"But rangers say the real crisis is happening beyond the trails and campgrounds, where visitors can't see it. Park employees' experiences, which several people described to me and dozens more have shared publicly, suggest that the Department of the Interior sacrificed long-term stewardship of American lands to maintain a veneer of normalcy for this summer's crowds. "We are really pulling out all the stops to make sure that the impacts are being hidden," an emergency-services ranger in the western United States told me."
"The National Park Service lost about a quarter of its permanent staff to mass firings, buyouts, early retirements, and resignations this winter and spring. In April, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum made the department's priorities for the remaining staff clear: In an order, he declared that parks had to stay "open and accessible" and "provide the best customer service experience for all visitors.""
Many Americans' fears about national parks — that budget cuts and staffing shortages would lead to unsafe or unpleasant vacations — did not come to pass. Gates and visitor centers remained open with reduced hours, toilets were mostly usable, and rescues continued at the Grand Canyon. Rangers report a hidden crisis beyond trails and campgrounds where long-term stewardship is being sacrificed. The National Park Service lost about a quarter of permanent staff to firings, buyouts, early retirements, and resignations. An April order from the Secretary of the Interior instructed parks to stay 'open and accessible' and 'provide the best customer service experience for all visitors.' Research, monitoring, and maintenance received little emphasis.
Read at The Atlantic
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