Weekly Watch: One Year of Smug Doug’s Reign of Failures
One Year Into Smug Doug’s Reign of Failures Means All Our Parks And Public Lands Worse Off
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.
The Americans have been subject to one year of Smug Doug’s reign of failures, and we’re all worse off for it. Specifically, our national parks and public lands, which suffered immensely under Burgum’s failed leadership and management. First, budgets and employees working to protect our birthrights and outdoors were DOGE’d early on as part of the now 80% complete Trump-Burgum Project 2025 Agenda, this administration’s fail-by-design plan Burgum is implementing to sell off and privatize our outdoor heritage. We all know once our public lands are sold and our parks are privatized, they're gone for good – and Burgum’s well on his way to completing his mission. If you have any doubts about just how unpopular Burgum’s fail-by-design plan is, just take a look at new polling from Montana and Idaho, two states with robust outdoor economies.
Voters in both states are overwhelmingly opposed to “Selloff Steve” Pearce’s nomination to be director of the Bureau of Land Management, and say they would actually view their U.S. Senators more favorably for taking a stand against him. If confirmed, Pearce would immediately implement Burgum’s fail-by-design scheme to a T, leaving no public lands left in public hands. The poll found near universal agreement in Idaho and Montana, with almost 100% saying that public lands are important to their state.
But Burgum isn’t concerned with the opinions of the American public. Last year, thousands of park employees were summarily fired or forced into early retirement, adding up to a full one-fourth of the National Park Service’s permanent staff. As a result, our parks have been decimated while Exterior Secretary Burgum invents new jobs for himself, gallivanting around the world to push Trump’s losing energy agenda. Burgum’s foreign adventurism most recently included assuming the role of Venezuelan Minister of Oil, adding South American oil revitalization to the list of things he’s focusing on instead of protecting our parks and public lands.
Rather than do his actual job and steward America’s Interior, Burgum parlayed his colossal failure of a presidential campaign into a mini-fiefdom at the Interior Department, where, in addition to forcing political appointees to staff his meals and bake him cookies, he’s obediently undertaken a campaign of mass censorship in parks across the country. In the name of MAGA-washing history they don’t like, Burgum is working overtime to scrub our parks clean of any mentions of the climate crisis, as well as Black, Native American, and LGBTQ+ history. As if this rank abuse of power and docile servitude to Trump’s feelings over the interests of the American people wasn’t bad enough, Burgum and his merry band of cronies have used their government positions to make a killing. Just look at Karen Budd-Falen, Burgum’s number three at the department.
In addition to running a corrupt, non-transparent Interior Department while stripping our National Park Service and public land managing agencies down to the bone, Burgum has made abundantly clear that he has abandoned the North Dakota values he supposedly once held. Rather than working to calm tensions after the violent killings of American citizens at the hands of masked federal ICE agents in Minneapolis this month, Burgum is steadfastly standing by Kristi Noem, another failed former Dakotan governor, and ludicrously blaming officials in Minnesota and the previous administration for the state-sanctioned violence in our streets. Even Donald Trump knows to tamp things down after the second killing of an American citizen by ICE agents in the same month. But Burgum is always one step behind.
It’s been a hellish year for parks, public lands, conservationism, history, good government, and the law under Smug Doug. Let us know if we missed anything from Doug’s disastrous first year on the job?
Parks and Public Lands in the News:
Safety and Preparedness
Arizona Republic: Arizona preps for 2026 wildfires after federal funding cuts
“In December, 161 city and county government leaders across the Western United States signed a letter expressing concern for the impact of federal cuts to the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. Addressed to states’ attorneys general, the letter calls on them to investigate the legality of “reckless” federal actions that have hurt these agencies, and, as a result, local mitigation efforts against the threat of wildfires.”
The Cool Down: Onlooker sparks outrage with video of tourists’ reckless behavior at US national park: ‘Should be arrested’
“Footage posted to the Facebook group Yellowstone National Park: Invasion of The Idiots showed some egregious behavior from tourists that inflamed onlookers.”
Mother Jones: Federal Judge Nixes Rule That Enabled Clearcutting in the Name of Taming Wildfires
“This case demonstrates that…calling out fire is not enough to get you a get-out-of-jail free card,” said Ralph Bloemers, executive director of Green Oregon Alliance. “You have to back it up with some actual truth.”
Privatization and Sell-Offs
Daily Montanan: Poll shows Montanans oppose nomination of Pearce to lead BLM
“According to the poll conducted by RABA Research and released by the Montana Wildlife Fund, 75% of voters in Montana oppose the nomination of Steve Pearce. Identical surveys conducted in Idaho and New Mexico showed similar results.”
E&E News: BLM nominee Pearce begins meeting with lawmakers
“President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management is meeting individually with members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ahead of a still-unscheduled confirmation hearing.”
National Parks Traveler: Why “Sell-Off Steve” Pearce Is A Threat To Our National Parks
“This is a pride Steve Pearce does not share. Where I, and the thousands of visitors I served working at Rocky see majesty, Pearce sees a mistake. For Pearce has criticized Teddy Roosevelt for establishing the West’s national parks and public lands, a stance so radically unpopular not even the most anti-public lands politicians dare take. Imagine—visiting Rocky Mountain National Park and seeing a mistake.”
Community Impacts
National Parks Traveler: Environmental Groups Claim Trump Administration Violated Laws In Approving Alaska Road
“Conservationists fighting Alaskan efforts to build a 211-mile industrial mining road across pristine lands of the southern Brooks Range, including a portion of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, told a federal court that President Donald Trump and his team violated numerous environmental laws in pushing through approvals to let it proceed.”
Inside Climate News: The ‘Biggest Tragedy’ of Trump’s Gutting of the National Park Service
“This sudden hollowing out of institutional knowledge, Sams said during an interview at his kitchen table, was the most pernicious aspect of the attack on the park service—one that cannot be easily righted. ‘It’s the biggest tragedy I see,’ he said.”
New York Times: How the National Park Service Is Deleting American History
“The president wants to present what he considers a more positive view of American history to millions of people who visit more than 400 national parks and historic sites each year. Critics call it whitewashing, an attempt to erase difficult periods in the nation’s past as well as contributions made by people of color, gay and transgender figures, women and other marginalized groups.”
Washington Post: National park signs related to Native Americans, climate change to be removed
“Trump officials have ordered national parks to remove dozens of signs and displays related to climate change, environmental protection and settlers’ mistreatment of Native Americans in a renewed push to implement President Donald Trump’s executive order on ‘restoring truth and sanity to American history.’”
The Daily Beast: Trump Censors Slammed for Major Changes at National Parks
“The Trump administration is scrubbing information about climate change, historic racism and sexism, as well as LGBTQ+ rights, from the country’s national parks.”
Stories on the Trail
@thedailybeast: The Trump administration is scrubbing educational signs and materials from at least 18 national parks across the country in a bid to create a MAGA-washed version of the truth.
@americanhuntersanglers: Karen Budd-Falen’s family landed $3.5 million from a mining project in Nevada she helped fast-track as a top Interior Department Official. She never disclosed it. Now Congress wants answers. Come on, Karen. It’s looking swampy....
@national_parks_traveler: “And there was a deeper pride still, pride not only to be employed to steward such a place, but pride to be born of a nation that had the foresight and wisdom to protect places like Rocky Mountain National Park for we the people.”
“This is a pride Steve Pearce does not share.”
@NPCA: BREAKING: The administration has dismantled the President’s House exhibit — which explored the lives of enslaved people at President George Washington’s residence — at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.
@protectNPS: Removing history doesn’t restore “truth.” The Park Service has taken down an exhibit on slavery at Independence National Historical Park, part of a broader effort to erase stories of slavery, racism, and injustice from our parks.
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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