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
Government Shutdown Sends Ripples Through Science
Government shutdown sends ripples through science By Rachel Cohen KNPR (Las Vegas, NV) Nevada Public Radio Thursday, November 20, 2025 On Oct. 1, the day the government shut down after Congress failed to pass a budget, Jeremy Shaw was working deep in a meadow valley in Rocky Mountain National Park. A research scientist at Colorado
Government Reopens, But the Crisis in Our National Parks Deepens
MEMO To: Interested Parties Fr: Coalition To Protect America’s National Parks Re: The Government Is Open. Now what for our National Parks? Dt: November 2025 The government shutdown crisis may be over, but the crisis at our national parks is not. In fact, the government shutdown made an already bad situation at national parks and
Interior Secretary Faces Backlash Over Overseas Trip During Shutdown
Interior Secretary Faces Backlash Over Overseas Trip During Shutdown By Maxine Joselow | The New York Times | Nov. 4, 2025 As the U.S. government shutdown continues to strain federal operations, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is drawing criticism for embarking on a weeklong trip across the Middle East and Europe. His itinerary includes major energy
Protecting Cumberland Island’s Wilderness: Coalition Opposes New Beach Access Road Proposal
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW Submitted by email to: el**************@****ga.gov November 1, 2025 Beth Byrnes Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division One Conservation Way Brunswick, Georgia 31520 el**************@****ga.gov Subject: Foster Family Irrevocable Trust, Beach Driving Access Point, Atlantic Ocean, Cumberland Island, Camden County, Georgia Dear Ms. Byrnes: I am writing
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Urges Senate Support for S.J.Res. 69 to Halt Barred Owl Killings in National Parks
October 28, 2025 The Honorable Michael Bennet United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Re: Support for S.J.Res. 69 – Opposition to Killing North American Forest Owls in 14 Units of the National Park System Dear Senator Bennet: I am Elaine Frances Leslie, Ph.D., a career wildlife biologist in both the private sector and federal government,
More Than 450 Former National Park Leaders Call for Closure of National Parks as Dangerous Incidents Escalate
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
Protect Our Parks: Former NPS Employees Warn of Escalating Dangers During Shutdown
October 23, 2025 The Honorable Doug Burgum Secretary Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington D.C., 20240 Dear Secretary Burgum: We write to you with great alarm after dangerous and life-threatening incidents at national parks and urge you once again to close all national parks until the government re-opens. As you have likely
Coalition and NPCA Submit Comments on NPS Visitor Services
October 9, 2025 RE: Docket No. NPS-2025-0037, request for information on improving visitor services On behalf of the National Parks Conservation Association and the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Re: Docket No. MPS-2025-0037, we are pleased to offer comments on the National Park Service (NPS)’s efforts to improve visitor services. Since 1919, the
Coalition Urges Closure of National Parks After Illegal BASE Jumping, Squatting in Yosemite
After Reports Of Illegal BASE jumping And Squatters In Yosemite, Coalition To Protect America’s National Park Says: “This is What We Warned About. It’s Time To Close National Parks” Report in SFGate shows video of “illegal behavior, including BASE jumping from El Capitan and climbing Half Dome’s cables without permits” inside Yosemite National Park A story
Public Lands Leaders Sound Alarm on National Parks and Public Lands As Government Shutdown Compounds Effect of Existing Cuts
October 7, 2025 Public Lands Leaders Sound Alarm on National Parks and Public Lands As Government Shutdown Compounds Effect of Existing Cuts With Limited Staff and Shrinking Budgets, Public Lands are Stretched Thin; Leaders Warn Early Shutdown Impacts Foreshadow Larger Problems Full Recording and Transcript can be Found Here. Washington, D.C. — Today, former
NPT: Veteran Public Lands Managers Lament Government Shutdown’s Impacts
By Kurt Repanshek October 7, 2025 National parks across the country might appear to be operating largely as usual during the government shutdown, but natural and cultural resources are at risk, National Park Service morale is further being crushed, and family finances are at risk while many politicians look the other way, former agency personnel
Coalition Deeply Concerned Over Plan to Keep Parks Open and Understaffed During Shutdown
Coalition members and staff continue to push for national parks – which are already struggling under the impacts of staffing and budget cuts since January – to be closed in the event of a government shutdown. NBC Bay Area News – “Why some want national parks closed if government shuts down.“ Cronkite News –