The National Park Service Is Grappling With Massive Layoffs. What You Should Know.

Climbers hang upside-down flag at Yosemite in protest of layoffs

Protesters hung an upside-down American flag at Yosemite National Park over the weekend after the Trump administration's layoffs.

• The National Park Service laid off approximately 1,000 employees, many of whom were on probationary periods, in February.
• The layoffs are part of President Trump's efforts to reduce the size of the federal government.
• Park advocates warn that the layoffs will negatively impact the parks' ability to serve visitors and protect resources, especially during the busy season.

The National Park Service’s mission is to preserve “unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” 

However, there are fewer people to do so after recent layoffs directed by the Trump Administration. 

From Gettysburg to Yosemite, parks of all sizes have been impacted by the sudden loss of staff ahead of their busy season, and some visitors are already feeling the effects. 

Here are the most common questions and answers about the National Park Service layoffs. 

The layoffs are part of President Donald Trump’s larger efforts to shrink the size of the federal government. 

A White House fact sheet on the executive order calling for reducing the workforce said, “The government wastes billions of dollars each year on duplicative programs and frivolous expenditures that fail to align with American values or address the needs of the American people.”  

However, the National Park Service topped the list of government agencies seen favorably by U.S. adults, according to a Pew Research study last July, and national parks are widely considered to be among America’s greatest treasures. 

A National Park Service spokesperson told USA TODAY, “The National Park Service is working closely with the Office of Personnel Management to ensure we are prioritizing fiscal responsibility for the American people. As always, NPS will continue to provide critical services and deliver excellent customer service.”  

However, park advocates like the independent National Parks Conservation Association and Coalition to Protect National Parks warn the level of service and ability to protect and share park resources will diminish with fewer staff. 

Roughly 1,000 National Park Service employees were terminated on Feb. 14, which some critics are referring to as the “Valentine’s Day massacre.” 

Many of those employees were on probationary periods, but that doesn’t mean they were all new to parks. It’s common for park rangers to move between parks and roles over the course of their careers. Each time they do, they enter a probation period for their new role, according to park advocates.

There are typically 20,000 permanent, temporary and seasonal employees within the Park Service, according to its website.  

Seasonal employees make up thousands of those positions. 

Seasonal workers “welcome and educate visitors, conduct research, protect our resources, help keep our parks looking beautiful, and so much more,” according to the Park Service’s website. They are critical to park operations, particularly in busy months, but they do not replace the behind-the-scenes work and expertise of year-round employees. 

An Interior Department memo obtained by NPCA and shared with USA TODAY indicates that despite a hiring freeze enacted on President Donald Trump’s first day back in office, the National Park Service has been approved to hire 7,700 seasonal workers, which NPCA says is in line with NPS hiring in the past.  

The are 433 sites within the National Park System, spanning more than 85 million acres. 

They range from national memorials to national seashores. All of them are considered national parks even though only 63 have "national park" in their name, like Great Smoky Mountains. 

More than 325 million people visited national parks in 2023, the most recent year for which national park statistics are publicly available. 

Several parks have already announced reduced operations since the layoffs, including Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado, which specifically cited staffing issues as reason for closing two days a week.