The Trump administration, as part of its downsizing of the federal government, fired roughly 1,000 National Park Service (NPS) employees, who manage protected areas in the U.S. With more terminations on the horizon, former NPS employees are sounding the alarm that critical visitor services and research won’t be conducted, to the detriment of U.S. public lands and visitors. More than 331 million people visited the U.S. national parks in 2024, the most visitors since records began 1904. The national parks can be dangerous; on average more than 300 visitors die each year and thousands need to be rescued. Russell Galipeau, spent 40 years with the NPS before retiring. He warns that staffing cuts could leave visitors without enough trained personnel to help in emergencies. Galipeau’s last position at the NPS was superintendent of the Channel Islands National Park, off the coast of California. He now serves as on the board for the nonprofit Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. Without enough experienced staff in the parks, Galipeau says poaching of plants, animals and fossils will likely increase. He adds that the parks may become degraded as visitors wander off trails; furthermore, roads and facilities may fall into disrepair. Galipeau says he fears that ongoing research projects are at risk. Many parks have a project called Vital Signs, in which scientists track key indicators to assess overall park health. “We can’t measure everything in a park, [but] if we can measure these four or five things, it’ll give us a sense…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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