NEW: Tip Line Program to Document Trump Administration’s Systematic Dismantling of America’s Parks and Public Lands
Save Our Parks’ New Digital Tip Line to Document Real-Time Impact of Sec. Doug Burgum’s Mismanagement, Funding Cuts, Staff Reductions, and Damage
HELENA, MT – Today, Save Our Parks, a new conservation accountability campaign that launched last week, announced a new tip line portal to collect written reports and photo documentation of Donald Trump, billionaire Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and their cronies’ systematic dismantling of America’s national parks and public lands system through devastating budget cuts, mass firings, and sell-off privatization schemes.
“Trump’s reckless mismanagement of America’s entire park and public lands system, with dangerous billionaire Burgum at the helm, will have severe consequences for people, small businesses, and communities,” said Save Our Parks spokesperson Jayson O’Neill. “We will not stand by while Trump, Burgum, and their unqualified allies systematically destroy the parks and public lands that define us as a nation and bring joy to hundreds of millions of Americans every year. That’s why we launched this one-of-a-kind tip line to monitor and expose the destruction and devastation to our country’s greatest idea: national parks. Everyone from park and public land employees to visitors and users should let us know when they see or hear anything that threatens our natural heritage.”
Trump and Burgum’s assault on our parks and public lands is only getting worse, with additional mass firings across key park and public land agencies on the horizon. House Natural Resources Ranking Member Jared Huffman and House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren recently introduced legislation to block these unnecessary and politically-motivated workforce reductions that would exacerbate the wildfire and visitor safety risks already magnified by Trump’s DOGE cuts.
As America’s most iconic parks experience record-breaking visitation while facing the most severe staffing and funding crisis in modern history, documenting and exposing conditions across America’s federal park and public lands system has never been more critical. Through monitoring reports and visitor testimonials, visitor and personal testimonial exposés, Save Our Parks will create sustained pressure on Trump administration officials and key congressional allies through targeted accountability communications. The campaign will maintain comprehensive documentation of this crisis through its website at SaveOurParks.us and social media channels @SaveOurParksUSA.
Additional Background:
The National Park Service has lost nearly a quarter of its permanent workforce since Trump took office, with some parks now operating without superintendents and at half-staff during peak visitation. Between Trump, DOGE, and Republicans’ draconian budget cuts, hiring freezes, and workforce reductions, the staffing shortages are forcing scientists, park rangers, and other safety personnel to clean toilets and pick up garbage instead of conducting critical work like ongoing maintenance and maintaining visitor safety.
The crisis is already manifesting in dangerous real-world consequences across the 640-million-acre public lands system and is poised to get worse after Trump’s spending package passed by Congressional Republicans slashed some $267 million of previously committed funding for national parks.
The economic implications of Trump’s mismanagement and assault extend far beyond park and public land boundaries. Trump’s proposed cuts target the $1 trillion recreation economy, which generates more revenue than traditional extractive industries like mining and oil and gas combined. The Bureau of Land Management’s recreation budget faces a 62% cut, while the National Park Service’s recreation funding could be slashed by 85%. These cuts directly harm the billions in economic activity that parks bring to surrounding communities, supporting jobs and businesses that depend on tourism.
Former park officials warn that Trump’s strategy represents a deliberate sabotage campaign designed to create failure and justify privatization. The administration’s budget calls for transferring parks to cash-strapped states that lack the resources to maintain them, potentially leading to closures or sales to private interests.
Trump could effectively end federal funding for national parks and public lands, threatening America’s natural, cultural, and historical treasures forever. America’s park and public land institutions are among the most popular and cost-effective federal government services, with 83% of Americans supporting increased or maintained funding for parks.
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