Leaders from Colorado conservation groups and the Center for Western Priorities called on President Donald Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Colorado’s congressional delegation to stop attacking and instead fully fund America’s parks and public lands.
At a live taping of The Landscape podcast, the Keep Parks Public tour highlighted the ongoing threats to American public lands, including increased risk of catastrophic wildfire, limited access to educational programming in the parks, diminished earnings for local businesses, and pollution brought from companies seeking to extract natural resources.
“America’s public lands are more than just places on a map — they are where families connect, where traditions like hunting, fishing, and camping are passed down, and where we find clean water, fresh air, and a sense of belonging,” said Scott Fitzwilliams, former supervisor of Colorado’s White River National Forest. “Protecting these lands isn’t just about conservation; it’s about safeguarding the American way of life for generations to come.”
“Blocking efforts in the Republican budget bill to sell off public lands was an important win, but the threats to our public lands are far from over,” said Kelly Nordini, chief executive officer of Conservation Colorado. “Coloradans rely on these lands to support our communities, economy, and way of life — and we’ve made it clear we want them protected for future generations.”
Across the country, funding and staffing shortages have left national parks, monuments, and forests scrambling to serve summer visitors:
At Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado, all custodial staff have been terminated, and a third of the park’s 74 positions remain vacant.
At the nearby Curecanti National Recreation Area, four out of ten campgrounds were closed due to short staffing.
Colorado’s White River National Forest — the most-visited forest in the country — lost 43 full-time employees, a 29 percent reduction of its staff.
At Yosemite National Park, some seasonal employees worked for up to six weeks without pay. Staff members at the park, including scientists and hydrologists were reassigned to cleaning tasks and acted as gate attendants to keep the park running.
At Montana’s Bitterroot National Forest, between 30 and 40 of the 208 employees have been fired or taken buyouts.
“The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for stewarding nearly 40 percent of America’s national public lands, yet chronic underfunding and staff shortages are making that mission nearly impossible,” said Kara Matsumoto, public lands director at the Conservation Lands Foundation. “Communities across the West and people wanting to visit these places are feeling the impact—through closed visitor centers, trashed areas, delayed permits, and fewer on-the-ground experts to protect cultural and ecological resources. If we want public lands to stay accessible to the public, Congress and the Administration need to give the BLM the resources to do its job.”
“Our national parks, forests, and monuments belong to all Americans,” said Lauren Bogard, senior director of advocacy at the Center for Western Priorities, which organized the Keep Parks Public campaign. “From Black Canyon of the Gunnison to the White River National Forest, the Trump administration is causing irreparable harm to Colorado, to the dedicated federal workers who care for our public lands, and the communities that depend on them for economic survival.”
CWP’s Keep Parks Public tour kicked off in Denver on August 13, and continues on to Las Cruces, Tucson, Salt Lake City, and Grand Junction, making stops along the way to talk to former park employees and community members affected by the Trump administration’s attacks on national park staffing and funding. Public land advocates can follow along on the Keep Parks Public Instagram feed.
The public is invited to share their thoughts and join the campaign to Keep Parks Public and stop the attacks on America’s public lands.
Since 2012, the Center for Western Priorities has been a leading source of accurate information about energy and public lands across the West. CWP advocates for responsible uses of American lands, including recreation, conservation, and renewable energy.