Further Staffing Cuts to the Park Service and Interior Department Will Irreparably Harm Parks; The Public Is Watching And Ready to Act
Rangers warn that cutting behind the scenes positions and programs will jeopardize the mission of the Park Service.
For Immediate Release: July 17, 2025
Contact: resistanceranger@proton.me
Email resistanceranger@proton.me to request interviews with NPS staff who were recently fired, are at risk of being RIF-ed, work at regional and national offices, or were former NPS leaders with strong connections to regional or national offices.
AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS - As the Trump administration moves forward with illegal terminations at the Departments of Education, State, and Health & Human Services, National Park Service rangers continue to show up each day, guiding visitors, protecting resources, and serving the public, all while waiting for the Department of the Interior to drop its sweeping Reduction in Force. The agency has made clear it intends to target hundreds of NPS employees, a move that would deepen an already growing crisis and put the future of our national parks at risk. We have no more staff to spare.
We are putting Secretary Doug Burgum and Department of the Interior leadership on notice: the National Park Service workforce is already at a breaking point. Secretary Burgum cannot move forward with any Reduction in Force without jeopardizing our parks for future generations. If these layoffs occur, we will respond swiftly and publicly. We are organized, we are watching, and we are prepared to fight. The public is on our side and prepared to fight with us.
These reckless cuts come on the heels of significant staff losses starting in late January that have already stripped the National Park Service of 20 to 30% of its workforce, gutting essential programs and putting public safety at risk. Resistance Rangers catalogued examples of these essential programs. Internal departmental communications in April suggested this new round of layoffs may cut up to 1,500 staff—10% of the agency’s remaining workforce, including experienced staff and leaders in scientific, cultural, administrative, and planning roles essential to keeping our 433 park units operational. These cuts come on top of years of chronic underinvestment that have left the National Park Service struggling to meet the needs of the public and the land.
In addition, the Trump administration is quietly positioning to fire hundreds of rangers who were consolidated under departmental oversight in early May. These rangers, who provide essential communications, administrative, and technical support to parks across the country, are at particular risk of being targeted as Interior staff members. Many have continued to carry out vital services even while under threat, and now stand directly in the administration’s crosshairs.
The administration continues to insist these cuts won’t affect park operations. That is categorically false.
“We rely on regional offices because not every site can have highly specialized subject matter experts like an architect or a historic mason on staff—having experts who can travel to support multiple parks is the definition of efficiency”, said an NPS preservation architect, who remained anonymous out of fear of retaliation. “We've already been consolidated to regions for that reason, and history shows that outsourcing this kind of work, especially in remote areas, ends up costing way more—so why try to reinvent the wheel when we've already tried it and it didn’t work?”
Former park ranger Elizabeth Villano, who left the NPS following uncertainty over the renewal of her role in a climate change readiness program, emphasized the urgent risks parks are facing. “This administration is trying to trick you into thinking everything is OK. We’re here to tell you, these cuts are already affecting parks and rangers and it will only get worse. Staff supporting NPS sites are already stretched beyond their limits, and the cracks are showing. Wildfires have forced evacuations and park closures across the West, and that is just one example of how dangerously close to the edge we are. Years of cuts have hollowed out our ability to respond. These decisions are not just short-sighted, they are dangerous for parks and people.”
The illegal firings of over 1,000 park rangers earlier this year sparked vocal backlash and mass mobilization across the country. If the administration pushes through with the unnecessary removal of even more park rangers, there will be more public resistance — louder and more visible than ever. The American people are watching, and they will not forget who was responsible.”
To provide a firsthand look at the impact of these layoffs, current and former park rangers are available for interviews. Email resistanceranger@proton.me to request interviews or connect with staff affected by these decisions.
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Resistance Rangers is a group of off-duty NPS rangers. Our goal is to mobilize support for rangers and public lands, and inspire people to take action to protect them.
Organizers do not represent the National Park Service or Department of the Interior. Views and attitudes expressed in this News Release do not reflect views and attitudes of the NPS or DOI.