In a new move to hide the continued dismantling of the National Park Service, over 1,600 employees were removed from NPS on Sunday, May 4 and “consolidated” under DOGE control in the Department of the Interior. These employees work in parks across the country, serving as spokespeople, IT workers, and media staff who manage websites, update park social media, and design interpretive signs and exhibits. In at least four parks, emergency services dispatchers were also consolidated to DOI.

The National Park Service (NPS) is preparing for another wave of firings nationwide as soon as this week that could amount to nearly 25% across the Department of the Interior. These reductions would paralyze the ability of the NPS to carry out its legally mandated mission. Firings may focus on regional and national programs instead of park staff to make the cuts less visible to the public.

In response to the removal of over 100 queer and transgender stories from National Park Service (NPS) websites, Resistance Rangers is launching Rangers Uncensored. This site compiles edited and deleted NPS webpages, which are available through the Internet Archive. An accompanying Instagram account, @rangers_uncensored, will also highlight these stories. This project is announced in honor of Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31.

On March 22, 2025, thousands gathered at over 110 national park sites across the United States to speak up for public lands and federal workers. These rallies build on peaceful protests hosted by Resistance Rangers at over 400 parks earlier this month.

These continuing demonstrations highlight Americans’ widespread support for their public lands, and their eagerness to take action to protect them for current and future generations.

Resistance Rangers calls on all supporters of national parks and public lands to participate in a nationwide day of action. Rallies and teach-ins will be held at park sites across the country. Attendees are encouraged to reflect on what parks mean to them, and to share those stories – with each other, and with their elected representatives through phone calls, letters, and emails.  

These gatherings will show solidarity with unlawfully-fired federal workers, including park rangers, and demonstrate that the American people want their public lands to be preserved and protected for future generations, through the stewardship of rangers and park staff.

We urge the public to contact Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to demand immediate reinstatement of unlawfully fired staff.

Final 2024 visitation data from all 433 sites across the National Park Service (NPS) was published on March 5, 2025. However, in a departure from the norm, the NPS issued internal guidance including a statement that it will not be issuing a press release or conducting any public communications about the data. The NPS directed individual park units to “not issue a press release or other proactive communications, including social media posts” about the data either.

Park sites recorded over 331 million recreation visits in 2024, a new all-time high by about one million visits. The previous high was set in 2016, the NPS centennial year. 36 NPS sites recorded their highest-ever visitation last year.

In just three days, thousands of people passionate about public lands have mobilized to protest at 169 National Park sites across the country. On February 26th, the off-duty park ranger group @resistancerangers called for action to protect America’s public lands. In the 3 days since, the resistance account has gained 20,000 followers on social media. And on Saturday 3/1, thousands of patriotic people showed up to NPS sites to protest, representing a groundswell of nationwide public support for federal workers and the National Park Service’s mission to protect parks for the public and future generations.

A group of people united by their concern for public lands and employees of federal land management agencies will protest nationwide Saturday, March 1. This effort was spearheaded by a group of 650+ off-duty park rangers rallying to save public lands and protect civil servants. Rangers and the Parks themselves are under threat and we need to speak up. America’s Best Idea is yours to save!

We stand with all other public land agencies that share our values in stewarding the land and recognize the inherent value of biodiversity and thriving ecosystems.

The agencies managing our public lands do not have fat to trim. Prior to the recent firing of National Park Service employees, the department was already critically understaffed: employee numbers have decreased by 20% in the last 15 years while visitation has risen more than 15%. The National Park Service’s 2025 budget authority request was for $4.81 billion: Meanwhile, in 2022 visitors spent $23.9 billion in local gateway regions, supporting more than 378,000 jobs, generating $17.5 billion in labor income, $29 billion in economic value added, and $50.3 billion in total economic output.

Photo by Patrick Mueller