Following mass firings from the Trump administration in February, the National Park Service has reportedly lost 9% of its staff, an estimated 1,000 employees. According to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), 34 field offices and facilities are now also possibly facing closures. This comes at a time of peak visitor volume, spring break, leaving parks understaffed and unprepared.

The 1,000 National Park service worker layoff is a result of a plan led by Elon Musk at the Department of Government Efficiency, with the motivation of decreasing government spending, which is a pillar of the Trump administration. Musk has also laid off an unconfirmed number of probationary government employees to attempt to cut administration spending, though nearly all 220,000 employees with less than a year of experience are expected to be affected, according to the Associated Press (AP) comprehensive overview article Feb. 21. The Defense Department also instilled a hiring freeze. 

With staff cuts come consequences to the park environments and visitors. Less workers can result in uncleaned bathrooms, loss of wildlife protection, potential ecosystem damage and less researchers, the NPCA said.

“[Recently fired botanist at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park] and staff said they received an email saying they were being fired due to performance, despite having positive performance appraisals,” Linda Coutant, a NPCA communications team member wrote on in a NPCA blog Feb. 20, following the mass firing.

The National Park Service was reportedly already overwhelmed, but this additional onset of struggles is pushing the service to a “breaking point.” 

“And the consequences will be felt in our parks for years,” said Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association, in an interview with AP.