The Coalition to Protect America's National Parks
@protectnps.bsky.social
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks is the Voice of Experience with 4,700+ members who are past and current #NPS employees #ProtectOurParks
Join us in advocating for America's most precious natural and cultural resources! https://protectnps.org/
Join us in advocating for America's most precious natural and cultural resources! https://protectnps.org/
The Coalition has sent a letter to Sec. Burgum raising serious concerns about actions that undermine the National Park Service’s historic mission and threaten the integrity of America’s cultural heritage, including the East Wing demolition.
Read the full letter → protectnps.org/2025/11/19/c...
Read the full letter → protectnps.org/2025/11/19/c...
November 19, 2025 at 10:35 PM
The Coalition has sent a letter to Sec. Burgum raising serious concerns about actions that undermine the National Park Service’s historic mission and threaten the integrity of America’s cultural heritage, including the East Wing demolition.
Read the full letter → protectnps.org/2025/11/19/c...
Read the full letter → protectnps.org/2025/11/19/c...
The gov’t reopened. The crisis in our national parks did not end.
🔻 43 days with minimal/no staff
🔻 Lost fee revenue & delayed projects
🔻 Damage at Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Gettysburg, Arches
🔻 Nearly 25% of NPS staff already gone this year
Read our memo ⬇️
protectnps.org/2025/11/13/g...
🔻 43 days with minimal/no staff
🔻 Lost fee revenue & delayed projects
🔻 Damage at Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Gettysburg, Arches
🔻 Nearly 25% of NPS staff already gone this year
Read our memo ⬇️
protectnps.org/2025/11/13/g...
Government Reopens, But the Crisis in Our National Parks Deepens – The Coalition To Protect America's National Parks
protectnps.org
November 15, 2025 at 7:07 PM
The gov’t reopened. The crisis in our national parks did not end.
🔻 43 days with minimal/no staff
🔻 Lost fee revenue & delayed projects
🔻 Damage at Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Gettysburg, Arches
🔻 Nearly 25% of NPS staff already gone this year
Read our memo ⬇️
protectnps.org/2025/11/13/g...
🔻 43 days with minimal/no staff
🔻 Lost fee revenue & delayed projects
🔻 Damage at Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Gettysburg, Arches
🔻 Nearly 25% of NPS staff already gone this year
Read our memo ⬇️
protectnps.org/2025/11/13/g...
What appears to be recently painted graffiti has been spotted in Arches National Park’s Devils Garden area.
With limited staff during the shutdown, acts like this highlight the need for strong protection of our parks.
Read more ⤵️
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/11/graf...
With limited staff during the shutdown, acts like this highlight the need for strong protection of our parks.
Read more ⤵️
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/11/graf...
November 11, 2025 at 2:30 PM
What appears to be recently painted graffiti has been spotted in Arches National Park’s Devils Garden area.
With limited staff during the shutdown, acts like this highlight the need for strong protection of our parks.
Read more ⤵️
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/11/graf...
With limited staff during the shutdown, acts like this highlight the need for strong protection of our parks.
Read more ⤵️
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/11/graf...
Today, we honor and thank the veterans who have dedicated their lives to serving our nation.
From all of us at the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, thank you for your service and for defending the ideals that make this country, and its treasured lands, worth protecting.
From all of us at the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, thank you for your service and for defending the ideals that make this country, and its treasured lands, worth protecting.
November 11, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Today, we honor and thank the veterans who have dedicated their lives to serving our nation.
From all of us at the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, thank you for your service and for defending the ideals that make this country, and its treasured lands, worth protecting.
From all of us at the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, thank you for your service and for defending the ideals that make this country, and its treasured lands, worth protecting.
The USFWS plans to kill thousands of barred owls, even inside 14 parks.
The goal: protect spotted owls.
The reality: a mass shooting program with no proven benefit and lasting ecological harm.
We’re urging Congress to pass S.J.Res. 69 to stop it.
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/coal...
The goal: protect spotted owls.
The reality: a mass shooting program with no proven benefit and lasting ecological harm.
We’re urging Congress to pass S.J.Res. 69 to stop it.
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/coal...
Coalition Expresses Opposition To Planned Killing Of Forest Owls In National Parks
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks expressed its opposition to the planned killing of forest owls in 14 units of the National Park System in a recent letter to Colorado Senator Michael ...
www.nationalparkstraveler.org
November 2, 2025 at 7:10 PM
The USFWS plans to kill thousands of barred owls, even inside 14 parks.
The goal: protect spotted owls.
The reality: a mass shooting program with no proven benefit and lasting ecological harm.
We’re urging Congress to pass S.J.Res. 69 to stop it.
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/coal...
The goal: protect spotted owls.
The reality: a mass shooting program with no proven benefit and lasting ecological harm.
We’re urging Congress to pass S.J.Res. 69 to stop it.
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/coal...
👻 Nothing’s scarier than haunted houses in our national parks — unless you count the real horror of understaffed parks, underfunded programs, a looming RIF, and a government shutdown with no end in sight. Our parks and those who protect them deserve more than ghost crews and vanishing budgets.
October 31, 2025 at 4:20 PM
👻 Nothing’s scarier than haunted houses in our national parks — unless you count the real horror of understaffed parks, underfunded programs, a looming RIF, and a government shutdown with no end in sight. Our parks and those who protect them deserve more than ghost crews and vanishing budgets.
The U.S. plans to withdraw from UNESCO by Dec. 2026, leaving the future of our 26 🇺🇸 World Heritage Sites — from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty — uncertain.
Loss of global funding & cooperation could deepen the NPS’s ongoing staffing crisis.
www.islands.com/1997714/what...
Loss of global funding & cooperation could deepen the NPS’s ongoing staffing crisis.
www.islands.com/1997714/what...
What Happens To America's World Heritage Sites Once The US Withdraws From UNESCO? - Islands
As the United States has withdrawn from UNESCO under President Donald Trump, how will this impact the U.S.'s heritage sites and national landmarks?
www.islands.com
October 30, 2025 at 10:23 PM
The U.S. plans to withdraw from UNESCO by Dec. 2026, leaving the future of our 26 🇺🇸 World Heritage Sites — from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty — uncertain.
Loss of global funding & cooperation could deepen the NPS’s ongoing staffing crisis.
www.islands.com/1997714/what...
Loss of global funding & cooperation could deepen the NPS’s ongoing staffing crisis.
www.islands.com/1997714/what...
The Great Smoky Mountains NP is losing $8M/day during the government shutdown, the highest among all parks.
450+ former NPS leaders, incl. our Coalition, urge closures until parks can be properly staffed again.
“Our parks don’t run by themselves."
www.thetravel.com/great-smoky-...
450+ former NPS leaders, incl. our Coalition, urge closures until parks can be properly staffed again.
“Our parks don’t run by themselves."
www.thetravel.com/great-smoky-...
Busiest U.S. National Park Loses $8 Million A Day As Advocates Urge Its Closure Amid Government Shutdown
Locals fight to keep America's No. 1 national park open as it loses millions, but advocates want it closed during the government shutdown.
www.thetravel.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:34 AM
The Great Smoky Mountains NP is losing $8M/day during the government shutdown, the highest among all parks.
450+ former NPS leaders, incl. our Coalition, urge closures until parks can be properly staffed again.
“Our parks don’t run by themselves."
www.thetravel.com/great-smoky-...
450+ former NPS leaders, incl. our Coalition, urge closures until parks can be properly staffed again.
“Our parks don’t run by themselves."
www.thetravel.com/great-smoky-...
“If we don’t have park rangers, we shouldn’t be visiting national parks.” — Emily Thompson, CPANP Executive Director, on ABC news.
The shutdown leaves parks understaffed and unsafe. It’s time to protect rangers, visitors, and our public lands.
abcnews.go.com/US/video/non...
The shutdown leaves parks understaffed and unsafe. It’s time to protect rangers, visitors, and our public lands.
abcnews.go.com/US/video/non...
Video Nonprofit executive: ‘National parks should be closed during government shutdown’
Emily Thompson, the executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks recommends people stay out of national parks to help protect resources and visitor safety.
abcnews.go.com
October 27, 2025 at 8:54 PM
“If we don’t have park rangers, we shouldn’t be visiting national parks.” — Emily Thompson, CPANP Executive Director, on ABC news.
The shutdown leaves parks understaffed and unsafe. It’s time to protect rangers, visitors, and our public lands.
abcnews.go.com/US/video/non...
The shutdown leaves parks understaffed and unsafe. It’s time to protect rangers, visitors, and our public lands.
abcnews.go.com/US/video/non...
The recent decision by the Interior Department to issue rights-of-way for the Ambler Road threatens one of the largest intact wild landscapes in America, crossing the Kobuk River and the Gates of the Arctic region.
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/upda...
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/upda...
UPDATE | Interior Department Issues Rights Of Way For Ambler Road In Alaska
Determined to punch through a more than 200-mile-long road across a wild, remote section of Alaska, the Trump administration on Thursday granted the rights-of-way for the road and transferred nearly 2...
www.nationalparkstraveler.org
October 25, 2025 at 11:56 AM
The recent decision by the Interior Department to issue rights-of-way for the Ambler Road threatens one of the largest intact wild landscapes in America, crossing the Kobuk River and the Gates of the Arctic region.
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/upda...
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/upda...
More than 450 former National Park Service leaders are calling on Interior Secretary Burgum to close national parks as dangerous incidents escalate during the shutdown.
“Our parks can’t operate without dedicated staff.”
Full letter ➡️ protectnps.org/2025/10/23/m...
“Our parks can’t operate without dedicated staff.”
Full letter ➡️ protectnps.org/2025/10/23/m...
More Than 450 Former National Park Leaders Call for Closure of National Parks as Dangerous Incidents Escalate – The Coalition To Protect America's National Parks
protectnps.org
October 23, 2025 at 1:59 PM
More than 450 former National Park Service leaders are calling on Interior Secretary Burgum to close national parks as dangerous incidents escalate during the shutdown.
“Our parks can’t operate without dedicated staff.”
Full letter ➡️ protectnps.org/2025/10/23/m...
“Our parks can’t operate without dedicated staff.”
Full letter ➡️ protectnps.org/2025/10/23/m...
New court filings confirm Interior Secretary Burgum’s plans to slash thousands of jobs — including hundreds across the National Park Service.
These cuts would devastate an already overstretched agency that’s lost more than a quarter of its workforce.
Read more: www.npca.org/articles/111...
These cuts would devastate an already overstretched agency that’s lost more than a quarter of its workforce.
Read more: www.npca.org/articles/111...
Court Filings Reveal Secretary Burgum’s Plans to Terminate Key National Park Staff
"Secretary Burgum’s actions are making it impossible for the Park Service to protect the very places and resources Americans hold dear." - Theresa Pierno, NPCA's President and CEO
www.npca.org
October 22, 2025 at 1:45 PM
New court filings confirm Interior Secretary Burgum’s plans to slash thousands of jobs — including hundreds across the National Park Service.
These cuts would devastate an already overstretched agency that’s lost more than a quarter of its workforce.
Read more: www.npca.org/articles/111...
These cuts would devastate an already overstretched agency that’s lost more than a quarter of its workforce.
Read more: www.npca.org/articles/111...
As tourists visit national parks during the shutdown, rangers remain furloughed & safety risks grow.
“Parks need safety and preventive messaging. Rangers and Park Service staff do a lot to keep people safe and prevent risks.” — Emily Thompson, CPANP
Read more from CNN: www.cnn.com/2025/10/20/p...
“Parks need safety and preventive messaging. Rangers and Park Service staff do a lot to keep people safe and prevent risks.” — Emily Thompson, CPANP
Read more from CNN: www.cnn.com/2025/10/20/p...
As tourists continue to visit national parks and DC, advocates and local businesses warn about long-term impact of shutdown | CNN Politics
The government shutdown didn’t deter 26-year-old Nudrat Mahajabin from visiting Grand Canyon National Park earlier this month, even though the signs were clear: No entrance fees would be collected, th...
www.cnn.com
October 20, 2025 at 10:33 PM
As tourists visit national parks during the shutdown, rangers remain furloughed & safety risks grow.
“Parks need safety and preventive messaging. Rangers and Park Service staff do a lot to keep people safe and prevent risks.” — Emily Thompson, CPANP
Read more from CNN: www.cnn.com/2025/10/20/p...
“Parks need safety and preventive messaging. Rangers and Park Service staff do a lot to keep people safe and prevent risks.” — Emily Thompson, CPANP
Read more from CNN: www.cnn.com/2025/10/20/p...
America's parks remain open, but not protected.
The government shutdown has left most National Park Service staff furloughed, while parks across the country remain open without essential services.
The government shutdown has left most National Park Service staff furloughed, while parks across the country remain open without essential services.
October 15, 2025 at 8:58 PM
America's parks remain open, but not protected.
The government shutdown has left most National Park Service staff furloughed, while parks across the country remain open without essential services.
The government shutdown has left most National Park Service staff furloughed, while parks across the country remain open without essential services.
As the government shutdown continues, thousands of National Park Service employees are facing impossible circumstances.
Many are working without pay, protecting visitors, wildlife, and resources out of deep commitment to the mission they love.
Many are working without pay, protecting visitors, wildlife, and resources out of deep commitment to the mission they love.
October 15, 2025 at 12:11 AM
As the government shutdown continues, thousands of National Park Service employees are facing impossible circumstances.
Many are working without pay, protecting visitors, wildlife, and resources out of deep commitment to the mission they love.
Many are working without pay, protecting visitors, wildlife, and resources out of deep commitment to the mission they love.
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...
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...
Furloughed NPS Staff May Not Receive Automatic Back Pay, According To Comments By Trump
Furloughed NPS workers may not receive back pay when the government reopens, recent statements made by President Donald Trump and a draft memo from the White House suggest.
www.nationalparkstraveler.org
October 11, 2025 at 3:44 PM
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...
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...
A story in SFGate highlights the dangers of keeping national parks open during the government shutdown.
www.sfgate.com/national-par...
SF Gate reports:
www.sfgate.com/national-par...
SF Gate reports:
October 10, 2025 at 5:09 PM
A story in SFGate highlights the dangers of keeping national parks open during the government shutdown.
www.sfgate.com/national-par...
SF Gate reports:
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 more here: www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/vete...
Veteran Public Lands Managers Lament Government Shutdown's Impacts
National parks across the country might appear to be operating as usual during the government shutdown, but natural resources are at risk, National Park Service morale is further being crushed, and fa...
www.nationalparkstraveler.org
October 8, 2025 at 12:40 AM
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 more here: www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/10/vete...
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...
www.cntraveler.com/story/what-t...
Are National Parks Closed During the Government Shutdown?
And how to plan if you have an upcoming national park trip.
www.cntraveler.com
October 4, 2025 at 5:51 PM
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...
www.cntraveler.com/story/what-t...
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...
Read more from the Flathead Beacon:
flatheadbeacon.com/2025/10/01/a...
As Glacier Reduces Visitor Services Amid Government Shutdown, Parks Advocates Push for Full Closure - Flathead Beacon
Days after the National Park Service published a new report detailing the billions of dollars in economic benefits national parks deliver to gateway communities, a deadlocked Congress forced a shutdow...
flatheadbeacon.com
October 2, 2025 at 11:49 PM
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...
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...
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...
Joint Memo Warns Government Shutdown Will Deepen National Parks, Public Lands Crisis
A joint memo issued by the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition) and Association of National Park Rangers (ANPR) warns a government shutdown will make an already bad situation at n...
www.nationalparkstraveler.org
October 1, 2025 at 7:40 PM
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...
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...
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...
Trump Is Setting the National Parks Up to Fail
Workers say the real crisis is happening behind the scenes.
www.theatlantic.com
September 28, 2025 at 8:52 PM
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...
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...
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...
With Scant Information, Federal Workers Brace for Possible Shutdown
www.nytimes.com
September 28, 2025 at 8:48 PM
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...
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
September 27, 2025 at 2:07 PM
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