Friends of Animals has always taken comfort in knowing our 63 National Parks provide the gold standard when it comes to protected areas in the United States—Congress has still not authorized sport hunting in any of the National Parks. That’s something to celebrate. 

Plus, there are the conservation-in-the-parks efforts: Redwood National Park has gone all in to save a robin-sized endangered seabird—the marbled murrelet—who nests in its old growth trees rather than cliffs. Death Valley National Park provides a home to the critically endangered Devil’s Hole pupfish, one of the rarest fish species on Earth, found nowhere else. And Isle Royale National Park’s wolf reintroduction efforts are something to howl about. 

That’s why, like you, we’re furious over the bizarre harm that’s being inflicted on our national park system by the Trump Administration—from the hiring freeze and rescinded job offers to the firing of 1,000 National Park Service (NPS) employees. In the latest move undercutting the NPS, the administration plans to terminate NPS leases and shutter 34 offices across the country that function as visitor centers, law enforcement offices, museums and hubs for critical park services. 

Like us, you’re probably feeling upset. So, we reached out to the National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) and The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (CPANP) to find out the best way to advocate for our national treasures and the wildlife who call them home. 

We’re told the best thing people can do right now is call and/or write their representatives in Congress and attend in-person Town Halls whenever possible to urge them to stand up for park staff and to demand Interior Secretary Doug Burgum roll back the job cuts. Our members of congress need to hear that cuts to NPS staffing could forever change our national parks, and the recent moves by the administration are nothing short of devastating. You can find your US senators and reps here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member. 

“Rise up and say, ‘I have public lands in my backyard, and I don’t want these places to be shut down three days a week, because that’s what is going to happen. Visitor centers are already shutting down, restrooms are already being closed. It’s happening,” says Elaine F. Leslie, a member of the executive council of the CPANP. “ 

“If you care about wildlife and national parks, get a hold of your congressional delegation and let your voice be heard. That is the only tool we have to combat this right now.” 

She said that even if you live in a state that doesn’t have one of the 63 National Parks, you might have some national historic sites, heritage areas, national seashores or other types of parks in your community.  

“We hope that these campaigns to get the word out about places that people love will help. It can only help, it can’t hurt,” she says. 

Understanding the challenges 

Like Leslie alluded to, reductions in staff will lead to partial or full park closures, safety concerns due to a lack of  emergency responders, reduction or elimination of visitor center operations, a lack of maintenance including filthy restrooms and an increased risk of harm to plants, animals, and other natural and cultural resources. The mass firings will also hurt surrounding communities that depend on tourism and visitor spending to help support the local economy.  

As a wildlife biologist who spent decades working for the NPS, Leslie is concerned about the safety of wildlife due to the loss of less visitor-facing positions that focus on scientific monitoring and other tasks that keep an eye on the health of species and ecosystems. These types of staff members inventory and monitor species such as birds and turtles for successful reproduction or even predation. 

“They’re firing scientists. We base a lot of decisions in parks on what biologists do and how they work. They are the ones restoring native biodiversity; they are the ones monitoring that grizzly bear with cubs,” she says. “So, if you are about to go to a campground in Yellowstone—they’re the ones that are going to say, ‘Hey, we have to close this area off so that grizzly bear can continue to thrive and no one gets hurt.’” 

Lelise continued, “We must ask ourselves in the event of further cuts: Who’s monitoring and treating California condors for lead poisoning? Who’s marking off colonial nesting bird sites at places like Cape Hatteras or Padre Islands? Who’s keeping wildlife safe from being habituated or from harm? Who’s closing off critical nesting sites and monitoring and enforcing? 

To visit or not to visit, that is the question 

If you’re like me whose bucket list is to visit as many National Parks as possible—this summer I had my sights set on Great Smoky National Park after two magical visits to Acadia National Park—or you already planned a trip with your family when school gets out, you are not alone in feeling anxious and uncertain. 

Both NPCA and CPANP still want people to go to parks and support them and then share their experiences to let others know what amazing places they are. 

However, this summer, it will become paramount to be patient and kind to the staff who are going to be expected to do more with less. 

What’s also critical—KEEP YOUR DISTANCE FROM WILDLIFE. Many parks require you to stay a minimum distance of 25 yards from most wildlife and 100 yards from predators like bears and wolves. (Check with your park: for example, Olympic National Park requires a minimum distance of 50 yards.) 

“What happens even when there is not the problem of limited staff is people approach wildlife. They know they shouldn’t because the rules are posted everywhere,” Leslie says. “Look at Yellowstone. It has gotten out of control because people don’t want to pay attention. But what people don’t realize is quite often if an animal injures a visitor, they must kill that animal.” 

The other critical thing is to obey the speed limit and drive undistracted. There isn’t going to be as much law enforcement to tell people to slow down, so people are going to have to do the right thing. 

“There’s a speed limit for a reason,” Leslie says. “The wildlife collisions with vehicles are outrageous. Look at grizzly bear #399 who spent much of her life in the Grand Tetons. That animal was a worldwide treasure and got killed last fall from being hit by a car.” 

From 2009 to 2023, there were 49 grizzly bears killed because of vehicle collisions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. 

“We must take into consideration that species who call National Parks home are now at further risk, by being left unattended. For example, birds who represent Indigenous culture and heritage, and play key roles in the ecosystem health, and fill our days with wonder through observation and song—who are a gift to us all. That is being compromised the actions of this Administration,” Leslie says. 

“What is fraud, waste and abuse is eliminating dedicated people who do critical work to conserve wildlife and habitats.” 

Editor-in-Chief; Media/Government Relations Manager Nicole Rivard started working at Friends of Animals in 2013. She brings 28 years of journalism experience to FoA’s Action Line and to the front lines— protesting and documenting atrocities against animals.