month. However, based on a review of the latest reliable budget data for each unit in the Park System, achieving a $900 million cut to operations would require eliminating funding for roughly 350 park sites — from the smallest to some of the largest. 

Denali National Park (Photo, Copper River Country Journal)

Despite their soaring popularity and the economic and cultural value they provide, the administration continues to systematically dismantle the Park Service—freezing hiring, forcing resignations, eliminating purchasing ability, canceling leases and banning travel. And with a major workforce reduction still looming, the worst is yet to come.

Below is a statement by Theresa Pierno, President and CEO, National Parks Conservation Association:

“The president’s proposed budget plan is beyond extreme. It is catastrophic. Every action taken so far by this administration has chipped away at national parks and their staff, but this budget is the final blow. If enacted by Congress, our national park system would be completely decimated.

“The numbers speak for themselves. Proposed cuts of this magnitude could shutter at least 350 national parks sites across the country, effectively more than 75% of our Park System. This proposal is an all-out assault on America’s national parks.

“Our national parks aren’t just places on a map. They’re our shared legacy, safeguarding the beauty, history and culture of our country. For over a century, Americans have loved and protected our national parks, battlefields, historic sites, recreation areas and so much more. We can’t be the generation that lets an administration’s reckless agenda unravel this great legacy.

“Silence is complicity. Congress must get off the sidelines and act now. Every member of Congress must stand up and reject this reckless proposal.”