Weekly Watch: Government Shutdown Turn National Parks Into “Wild West”
Government Shutdown Turn National Parks Into “Wild West”; Burgum Pushes For Destructive Mining Project and Exploits Parks and Public Lands
HELENA, MT – Save Our Parks is tracking the massive assault against America’s national parks and public lands system by Donald Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and their cronies, documenting the ongoing consequences of Trump’s unprecedented attack on our nation’s natural heritage.
It didn’t take long for Trump’s most recent government shutdown to have the same deleterious effects on our national parks and public lands as his last one. Amid widespread staffing shortages that started long before the shutdown, the Black Rock Fire set Joshua Tree ablaze over the long weekend. With insufficient resources to immediately respond, the fire burned dozens of acres and forced evacuations.
Squatters and illegal BASE jumpers are taking over Yosemite, taking advantage of the shutdown and lack of staff, endangering themselves and others. “BASE jumping is illegal in all national parks, including Yosemite, due to the significant safety risks it poses to participants, the public, and first responders,” the National Park Service’s Office of Public Affairs told Newsweek. This is in addition to illegal camping and unpermitted hiking that has been rampant in Yosemite since the shutdown began, while derelict Interior Secretary Burgum tells Americans to just ignore his failures. Save Our Parks is asking the public to report issues at our parks and on our public lands at our tip line.
All of this chaos hasn’t stopped Trump and Burgum from trying to push through more privatization and sell-off schemes, instead of doing their jobs of protecting our parks, public lands, wildlife, and people. The Trump administration has breathed new life into the destructive Ambler Road mining project, which, if successful, would run directly through Alaska’s Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve..
More than just a simple road, this money-grab mineral mining project would destroy some of the most pristine wilderness landscapes in the entire country, threaten the surrounding wildlife, decimate wild salmon populations Alaskans depend on, and do immeasurable harm to the Native Alaskan communities that call the region home. If Trump and Burgum have their way, the road will be up and running in less than a year, with construction starting in the spring. However, that fanciful view doesn’t take into account the many obstacles the project still faces, including pending permits and potential lawsuits; uncertainty about who’s going to pay for it; and tension between the state agency pushing the project and the two Indigenous-owned corporations that own land along the route.
Permitting could be a major obstacle under Burgum’s overt mismanagement and planned workforce reductions. Not only has Burgum and Trump’s DOGE forced out or laid off many of the federal workers who do permitting analysis, he is still planning on more RIFs, which include cutting an additional 50% of the workforce in some departments and 30% from the National Park Service. Tech billionaire Burgum has now cooked up a crazy plan to use artificial intelligence for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews and permitting processes.
The Ambler Road project and other extractive and fossil fuel-focused projects will undoubtedly be a boon for the dozens and dozens of Trump administration and Interior Department officials who are directly tied to oil, gas, and coal. More than the People’s House, the White House has become a real who’s who of dirty energy power players, many of whom are missing their legally-required ethics and financial disclosure paperwork, including wealthy investment banker Kevin Lilly and Acting BLM Director Bill Groffy. Check out a list of Burgum’s latest Secretarial Order cronies and their lack of transparency.
And, speaking of transparency, where is Burgum as our parks burn and get vandalized? No one knows because he doesn’t provide a public schedule or a calendar.
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
Desert Sun: Fire burning at Joshua Tree National Park amid staff shortages due to government shutdown
“A vegetation fire that broke out at a campground in Joshua Tree National Park on Sunday has burned 72 acres and 80% contained as of Monday morning, according to file officials. Cal Fire's San Bernardino unit said on X that the fire is not one of its incidents but that it is located at Black Rock campground, which has been evacuated and no longer open to the public. The fire is surrounded by flame retardant, the fire agency added.”
JDSupra: Using AI in NEPA Analysis and Permitting
“But their adoption raises concerns about error rates, bias, and explainability… Even in the absence of such errors, project opponents may seek to exploit concerns about the use of AI tools in litigation. It remains to be seen if and how courts will give deference to agency decision-making reliant on AI.”
Flathead Beacon: Federal Cuts Endanger USGS 'Dream Team,' Threaten Science in Northern Rockies
“For the past nine months, vital research into the most pressing ecological challenges spanning the northern Rockies has faced a countdown to extinction as budget cuts and the specter of mass layoffs threatens to eliminate U.S. Geological Survey programs in the Crown of the Continent and beyond.”
Privatization and Sell-Offs
Explore: This Alaskan National Park Will Never Be The Same After Trump's Ambler Road Mining Project
“The proposed project is a private gravel road that will be used exclusively for industrial mining purposes. It will cut right through an awe-inspiring national park in Alaska — Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, which is one of the must-see places in Alaska for first-time visitors. Environmentalists, conservationists, and hundreds of thousands of nature lovers are outraged.”
National Parks Conservation Association: Secretary Burgum, Tell Us Why
“President Theodore Roosevelt once stated, ‘The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value.’ Tell us why you’re forcing park staff to leave parks open and unprotected during the government shutdown.”
NOTUS: How the Western Caucus Is Trying to Win Influence in Congress
“The Western Caucus is more aligned with oil and gas companies than conservationists. ‘Our parks provide billions of dollars for Western states and economic development and opportunity, and the Western caucuses have done nothing, as the Trump administration has violated the law by illegally firing employees, RIFing them, forcing employees out, misappropriating congressional funds.’”
Community Impacts
Fox News: Squatters take over Yosemite as shutdown leaves popular national park with few rangers: report
“Squatters have moved into Yosemite National Park’s campgrounds and rule-breakers are pushing boundaries as ranger patrols are stretched thin during the prolonged federal shutdown, according to a park employee who described growing disorder inside the park. ‘There are lots of squatters in the campgrounds,’ the employee told SFGATE. ‘There are lots of people that truly believe they can do whatever they want because of the lack of rangers. They’ve told us.’”
SF Gate: Squatters, illegal BASE jumpers invade Yosemite amid federal shutdown
“A little over a week since the Oct. 1 shutdown of the federal government, videos and photos have surfaced on social media showing visitors to Yosemite National Park engaging in dangerous and illegal behaviors, including BASE jumping from El Capitan and climbing Half Dome’s cables without permits.”
Stories on the Trail
@SaveOurParksUSA Our parks belong to all of us — not to polluters, vandals, or poachers.
Trump’s shutdown and Doug Burgum’s silence are putting them at risk.
Protect what’s yours:
🟢 saveourparks.us/tip-line
[Click the link in our bio to learn more]
@KTLA: With most of Yosemite's staff furloughed since the federal government Oct. 1 shutdown, at least one person described the state of the beloved national park as "the Wild, Wild West."
@western.priorities: Do YOU want mining roads in undeveloped wilderness areas? Neither do I!
@americanhuntersanglers: A foreign-owned copper mine just a quarter mile from the Boundary Waters?! 😡If they can destroy this place, nowhere’s safe. We still believe in democracy. We still believe in you. Let’s stop this mine. Let’s protect the Boundary Waters.
@National_Parks_Traveler: National Park Service staff are taking notice of how climate change is impacting the experience of visitors, according to interviews with 63 staff across 31 NPS units. From sea-level rise at coastal parks to fire and smoke in forested areas, climate change is changing the way visitors interact with national parks across the country.
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 jayson@focalpointstrategygroup.com.
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