Weekly Watch: Where’s Doug Burgum?
New Tracking Website: “Where’s Doug Burgum?” Exposes Interior Secretary Burgum’s Secretive Operations and Censorship
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.
This week, Donald Trump and his administration ordered national parks to remove materials regarding slavery and Native Americans following Trump’s Executive Order instructing the Park Service to remove or cover up materials they don’t like. This brazen censorship strikes at the heart of our national parks’ mission: educating Americans on the full truth of our nation’s history and heritage.
Hot tip: We’re hearing Burgum is going to be at Independence National Historical Park this Friday, potentially overseeing the removal of historical materials from our nation’s history.
Earlier this month, 45 local historical groups, led by the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, penned a letter to Trump and billionaire Burgum objecting to the administration’s attacks on Independence Park threatening more than a dozen exhibits about slavery. Now, Burgum is rumored to be making an appearance at Independence Park after he swings through Pennsylvania to speak at yet another energy conference—a victory lap for historical erasure.
Save Our Parks today launched a new website tracking project, “Where’s Doug Burgum?”, to expose Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s unprecedented secrecy and lack of transparency as America’s national parks and public lands face their worst staffing crisis in history. Unlike his predecessors, Burgum refuses to share a public schedule, leaving Americans in the dark about how their Interior Secretary spends taxpayer time while over 8,000 Interior employees have been fired and the National Park Service has lost 25% of its staff. The new tracking website documents Burgum’s rare public appearances, from Fox News hits to international oil conferences, while parks and public lands crumble under his “fail-by-design” strategy.
The “Where’s Doug Burgum?” website is available at saveourparks.us and will be regularly updated as Save Our Parks continues to expose the systematic destruction of America’s parks and public lands. Do you know where Doug is—and who is he really working for? Hit up our tip line with intel.
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
E&E News: Burgum rolls out plan for Interior-based wildfire service
“Critics of the administration’s fire unification effort thus far have warned that Interior's fire agency needs to recognize the dual responsibility of putting out wildfires and managing their natural role in the environment. Tim Ingalsbee, executive director at Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, said Tuesday that Trump administration rhetoric suggests the key role that fire plays in land management isn’t being prioritized enough. ‘It's retrograde, a throwback to talking about fire purely in terms of threat, risk, danger,’ Ingalsbee said.”
SFGate: National park hub without water after heavy storm overwhelms supply system
“Restrooms in the area have been shut down completely, and the historic 121-room Paradise Inn is also operating without running toilets, water fountains, showers and sinks as of Sept. 14. The inn’s dining room has been shut down, and food options are limited at the nearby Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center and Tatoosh Cafe, according to a notification sent to guests. When the Park Service saw slashes to permanent staff earlier this year, Mount Rainier National Park reportedly let go of the park’s only on-staff plumber, according to the Association of National Park Rangers.”
“Workers at Yosemite National Park have been forced to contend with one of its busiest summers on record, and a whopping 40% increase in rescues as drastic Trump administration cuts take their toll. Data from the National Park Service reveals that 2,919,772 people visited the park between January and August of this year, a 7% increase over the same period last year. Between January and July, there was a huge 40% increase in rescues, according to data reported by Politico.”
Privatization and Sell-Offs
Public Domain: Major Burgum Donor Lands Plum Job at Interior Department
“But Public Domain sifted through campaign donation data and discovered that Hague has also been a major campaign contributor to Doug Burgum, the current Interior Secretary. Whether the two men have some sort of personal connection is unclear, but in 2023, during Burgum’s failed run for the Republican presidential nomination, Hague donated $3,300 to the election effort.”
High Country News: Decades of public-lands planning, overturned in a day
“In Montana, the disappearance of that blueprint will have immediate consequences. Ranchers face uncertainty on how many cattle they can run, when their permits will be renewed, and what will happen during a serious drought. Tribal cultural sites are likely to be left unprotected and years of tribal consultation overridden. Conservation groups warn that congressional vetoes could sideline science-based safeguards for vulnerable habitats.”
Inside Climate News: Trump Administration Moves to Dismantle Conservation as an Official Use of Public Lands
“Conservation would no longer count as an official use of federal public lands under a plan announced by the U.S. Department of the Interior. On Wednesday, the agency declared its intent to rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s 2024 Public Lands Rule, which placed conservation on equal footing with uses such as natural gas drilling, mining, ranching, grazing, timber production and recreation. The decision would effectively deny the use of public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management for any non-extractive purpose, opponents say.”
News From The States: After national parks hearing, MAGA forces continue public land assault, greens say
“As Congress conducted a high-profile hearing in Grand Teton National Park 10 days ago to support parks funding, President Donald Trump’s administration and supporters were busy elsewhere eliminating public land protections across the West. The Grand Teton hearing conducted by the House Committee on Natural Resources on Sept. 5 heard widespread support for resolving a backlog of maintenance at national parks, along with calls to restore DOGE staffing cuts. But the committee meeting at the spectacular Jenny Lake Plaza came amidst a flurry of attacks against rules protecting wildlife, its habitat and preservation funds, conservationists said.”
Idaho Capital Sun: With 700 daily visitors, Grand Teton National Park's Taggart Lake trailhead is up for expansion
“The busy Taggart Lake trailhead underscores the broader challenges growing visitation presents to national park managers. Grand Teton and Yellowstone both reported record visitation in 2021. Visitations dipped since then, but the overall trend is still climbing…Public lands advocates are keeping a close eye on national parks this year in the wake of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency efforts. Since the Trump administration took office, the National Park Service has lost 24% of its permanent staff, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.”
Community Impacts
Washington Post: National park to remove photo of enslaved man’s scars
“The individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media, said the removals were in line with President Donald Trump’s March executive order directing the Interior Department to eliminate information that reflects a ‘corrosive ideology’ that disparages historic Americans. National Park Service officials are broadly interpreting that directive to apply to information on racism, sexism, slavery, gay rights or persecution of Indigenous people.”
NPR: Books about slavery could be removed from NPS museums, gift shops
“In a statement, the U.S. Department of the Interior in charge of national parks says items not consistent with the president's order will be removed or edited. It does not address the process on how it will be done. The agency posted park signs this summer, asking people to report negative information about Americans past and present.”
Washington Post: Black communities, shaken by Trump cuts, feel ‘left behind again’
“Then a company announced plans to build a $400 million grain export terminal. Community members appealed to the National Park Service to have a 11-mile swath of land running through their town and county designated a national historic landmark. That would prevent companies from setting up shop, safeguarding residents’ air, water and land, Banner said.”
Stories on the Trail
@BackCountry_H_A: THE USDA is moving to rescind the Roadless Rule, putting 45M acres of public lands within national forests at risk for roadbuilding. More roads = more wildfire risk, fragmented wildlife habitat and degraded water quality.
@LWCFCoalition: The Great American Outdoors Act has been a great success & has helped #LWCF fund new hunting & fishing access across the country but the Dept of the Interior just released a Secretarial Order that severely restricts #LWCF’s ability to provide access & protect our public lands.
@Phil_Lewis: The Trump administration has reportedly ordered the removal of signs and exhibits related to slavery at multiple national parks, including the historic photograph “The Scourged Back”
@PopCrave: The Donald Trump administration has ordered the removal of all exhibits/signs related to slavery at numerous national parks.
@JamesWakinshaw: The Trump Administration’s directive to cover up or remove references to slavery in our national parks demonstrates a deep insecurity. A nation led by people too weak and fearful to grapple honestly with our past is a nation not prepared to face the challenges of the present.
@MJFree: America’s national parks are our family albums. We point to a ridge in Yellowstone or a tide pool in Olympic and say: this is who we are. The Trump administration has a different notion of heritage: if it can be drilled, mined, or paved, it’s “productive.” If not, it’s “red tape.” That worldview now animates a blitz of rollbacks that would turn our parks into postcards from the past—beautiful to remember, but degraded in real life.
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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