For Immediate Release: August 18, 2026 Contact: sa*@***************es.com Press Release: Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and Keep Big Bend Wild File Amicus Brief Against Big Bend National Park Border Construction Last week, the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and Keep Big Bend Wild filed an amicus brief asserting that the Department of Homeland
Coalition Also Joins Comments Urging NPS to Maintain Wilderness Protections
National Parks Conservation Association, Alaska Wilderness League, Badlands Conservation Alliance, Californians for Western Wilderness, CalWild, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Continental Divide Trail Coalition, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Glacier Two-Medicine Alliance, Grand Canyon Trust, Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League of America, Mountain Mamas, Natural Resources Defense
Conservation Groups Urge National Park Service to Preserve Strong Wilderness Protections
August 14, 2026 Michael P. Michener Deputy Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection National Park Service 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240 Subject: Comments on National Park Service Director’s Order #41: Wilderness Stewardship (91 Fed. Reg. 35,998 (June 15, 2026)) Dear Mr. Michener: This letter is submitted on behalf of the undersigned organizations and
New Reports Raise Questions About Diversion of National Park Funds to Washington, D.C. Projects
For Immediate Release: August 12, 2026 Contact: da*@*******ms.com New Reporting: Trump and Burgum Have Used Millions of National Park Dollars for D.C. Vanity Projects CNN: At least 30% of revenue from park entrance fees redirected to Reflecting Pool contract, other D.C. vanity projects Washington, D.C. — With questions swirling over the botched renovation of the
Member Op-Ed: Chaco buffer provides breathing room for site
By Tom Vaughan Aug 9, 2026 I spent decades working at remarkable sites across the National Park System, but Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico stands out. Set aside by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907, Chaco Culture NHP has since been designated a World Heritage Site, putting it in the same globally
Coalition Comments on Proposed NPS Wilderness Climbing Policy
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW Comments submitted at: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/NPS-2026-0101-0001 August 10, 2026 Michael Michener Deputy Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection National Park Service 1849 C Street NW, MS–2457 Washington, DC 20240 Subject: Comments on Director’s Order (DO) 41: Wilderness Stewardship, Section 7.2 (draft) and Reference Manual (RM) 41: Wilderness Stewardship,
Member Op-Ed: Monuments never blocked public access, but stripping their protections will cost us.
Letter to the editor: Monuments never blocked public access, but stripping their protections will cost us Published: Aug 2, 2026, 11:00 a.m. MDT As someone who spent nearly 40 years managing our public lands, including as superintendent of Bryce Canyon National Park, I was dismayed by President Donald Trump’s false statement about access to Bears
Coalition Urges National Park Service to Preserve Director’s Order 41 and Existing Wilderness Stewardship Protections
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW Submitted via: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/NPS-2026-0100-0001 August 3, 2026 Michael P. Michener Deputy Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection National Park Service 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240 Subject: Comments on National Park Service Level 2 Wilderness Stewardship Policy Review: Director’s Order #41 Dear Mr. Michener: The Coalition
Member Op-Ed: Don’t Abandon World Heritage
The July 26 front-page article “Okefenokee becomes a World Heritage site” prominently noted the addition of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to the UNESCO World Heritage List, making it the 27th World Heritage Site in the United States. Unfortunately, Okefenokee might be the last such addition for years to come. The United States led the
Coalition Urges CBP to Minimize Border Barrier Construction and Keep Big Bend National Park Wild
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW July 10, 2026 Submitted via email to: Bi*************@*****hs.gov Subject: Brewster County Vehicle Barrier System Construction The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition) is comprised of more than 5,000 members, all of whom are retired, former, or current National Park Service (NPS) employees or volunteers who collectively
Conservation Groups Challenge BLM’s Purple Sage Energy Center Over Threats to the Old Spanish National Historic Trail
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Coalition To Protect America’s National Parks Western Watersheds Project Basin and Range Watch and John W. Hiscock July 9, 2026 Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Southern Nevada District Las Vegas Field Office 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive Las Vegas, Nevada 89130 BL***********************@*lm.gov Protest – Proposed Resource Management
Coalition Opposes Reopening Moose-Wilson Road Decision Without Full Public Review
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW July 8, 2026 National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park Subject: Comment on Revised Draft Programmatic Agreement for the Moose-Wilson Road Comprehensive Management Plan The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition) is comprised of more than 5,000 members, all of whom are
What to expect at national parks this summer: big crowds, fewer reservation rules, and a less predictable visit
What to expect at national parks this summer: big crowds, fewer reservation rules, and a less predictable visit By Kelsey Vlamis The National Park Service is heading into peak summer with fewer permanent staff and looser crowd-control rules at some of its most popular parks. Advocacy groups say that the combination has already led to
Coalition Urges NCPC to Delay Approval of Proposed Monumental Arch Pending Full Historic and Environmental Review
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW July 2, 2026 National Capital Planning Commission Subject: Item #8778 – Proposed approval of preliminary and final site and building plans for new Monumental Arch The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition) is comprised of more than 5,000 members, all of whom are retired, former, or
National Park System Receives Special Designation from the World Monuments Fund Irreplaceable Initiative
The Coalition secured special designation for the National Park System through the World Monuments Fund’s Irreplaceable America initiative, which recognizes heritage places that reflect the breadth of the American experience and face urgent preservation challenges. Cheryl Schreier, Chair of the Executive Council of the Coalition, shared: “National parks are the great cathedrals of the
Coalition Urges OPM to Withdraw Overbroad Government-Wide NDA Proposal
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW Submitted via: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/OPM-2026-0100-0004 June 26, 2026 RE: Comments on Proposed Confidential Government Information Non-Disclosure Agreement (OPM-2026-0100) The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Office of Personnel Management’s proposed Confidential Government Information Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). The Coalition is a nonpartisan
Conservation, Recreation, Tourism, and Preservation Groups Urge Senate Passage of the America the Beautiful Act
June 24, 2026 Dear Senators, We, organizations supporting conservation, recreation, outdoor industry, travel and tourism and historic preservation, urge you to support S. 1547, America the Beautiful Act. The bill has 66 bipartisan cosponsors and passed through the U.S. Senate Energy Natural Resources Committee with unanimous support. The bill extends the Great American Outdoors Act
Internal memo orders staff not to reveal deaths in national parks
The Interior Department’s guidance instructs parks staff not to confirm deaths, the severity of injuries or other details. June 24, 2026 By Jake Price On Friday, a 17-year-old girl drowned in Sequoia National Park after slipping into a river. On Saturday, a 23-year-old man died after falling over a waterfall in Yosemite. The same
Coalition Partners Urge BLM to Protect Old Spanish National Historic Trail from Utah Oil and Gas Leasing
John W. Hiscock Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Western Watersheds Project Basin and Range Watch Comments – DOI-BLM-UT-0000-2026-0005-EA – BLM Utah 2026 Third Quarter Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale Environmental Assessment June 21, 2026 Bureau of Land Management Utah State Office To whom
Conservation Groups Urge Congressional Oversight of NPS Actions at Cumberland Island National Seashore
The Honorable Steve Daines Chairman Subcommittee on National Parks Energy and Natural Resources Committee U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Angus King Ranking Member Subcommittee on National Parks Energy and Natural Resources Committee U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Senator Jon Ossoff U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Senator Raphael Warnock U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510
Former Big Bend Superintendents Urge DHS to Protect the Park While Strengthening Border Security
June 15, 2026 The Honorable Markwayne Mullin Secretary United States Department of Homeland Security 1880 2nd Street Southwest Washington, DC 20024 Dear Secretary Mullin: We write to you again, following up on our letter from May 21, 2026. We are six former superintendents and a former deputy superintendent of Big Bend National Park, with
Court Blocks Censorship and Erasure of American History and Science at National Parks
Court Blocks Censorship and Erasure of American History and Science at National Parks Boston – A U.S. District Court has issued an order stopping the Trump-Vance administration from censoring American history and science and ordering the restoration of unlawfully censored information displayed in America’s largest classroom – our national parks. The preliminary injunction comes in
Judge Blocks National Parks From Removing ‘Negative’ Signs
Judge Blocks National Parks From Removing ‘Negative’ Signs The ruling accused the Trump administration of engaging in censorship by taking down materials at parks across the country. By Maxine Joselow Reporting from Washington Published June 12, 2026 Updated June 13, 2026, 5:39 p.m. ET A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the National Park Service
Coalition Testifies in Support of the Great American Outdoors Act 250
Coalition Executive Council (EC) member Mike Ward testified before the Committee on Natural Resources at a legislative field hearing on a Discussion Draft of the “Great American Outdoors Act 250.” The hearing examined legislation reauthorizing and reforming the Great American Outdoors Act to enhance public access, improve infrastructure, and create new outdoor recreation opportunities in one
Border Wall Waiver at Big Bend an Assault on Texas Values
Border Wall Waiver at Big Bend an Assault on Texas Values On Monday, the Trump Administration issued a preliminary federal notice waiving a range of federal laws to allow border-related infrastructure in and around Big Bend National Park. This is a devastating development opposed by Texans and Americans from across the political spectrum. Cheryl Shreier,