This would break precedent and deny pay to the 60% of NPS staff currently furloughed—dedicated public stewards who protect our parks, wildlife, and history.

Read the full story in National Parks Traveler:
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/furl...

Thousands of NPS employees are being left in limbo.

Recent reporting reveals that furloughed NPS staff may not automatically receive back pay once the government reopens, according to comments from former President Trump and a draft White House memo.

www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/furl...

The situation is dangerous and reckless for our parks, public lands, and the visitors who love them.”

“This is exactly what we warned about. And this is why national parks need to be closed until the government re-opens. This shutdown is making an already bad situation at national parks and public lands far worse. And the longer this goes, the worse it is going to get.

In response to the story, Emily Thompson, Executive Director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued the following statement:

“There are lots of squatters in the campgrounds,” the employee told SFGATE. “There are lots of people that truly believe they can do whatever they want because of the lack of rangers. They’ve told us.”

You can see the full SFGate story here. www.sfgate.com/national-par...

The story goes on to state:

A park employee, who spoke with SFGATE on the condition of anonymity to protect their job, said they know of only one wilderness ranger working the entire park. And technically, that person is not even a ranger, the employee said, but a volunteer.

A little over a week since the Oct. 1 shutdown of the federal government, videos and photos have surfaced on social media showing visitors to Yosemite National Park engaging in dangerous and illegal behaviors, including BASE jumping from El Capitan and climbing Half Dome’s cables without permits.

A story in SFGate highlights the dangers of keeping national parks open during the government shutdown.

www.sfgate.com/national-par...

SF Gate reports:

Earlier today, members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks participated in a press call, covered by National Parks Traveler, to highlight the growing impacts of the government shutdown.

Read more here: www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/vete...

Read the full story → www.cntraveler.com/story/what-t...

Without rangers, maintenance workers, and scientists on duty, visitor safety, wildlife, and irreplaceable resources are at risk. Parks aren’t meant to operate without staff—and every day of the shutdown deepens the strain on workers, visitors, and gateway communities alike.

“We don’t leave museums open without curators, or airports without air traffic controllers, and we should not leave our national parks open without National Park Service employees.”

www.cntraveler.com/story/what-t...

In a new piece from Condé Nast Traveler, Coalition Executive Director Emily Thompson explains why leaving parks open without National Park Service employees is dangerous:

As the government shutdown continues, most national parks remain technically open—but with minimal staff, no visitor services, and growing risks to both people and park resources.
www.cntraveler.com/story/what-t...

Every day of the shutdown, parks lose up to $1 million in revenue, and gateway communities lose up to $80 million. Our parks don’t run themselves — they depend on dedicated staff to keep them safe, clean, and protected.

Read more from the Flathead Beacon:
flatheadbeacon.com/2025/10/01/a...

Parks have an abundance of infrastructure, visitor centers and interpretive programs to tell their stories about why parks are an important part of the country’s heritage and promote their mission and keep the public safe. Right now, we’re struggling to meet basic visitor expectations.”

Jeff Mow, former Glacier superintendent and Coalition executive council member, put it plainly:
“Our goal should not to become good at operating parks during a shutdown, or at operating parks under a reduced workforce. National parks aren’t designed for that.

Glacier NP is already feeling the strain of the government shutdown. Visitor centers are closed, services have been reduced, and staff are furloughed without pay.

Read more from the Flathead Beacon:
flatheadbeacon.com/2025/10/01/a...

A shutdown will make an already bad situation at our national parks worse.

Leaving parks open w/out staff = vandalism, trash, human waste, unsafe conditions.

Parks aren’t meant to run themselves. If the government shuts down, so should the parks.

www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/09/join...

NPS staff are sounding the alarm: Parks may look fine on the surface, but behind the scenes, cuts have gutted science, conservation, & research.

One ranger stated, “we are really pulling out all the stops to make sure that the impacts are being hidden.”

www.theatlantic.com/science/2025...

Shutdown fears are growing. Federal workers, including those at NPS, face unpaid work, layoffs & uncertainty.

If parks are left open without staff, history tells us what happens: damage, unsafe conditions, and resources put at risk.

Full story via @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/u...

The Trump administration is attacking our public lands (again). Take action today on #PublicLandsDay, and help make sure millions of acres of public lands are not sold off to the highest bidder. Tell @secretaryburgum.bsky.social & Congress that you support #MonumentsForAll: bit.ly/MonumentAction

As a potential government shutdown looms, more than 35 former park superintendents are urging the administration to close parks if staff are furloughed. Leaving them open without staff is dangerous for visitors & devastating for fragile resources, as we saw in 2019.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/u...