National Park Service Director Must Champion Parks Yesterday, President Donald Trump nominated Mr. Scott Socha, a hotel and food management executive, as the next director of the National Park Service. In response, Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, released the following statement: “Over the last year, the National Park
Urge BLM to Defer August 2026 Oil & Gas Leasing Near Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the Maah Daah Hey Trail
On February 12, 2026, the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Badlands Conservation Alliance filed scoping comments urging the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to defer key oil and gas lease parcels proposed for the Montana–Dakotas Q3 (August) 2026 lease sale (DOI-BLM-MT-0000-2026-0001-EA). The groups recommend that BLM designate
One Year After the Valentine’s Day Firings, America’s National Parks Remain in Crisis
MEMO To: Interested Parties Fr: Emily Thompson, Coalition To Protect America’s National Parks Re: One year after the Valentine’s Day firings, what we’re seeing at National Parks Dt: February 2026 __________________________________________________________ One year after the Valentine’s Day firings that gutted the National Parks Service, our national parks remain on a perilous path and in a
More history exhibits pulled from national parks, including Grand Canyon
A new wave of takedown orders from Trump officials targets signs about climate and Native Americans at several national parks, including Big Bend and Glacier. January 27, 2026 By Jake Spring The Washington Post Trump officials have ordered national parks to remove dozens of signs and displays related to climate change, environmental protection and settlers’
Coalition To Protect America’s National Parks: “Erasing History Doesn’t Make It Go Away, It Just Makes It More Likely To Repeat Itself”
For Immediate Release: Friday, January 23, 2026 Contact: Doug Gordon | do**@***************es.com Coalition To Protect America’s National Parks: “Erasing History Doesn’t Make It Go Away, It Just Makes It More Likely To Repeat Itself” Emily Thompson, Executive Director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, released the following statement on the Administration’s ongoing effort
International visitors now have to pay more at America’s most visited national parks
JAN 16, 2026 International visitors now have to pay more at America’s most visited national parks Advocates for the policy say the additional revenue could help the parks, while other park supporters worry the price increase will have knock-on effects. Click here to read the full article.
Preservation Groups Urge Caution on Proposed Rifle Range Near Appomattox Courthouse Battlefield
Appomattox County Board of Supervisors 333 Court St. Appomattox, VA 24522 Chair Hinkle, Vice-Chair Jones, and members of the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors, We, the below undersigned organizations, write to you today regarding CUP250870, Rifleman’s Resort. We are a collection of national park and battlefield preservation non-profits dedicated to protecting and preserving our
Oil & Gas Leasing Threatens Old Spanish National Historic Trail in Utah
A coalition of conservation and public lands organizations is urging the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to withdraw portions of its proposed Utah 2026 Second Quarter oil and gas lease sale, warning that dozens of lease parcels would harm the Old Spanish National Historic Trail (OSNHT)—a congressionally designated national historic trail protected under federal law.
Conservation Groups Urge BLM to Halt Utah Oil & Gas Lease Sale
NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARK ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILD SOUTHERN UTAH WILDERNESS ALLIANCE THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY A coalition of conservation organizations is calling on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to stop the Utah 2026 Quarter 2 oil and gas lease sale, warning it would open more than 54,000 acres across
National Park Service Veterans Urge Colorado to Move Forward on Historic Wolverine Reintroduction
1/9/2026 Dear Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commissioners, I am writing on behalf of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), which represents over 4,700 current, former, and retired employees and volunteers of the National Park Service. Collectively, our membership represents over 50,000 years of national park management and stewardship experience. Our members include former
Conservation Groups File Amicus Brief to Stop Massive Data Center Planned on Manassas Battlefield
LEADING CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS PUNCH BACK AGAINST WORLD’S LARGEST DATA CENTER COMPLEX, FILE AMICUS BRIEF Groups say the Prince William Digital Gateway threatens irreparable harm to historic, natural and cultural resources (Manassas, Virginia) — Today, six leading national and regional conservation organizations, collectively representing more than one million members and supporters, spoke out for America’s battlefields
NPT: 5th Annual Threatened And Endangered Parks | A Rundown National Park Service
5th Annual Threatened And Endangered Parks A Rundown National Park Service The long-held notion that working in the National Park Service was a promising, even noble, career has been shaken to its core in less than one year. That promise under the Trump administration has been thrown into question, raising uncertainty over the durability of
National Park Leaders Urge EPA to Reject Rollbacks to Clean Water Act Protections
December 29, 2025 Comment re: Updated Definition of ‘Waters of the United States’ Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2025- 0322 We are writing on behalf of more than 4,700 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), who collectively represent more than 50,000 years of national park management and stewardship experience. The Coalition studies, educates,
Environmental Groups Urge FAA and NPS to Halt Bay Area Air Tour Agreement, Citing Court Order Violations and Threats to National Parks
COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS MARIN AUDUBON SOCIETY, PUBLIC EMPLOYEES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY, WATERSHED ALLIANCE OF MARIN December 30, 2025 Sandra Fox, Environmental Protection Specialist Federal Aviation Administration Submitted to: NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment System, https://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=147892 PUBLIC COMMENT – Notice of Availability of Proposed Voluntary Agreement Dear Ms. Fox, The Coalition to
Coalition Urges BLM to Defer April 2026 Oil & Gas Lease Parcels Near Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s Wilderness
December 19, 2026 Bureau of Land Management Montana/Dakotas State Office Branch of Fluid Minerals Attention: Hattie Payne 5001 Southgate Drive Billings, MT 59101 Subject: Comments on Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the BLM Montana-Dakotas 2026 Second Quarter (April) Oil and Gas Lease Sale (DOI-BLM-MT-0000-2025-0010-EA) To whom it may concern: I
Coalition Urges Congress to Protect National Parks and Park Staff in FY26 Appropriations
December 19, 2025 Dear Chairs Collins, Murkowski, Cole and Simpson, Vice Chair Murray, and Ranking Members Merkley, DeLauro and Pingree, We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalition, urge you to support our national parks and national park staff as you conference the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
Congress Urged to Block Unlawful Plan to Artificially Suppress National Park Service Performance Ratings
Senator Mike Lee Chair, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee 304 Dirksen Senate Building Washington, DC 20510 Senator Martin Heinrich Ranking Member, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee 304 Dirksen Senate Building Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Bruce Westerman Chair, House Committee on Natural Resources 1324 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable
Member Op-Ed: Timed entry at Zion National Park is good for the park, its visitors and neighboring communities.
The idea of a reservation is nothing new. It seems we are all used to making a reservation to have a meal at a restaurant, to go to a concert or to a play. By Donald Falvey | For The Salt Lake Tribune Dec. 16, 2025, 8:05 a.m. The state of Utah’s Public Lands Coordinating
Conservation Groups Urge EPA to Reject Alaska’s Regional Haze Plan and Protect Visibility in National Parks
A coalition of conservation organizations—including the National Parks Conservation Association, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks—submitted a detailed letter urging the EPA to withdraw its proposed approval of Alaska’s Regional Haze State Implementation Plan for the second planning period, arguing that the plan violates the Clean Air
NPT: National Park Superintendents Ordered To Cap Employee Evaluations
UPDATE | National Park Superintendents Ordered To Cap Employee Evaluations By Kurt Repanshek December 12, 2025 Editor’s note: This is updates with additional details from NPS employees and Interior Department response. Top National Park Service officials, in an apparent violation of federal law, have directed park superintendents to reduce evaluation scores for employees, including themselves.
Cuts hurt Great Smoky Mountains National Park. What’s coming in 2026?
By Devarrick Turner Knoxville News Sentinel Updated Dec. 11, 2025, 10:04 a.m. ET Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hiring for 2026. But after 2025 saw staffing and budget cuts to national parks across the country and the longest federal government shutdown in history, what’s ahead for the country’s most visited national park in
Don’t Turn Capitol Reef Into an Off-Road Park: Congress Must Reject S.2970
The Honorable Mike Lee Chairman Senate Energy and Natural Resources The Honorable Martin Heinrich Ranking Member Senate Energy and Natural Resources CC: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Members RE: Oppose S.2970 – To authorize the use of off-highway vehicles in certain areas of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah Dear Chairman Lee, Ranking Member Heinrich,
36 Community Groups to EPA: Don’t Weaken Regional Haze Protections for Parks and Communities
350 Colorado * Access Fund * AFGE Local 704 * Alpine Lakes Protection Society Archaeology Southwest * Breathe Project * Central California Asthma Collaborative Central Valley Air Quality Coalition * Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Environmental Law & Policy Center * Families for a Livable Climate * Friends of Acadia Goldman School of Public
Protecting Park Views: Coalition Urges EPA to Strengthen the Regional Haze Rule
Comments Submitted via regulations.gov: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-1477-0001 December 1, 2025 Paige Wantlin Air Quality Policy Division Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards Environmental Protection Agency 109 TW Alexander Drive Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 Wa***********@*pa.gov Subject: Comments on EPA’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Visibility Protection: Regional Haze State Plan Requirements Rule Revision Dear Ms. Wantlin:
Statement: America’s best idea now America’s greatest shakedown with new park fees
Statement: America’s best idea now America’s greatest shakedown with new park fees On Tuesday 25 November, the Trump Administration announced that as of January 1, 2026, foreign visitors will need to pay an additional $100 to visit 11 popular national parks—on top of existing fees. The park pass will also jump to $250 for international