September 2, 2026
The Honorable Doug Burgum
Secretary
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20240
Dear Secretary Burgum,
As former National Park Service (NPS) superintendents, we have dedicated our careers to protecting America’s national parks. We have stood in front of crowded visitor centers, responded to emergencies in remote backcountry, fought wildfires, protected wildlife and cultural resources, managed multimillion-dollar budgets, and led the people who make the National Park Service work every day.
We know what it takes to run a national park. And we have grave concerns about the current state of the National Park Service – and rumored organizational changes you may be making in the coming weeks.
We don’t say this lightly, but our national parks are in crisis, and your actions are making things considerably worse. And without a serious course correction, and soon, our national parks, the national jewels of our nation, could suffer irreversible damage and visitors could be put at great risk.
Under your leadership, the National Park Service has lost nearly one-quarter of its permanent workforce. These losses are not simply numbers on a spreadsheet. They represent scientists, maintenance workers, planners, contractors, IT professionals, interpreters and educators, search and rescue personnel, and other professionals whose work is essential to keeping parks safe and protecting the resources Congress entrusted to the Park Service.
The story is the same throughout the Department of the Interior. Many of these employees did not simply decide it was time to retire. Former and current employees have reported an atmosphere of pressure, fear, and uncertainty that has driven experienced public servants out the door.
And now, even those who remain are being moved around.
Recently, NOTUS reported that the Interior Department has reassigned roughly 30 of its most senior career employees, many to positions outside their areas of expertise. Some were given just two weeks to decide whether to accept their new assignments or leave government service. The moves affect at least 20 percent of Interior’s remaining senior career executives.
And just a few weeks ago, all NPS superintendents were summoned to mandatory, in-person meetings during the month of September. We recognize and fully support the value of face-to-face gatherings. The lack of approved travel and professional training have taken a toll on a workforce that has been largely prohibited from gathering with peers and colleagues. However, requiring attendance at a last minute meeting at the end of the fiscal year is unusual in this current environment, to say the least. And it is concerning, given the consolidation that has occurred since January 2025, and the efforts at reorganization we have seen at DOI and throughout other federal agencies. Reorganizations can be useful when they are carefully planned, transparent and driven by the mission. They can also cause enormous damage when they are rushed through from the top, without understanding how a complex organization actually functions.
Any reorganization of the National Park Service would be more than a minor management exercise. It can determine who has authority to make decisions, where resources go, what expertise remains in the field, and whether superintendents have the personnel and support they need to protect their parks. Any effort that results in further job loss – or causes already stretched NPS employees to absorb more duties and responsibility – would be devastating to the agency.
We have seen recent reports about the difficulty parks are experiencing when trying to buy basic supplies, have contracting needs met, hire staff, or even be responsive to the media about major incidents. And we know that the loss of local decision-making and community engagement are already having an impact. Any further reorganization that creates a top-heavy Washington Office will make it all the more difficult for the NPS to be responsive to the needs of parks and local communities.
Yellowstone is not Yosemite. Yosemite is not the Everglades. Big Bend is not Independence National Historical Park. Urban parks have different challenges than wilderness parks. Historic sites have different needs than sweeping natural landscapes.
And yet they are all connected by one thing: a professional workforce and a management structure designed to protect them for future generations.
An ill-advised and hastily planned reorganization could dismantle that structure, putting our parks – and those who visit them – at great risk.
National parks do not run themselves. They require people with decades of experience who know the landscape, understand the law, work with their communities, and have earned the trust of their employees.
We are not opposed to change. During our careers, every one of us adapted to new challenges, new technologies, new visitation patterns and new threats to our parks and public lands. But there is a fundamental difference between reforming an organization and dismantling it.
America’s national parks belong to all of us. They are not the property of a president, a Cabinet secretary or a political administration. They belong to the American people—and Congress has entrusted the National Park Service with their care.
Our national parks deserve the people, resources and professional leadership necessary to protect them. Unfortunately, and dangerously, those are the very things that have been gutted in recent months. We caution against any re-organization that would further erode the workforce, unduly burden the employees that are left, including park leaders and support staff, or further jeopardize local, community, and tribal relationships.
Sincerely,
Rob Arnberger, (Retired) Superintendent, Grand Canyon National Park
Wendy Berhman, (Retired) Superintendent, Manhattan Project National Historical Park
Maria Burks, (Retired) Commissioner, National Parks of New York Harbor
Mark Butler (Retired) Superintendent, Joshua Tree National Park
Phil Francis, (Retired) Superintendent, Blue Ridge Parkway
Susan L. Fritzke, (Retired) Superintendent, Capitol Reef National Park
Russell Galipeau, (Retired) Superintendent, Channel Islands National Park
Rebecca Harriett, (Retired) Superintendent, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Tim Hudson, (Retired) Superintendent, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
Elaine Leslie, (Retired) Superintendent, Colonial National Historical Park
Linda Mazzu, (Retired) Superintendent, Bryce Canyon National Park
Doug Morris, (Retired) Superintendent, Shenandoah National Park
Jeff Mow, (Retired) Superintendent, Glacier National Park
Mike Murray, (Retired) Superintendent, Outer Banks Group
Don Neubacher, (Retired) Superintendent, Yosemite National Park
Jim Northup, (Retired) Superintendent, Shenandoah National Park
Cheryl Schreier, (Retired) Superintendent, Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Sheridan Steele, (Retired) Superintendent, Acadia National Park
Bill Wade, (Retired) Superintendent, Shenandoah National Park
MIke Ward, (Retired) Superintendent, Gateway Arch National Park