“This land is your land, this land is my land,” is the start of Woody Guthrie’s classic song describing how the United States belongs to all of us. As residents of this country, we enjoy the vast expanses of mountains, prairies, seascapes, and everything in between that this country’s 429 national parks have to offer. However, President Donald Trump, in his desire to cut all “wasteful” spending by the government, has laid off over 1000 rangers from various parks around the country. These funding cuts and disregardance for the national parks and their wellbeing may be a sign of times to come, and yield outcomes that harm the economy, environment, and nature lovers alike.
Under Trump’s administration, billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency implemented significant layoffs across government departments and agencies. The National Park Service was one of them. The rangers who lost their jobs were probationary workers, meaning they were in their first year in their position. Not only could the budget cuts and layoffs remove funding from the parks, they could take away a portion of the money that the national parks contribute to the economy. In 2023, the parks provided over $56 billion to the U.S. economy through tourism income and job creation, a valuable chunk considering it only received $3.8 billion in funding. Aside from financing the U.S., the parks have value in their natural beauty and passionate rangers who have dedicated their lives to protecting and educating visitors. The parks are also precious to the 325.5 million visitors they collectively receive annually, who come to appreciate the pristine nature that spreads from the great peak of Yosemite’s Half Dome down to the lush swamps of Florida’s Everglades.
The parks were already facing staffing issues before Trump's presidency, and while staffing numbers have gone down, visitor numbers have risen. The new layoffs leave parks needing to operate with a fraction of the employees they need. Guided tours will either be cut back or canceled, and because of the important role rangers play in the wellbeing of visitors, safety is at risk as well. When open hours are cut down, fewer visitors can come and enjoy the parks.
Although national parks hold the same timeless beauty they’ve always had, they too are at risk for the weather conditions that climate change is bringing. Park rangers are a key part of keeping the parks taken care of, which is vital for wildfire and flood prevention. This is especially harmful since the parks are more likely to be impacted by natural disasters in the future as their frequency increases with intensifying climate change.
Trump’s decision has not been met without resistance. Park rangers at Yosemite protested by hanging an American flag on El Capitan, the stars and stripes facing the ground, upside down in rebellion. Across the country, other protests have taken place in hopes of keeping parks out of funding cuts. For non-students, the national parks are always accepting volunteers. Students can organize bake sales or other fundraising events, while small, as any support is helpful.
Although times are uncertain for our national parks and their staff, it’s sure that the next four years of this presidency will be some of the most detrimental to American nature. Rangers and nature lovers around the country are standing up for what is right. Along with other adults and our elected representatives, students can work to protect our parks — places of astonishing beauty that welcome all, regardless of political ideology.