From research to restrooms: Summer staffing crunch hits national parks after Trump cuts
Source: Reuters
June 8, 2025 3:42 PM EDT Updated 11 hours ago
CODY, Wyoming, June 8 (Reuters) - At Yosemite National Park in California, one of the oldest and most popular U.S. natural preserves, the workforce is stretched so thin this season that nearly all staffers, even scientists, are required to take turns cleaning campground toilets, according to two people familiar with conditions there. The staff hydrologist and an invasive species expert have also been posted at entry gates to process visitors, a job normally handled by lower-paid seasonal workers and junior staff, one of the sources said.
It's a reflection of a severe worker shortage in national parks across the country, which have been under budget and understaffed for years, that has been made worse by cuts to the federal workforce by President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency. The NPS said in an email to Reuters that park staff may be asked to take on extra roles to keep parks safe and open. "At times, team members may step into a range of responsibilities outside their usual scope to help ensure continued access, safety, and stewardship across the park system," the NPS said.
It encouraged park visitors to take responsibility for planning ahead, including checking park alerts and understanding site guidelines. In Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, 500 miles (800 km) to the north, workers are so overextended that the loss of just one plow truck driver in the high-elevation park would make it impossible to clear ice and snow from roads before travelers return en masse in the coming weeks, said Kevin Heatley, who quit as park superintendent in May in frustration over staff shortages. Conservation advocates point to such extremes as signs that the National Park Service, already strained from growing numbers of visitors and years of lean funding, may be facing a busy but uncertain summer season.
The NPS has lost 13% of its 20,000-strong workforce since Trump took office in January, according to the National Parks Conservation Association, a watchdog-advocacy group, which attributes much of the drop to job eliminations and staff taking buyouts offered by DOGE. The Trump administration has not provided its own figures. The risk of a public backlash against Trump if conditions at the national parks prove unpleasant for visitors this summer is significant. While Americans are increasingly divided on a range of key issues, the vast majority cherish the parks as national treasures and beloved, affordable vacation getaways.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/research-restrooms-summer-staffing-crunch-hits-national-parks-after-trump-cuts-2025-06-08/
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