April 2, 2026
Dear Members of Congress,
We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalition,1The National Parks Second Century Action Coalition is made up of organizations supporting conservation, recreation, outdoor industry, travel and tourism and historic preservation that are dedicated to promoting the protection, restoration, and enjoyment of the National Park System for the long-term benefit it offers our nation. urge a modest funding increase for the National Park Service in the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Interior, Environment and Related Agencies appropriation bill to address the significant staffing losses and related operational and infrastructure shortfalls in national parks and their supporting offices throughout the country. We also request bill language mandating staffing levels from FY24.
Since January 2025, after over a decade of staffing losses due to insufficient appropriations, the National Park Service (NPS) has: been ravaged by pressured resignations resulting in a tremendous loss of capacity and institutional knowledge, suffered from a hiring freeze for mission-critical positions; had seasonal staff offers eliminated then reinstated well below promised levels; faced delayed grant funding, and more. These devastating impacts of these actions has made it nearly impossible for NPS to meet its mission to protect our nation’s remarkable natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment of Americans and international visitors alike.
The dedicated staff at our national parks and supporting offices not only protect unique historic and natural resources, but by ensuring safe and inspiring visitor experiences, also support the national economy with more than fifteen dollars in economic activity for every dollar invested. National parks are more popular than ever with over 325 million visits a year that contribute over $55 billion in economic output and support 415,000 jobs. In addition, America’s outdoor recreation economy supports over 5 million American jobs and contributes $1.2 trillion in annual economic output. In 2024, there were over 72.4 million international arrivals to the United States and research indicates that national parks were a huge tourism attraction for those visitors.
Between 2011 and 2024, NPS lost over 2,000 permanent staff with an additional 4,000 lost since January 2025. As a result, visitor centers have reduced hours, trails and facilities are falling into disrepair, education programs are being cancelled and our nation’s natural and cultural heritage are at risk. We thank Congress for maintaining nearly level funding for national park operations in FY26 and urge a modest increase in FY27 to begin to restore thousands of staff to care for the cultural and natural resources, repair and maintain infrastructure, and provide safe and inspiring visiting experiences. We are also concerned that without statutory language requiring NPS restore staffing levels, that the hiring freeze could continue and the operational dollars would not be invested as Congress intends. We therefore request bill language specifying staffing levels.
The coalition supports $3 billion (to the $2.9 billion in FY24 plus a modest increase for inflation and fixed costs) for the Operation of the National Park System (ONPS) account in FY27. We also respectfully request bill language specifying that staff be hired and
retained in order to restore staffing levels to those of September 2024.
Thank you for considering our views,
Alliance of National Heritage Areas
American Hiking Society
Appalachian Mountain Club
Atomic Heritage Foundation
Blackstone River Watershed Council / Friends of the Blackstone
Boston Harbor Now
Christopher Park Alliance
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
Coney Island Beautification Project
Downeast Maine National Heritage Area
East Bay Regional Park District
Friends of Acadia
Friends of Dyke Marsh
Friends of Fairsted
Friends of Herring River, Wellfleet/Truro Inc. (501c3 nonprofit since 2009
Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters
Friends of the Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters
Friends of Minute Man National Park
Friends of Oregon Caves and Chateau
Friends of Saguaro National Park
Friends of the Upper Delaware River
The Fund for People In Parks
Hamilton Partnership for Paterson
International Inbound Travel Association
Mill Basin Civic Association
Millennium Development
National Parks Conservation Association
National Tour Association
Partnership for National Trails System
Public Lands Alliance
Restore Oregon
Revolutionary Spaces, Inc.
Sierra Club
United States Tour Operators Association
Voyageurs Conservancy
Washington Association of New Jersey
Washington Trails Association