Nearly 4,500 workers from the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service have been laid off due to cuts initiated by the Trump administration, nearly a quarter of the work force.
The Department of the Interior plans to terminate newly hired 1,000 full-time employees, raising concerns about the potential understaffing of national parks.
A hiring freeze isa inlace that will affect the 7,000 and 8,000 seasonal employees hired each year. The park service employs 20,000 people.
In 2023, approximately 325m people visited national park sites, contributing around $26.4bn to local economies and supporting 415,000 jobs.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most-visited park, had over 13.2m visitors in 2023, showcasing the importance of staffing and funding for public lands.
