More Than 450 Former National Park Leaders Call for Closure of National Parks as Dangerous Incidents Escalate
Following incidents at Yosemite and Joshua Tree, leaders state: As these latest, and sadly predictable, incidents clearly demonstrate, our parks cannot operate without dedicated staff
In a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum sent today, more than 450 former national park leaders urged the immediate closure of national parks until the government reopens. The letter follows several reports from parks over the last few weeks documenting damage and dangerous incidents.
In just the few weeks since the shutdown began, numerous incidents have been recorded. Among the most dangerous, a wildfire began near an unstaffed campground in Joshua Tree National Park and illegal BASE jumpers have swarmed Yosemite National Park. But across the country, bathrooms are overflowing, trash is piling, and trails lack maintenance or monitoring.
In the letter, which was organized by the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and Association of National Park Rangers, the park leaders state, in part:
Our parks don’t run by themselves. The dedicated staff of the National Park Service (NPS) keep them clean, safe, and functioning. And as these latest, and sadly predictable, incidents clearly demonstrate, our parks cannot operate without them.
Before the shutdown more than 40 former national park superintendents sent you a letter warning of this very type of situation. It was ignored. And now we see the results.
This summer, well before this shutdown, our parks were already being pushed to the brink by funding and staffing cuts. A recent New York Times report found that at least 90 parks have been seriously strained in an effort to comply with Secretarial Order 3426 that parks remain open and accessible to the public, despite huge reductions in the workforce.
The shutdown has made this bad situation far worse.
Signers of the letter include:
- 2 former National Park Service directors
- 6 former National Park Service regional directors
- 25 other former national and regional leaders
- 90+ former National Park Service superintendents
You can see the full letter here.
Emily Thompson, Executive Director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks said:
“As long as they remain open and unstaffed, our national parks — America’s best idea — are in danger. And so too are all the people who visit them. As iconic landscapes burn and campgrounds and trails are littered with trash or human waste, Secretary Burgum cannot sit idly by. When park rangers can’t do their jobs, he needs to do his: Protect our parks and close them immediately. And when this shutdown is finally over, help the National Park Service fulfill its mission by fully staffing and fully funding our parks to sustain them for generations to come.”
Bill Wade, Executive Director, Association of National Park Rangers said:
“Park employees are proud and passionate about their work protecting the valuable resources in their parks and providing visitors to them with information and education. Leaving the parks open to be trashed or damaged, and then requiring employees to ‘fix’ it all when they go back to work is unacceptable and unfair.”
For Immediate Release: Thursday, October 23, 2025
Contact: Sam Nurick | sa*@***************es.com
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