Weekly Watch: Fail-By-Design Plan
Trump and Burgum Plot to Steal Public Access Resources, Float Elites’ Boats, and New ‘Under Siege’ Research Report Details Fail-By-Design Plan
HELENA, MT – Save Our Parks is tracking the massive assault against America’s national parks and public lands system by Donald Trump, billionaire Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and their cronies, documenting the ongoing consequences of Trump’s unprecedented attack on our nation’s natural heritage.
Now, the Trump administration and billionaire Burgum have hatched a plan to systematically dismantle Americans’ public access to public lands and waters for hunting, fishing, and recreation by stripping funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which protects parks, open spaces, recreational facilities, wildlife, water resources, and access across all 50 states without using taxpayer dollars.
Despite the move being illegal, reporting reveals that Trump and Burgum plan to raid LWCF funding to address the national park maintenance backlogs—backlogs amplified by their own massive cuts to park budgets. Ironically, making LWCF funding permanent was a signature piece of legislation for Trump during his first term and was championed by then-junior Montana Senator Steve Daines during his re-election bid. Everyone is right to question this illegal robbing of public access to pay for park backlogs that will benefit private corporate concessionaires—a key element of Trump’s past park privatization attempts. They should also openly question their federal elected officials as to where all the alleged ‘savings’ from the draconian DOGE cuts have gone and why those alleged ‘savings’ aren’t being used for the park maintenance backlog.
While making these devastating decisions, the administration’s cronies indulge in personal luxuries: JD Vance had water levels raised for his private kayaking, while Trump wastes National Park Service resources building a lavish golden ballroom for billionaire galas, and Burgum reassigns the D.C. park police, who are at their lowest staffing levels since the 1970s, for Trump’s political distraction. As taxpayers receive fewer services, the wealthy exploit federal resources for personal gain and political power.
From iconic national treasures to local community parks and fishing access sites, LWCF has proven that protecting public lands drives economic prosperity, which makes the plan to raid this successful program even more destructive to America’s communities and economy. Over the past six decades, America’s most important park, public lands, and wildlife fund, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, has delivered massive economic and conservation victories across America’s heartland.
Montana: LWCF’s $649.5 million investment has protected the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the Blackfoot River watershed, and Glacier National Park while generating $2.9 billion in economic value, 29,453 jobs, and 4.3% of the state’s entire economy.
Idaho: Received $305.2 million to protect the Boise Foothills, Sawtooth Valley, and Hell’s Canyon, contributing $4 billion in economic value and 37,478 jobs to the state economy.
Maine: $226.8 million in LWCF funding has safeguarded Acadia National Park and the Appalachian Trail while supporting $3.4 billion in economic activity and 29,863 jobs.
Wyoming: $2 million in LWCF funding protected Devil’s Canyon Ranch at the Craig Thomas Little Mountain Special Management Area, preserving critical wildlife habitat for elk, black bear, bighorn sheep, and mountain lion.
North Dakota: LWCF supported the Dakota Grassland Conservation Area protecting North America’s largest remaining intact grassland habitats while providing critical habitat for countless birds and other wildlife, except for the sage grouse, which is no longer found in Burgum’s home state.
South Dakota: LWCF protects the Blood Run National Historic Landmark Area, preserving nationally important cultural icons and unique forest tracts.
LWCF’s critical conservation work spans America’s most treasured landscapes—all now threatened by Trump and Burgum’s funding raids. These irreplaceable conservation victories—protecting wildlife, cultural heritage, and recreation access across America’s heartland— and countless others are exactly what Trump and Burgum plan to sacrifice for their politically motivated budget raids.
This week, Save Our Parks released “Parks & Public Lands Under Siege,” a research report documenting how America’s natural heritage faces an unprecedented assault from Donald Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and their allies. The report’s release follows Trump and Burgum’s directive to divert already understaffed National Park Service police from protecting our parks to facilitating the administration’s authoritarian control of the nation’s capital.
The Parks & Public Lands Under Siege research report exposes Burgum’s systematic destruction of America’s park and public land system through massive budget cuts, dangerous staffing reductions that have led to visitor deaths, and his deep financial conflicts of interest with wealthy fossil fuel and developer fat cats. While Trump diverts park police resources to militarize Washington D.C. as a distraction, parks face unprecedented safety crises with scientists cleaning bathrooms and essential positions eliminated, all part of a calculated three-step plan: slash budgets and staff, allow parks to deteriorate while ignoring public concerns, then claim private companies can better manage the parks they deliberately sabotaged.
Each week, Save Our Parks compiles and distributes a roundup documenting threats to America’s national parks and public lands. Our weekly watch report tracks budget cuts, staffing shortages, privatization efforts, and policy changes affecting our treasured natural and historical sites. Compiled news coverage, eyewitness accounts, and official reports from across the country provide essential information in order to hold the Trump administration, Secretary Burgum, and lawmakers accountable and defend our shared natural heritage.
Parks and Public Lands in the News:
Safety and Preparedness
Slate: “America’s Best Idea” Slams Into One of Trump’s Worst Ones
“The National Park Service has lost a quarter of its permanent staff since January, and the White House has proposed slashing a third of NPS’s budget. Ultimately, Congress decided to claw back close to $300 million of already-approved funds for our parks. But the reduction is still notable, says Jon B. Jarvis, who served as the 18th director of NPS. ‘The thing to think about the budget and the park service is it’s an operational budget,’ explains Jarvis. ‘The money pays staff to be in parks, to be there for the public, to help them have a good experience, to put out fires, to look out for wildlife, to tell the public how they can safely experience the park, to fix signs and plow roads and clean bathrooms and all of those things they have to do.’”
Seattle Times: The Enchantments face dire conditions amid staffing shortage
“Visiting the area last week, five weeks into the peak Enchantments season, was palpably worse than a similar visit last year. Pit toilets overflow with human waste, garbage mars backcountry trails and illegal campfires threaten a bone-dry forest. Social media-driven crowds are flocking to Colchuck Lake, many underprepared for the trek. Search-and-rescue calls, including one for an Aug. 3 fatal drowning, tax county resources. Camping permits issued via an oversubscribed lottery mostly go unchecked.”
Fox 13 Seattle: WA hiker’s viral video shows overgrown trails, full toilets in national park
“Outdoor lovers warned months ago that federal budget cuts to the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service would hit hard come summer. Now, with summer in full swing, many say the impact is undeniable. One of them is Ame Manser, a Spokane-based outdoor recreation content creator who recently posted a now-viral Instagram reel showing overgrown trails, overflowing pit toilets, and rutted paths on one of her favorite hikes in North Cascades National Park.”
“Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Monday pledged the support of the U.S. Park Police to President Donald Trump's extraordinary invocation of federal powers to clamp down on crime and homelessness in the nation’s capital. Speaking at a White House press event announcing Trump’s order to deploy National Guard troops in the city, Burgum said park officers were grateful for the president’s law enforcement push.”
Privatization and Sell-Offs
More Than Just Parks: Inside the Hidden Plan to Destroy Our National Parks Behind Clean Bathrooms
“The Park Service is losing the people who once carried out its core mission – the rangers, biologists, and cultural resource specialists who put preservation before profit. In their place, concessionaires and contractors are moving in. They can sell you a T-shirt or rent you a kayak, but they are not there to guard a cultural site from looting or to keep a poacher out of a wildlife corridor.”
E&E News: Interior weighs steering conservation cash toward park maintenance
“The Interior Department has been preparing a plan to siphon funds from a popular conservation program to public lands maintenance projects, potentially setting up a spending battle with Congress, according to a person familiar with the document. The memorandum being drafted by Interior seeks to reallocate funds intended to purchase new federal lands or pay for state grants and instead put that money toward repairs and upkeep at national parks and other federal sites.”
Community Impacts
Salt Lake Tribune: Moab restaurants see decline in international visitation and spending
“Summer is wrapping up its final weeks in Moab, allowing businesses to prepare for the next wave of tourists. While data reflects tourism is down nationally and locally, some businesses are staying hopeful — while others are worried about closing come December. ‘Moving into the winter, it’s the first time in a long time that I’m legitimately concerned,’ said Ryan Bird, co-owner of Moab Garage Co.”
WKU: ‘They’re not allowed to speak to us’ National parks clam up amid Trump staffing cuts
“But that connection to the park is just as important for Bar Harbor businesses, who are watching with concern. ‘We tend to say, well, what happens in Bar Harbor affects the national park and what happens in the national park affects Bar Harbor,’ said Everal Eaton, executive director for the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce. The chamber’s members are confronting a number of uncertainties this summer. Historically, Canadian tourists have made up 4% of visitors to the area, but they're staying away this summer in the wake of tariffs, and comments made by President Trump about annexing their country.”
CBS News: White House launching review of Smithsonian museums to “ensure alignment” with Trump’s plans
“The White House is launching an internal review of some of the Smithsonian Institution’s best-known museums, seeking to ‘celebrate American exceptionalism’ and remove what it views as ‘divisive or ideologically driven language.’ The review was announced in a letter Tuesday to Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie Bunch, signed by Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and two other White House aides. It comes after President Trump signed an executive order in March pushing for changes at the Smithsonian, including the removal of ‘improper ideology.’”
Vox: The Trump administration apparently cares about…eagles?
“Bald eagles don’t need saving from Trump officials. The many species that do, meanwhile, are losing protections because of policy decisions by those very same officials. So far, the Trump administration has moved to limit the scope of laws meant to safeguard migratory birds, including eagles, and all federally endangered species, seemingly to loosen restrictions on the oil and gas industry. Separately, in May, the administration took steps to undo federal protections for the lesser prairie-chicken, an imperiled ground bird in Texas that lives atop oil-rich lands. It’s also planning to open up eagle-filled wilderness in Alaska to drilling, cut funding for a bird-monitoring program, and log more US forests, which are famously where birds live. Ironically, it’s the policies and programs that Trump officials are now eroding that helped save bald eagles in the first place. So if the administration was serious about helping eagles — or the hundreds of other American bird species, from hummingbirds to owls — it’s pretty clear that its actions would look a lot different.”
Stories on the Ground
Last week, Save Our Parks launched a digital tip line to document the real-time impact of the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of America’s national parks and public lands system. The tip line portal collects written reports and photo documentation of devastating budget cuts, mass firings, and privatization schemes. With Trump’s “park and public land failure by design so his cronies can privatize” schemes advancing, the tip line aims to create a comprehensive public record documenting how this administration is directly harming our nation’s most treasured natural resources and the communities that depend on them.
@GwynandAmi: “We just visited North Cascades National Park and hiked a trail we used to love, but this time it felt completely neglected. 🌲The reason why? This federal government has enacted MASSIVE park ranger layoffs and massive budget cuts, not allocating to proper resources to care for these beautiful places. 🌲🏔️Here are things we’ve seen on our public lands in the past few months ⤵️ 🌿 Many trails are overgrown 🚧 Trailhead roads are barely maintained 🚽 Bathrooms at the trailheads are full of 💩 and many don’t have toilet paper”
@NPCAPics: 📢 Calling all Park Protectors! 📆 NPCA is leading a Day of Action to #ProtectEveryPark on 8/23. We’re taking action online, AND have more than 30 in-person events across the country. ⚠️ We could lose more than 350 national parks unless we come together and put an end to the reckless attacks on park staff, funding, and the parks themselves. ➡️ If you love parks, we need you – learn more at npca.org/everypark and tag a friend to spread the word.
The Crisis Continues:
The crisis continues to escalate across America’s 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 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 supporting visitor safety.
Save Our Parks documents and exposes conditions across America’s federal park and public lands system through monitoring reports, visitor testimonials, and accountability research. The campaign maintains comprehensive documentation through its website at SaveOurParks.us.
To speak with Save Our Parks spokesperson Jayson O’Neill, email press@saveourparks.us.
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