The staff is the heart of our national parks. Don’t decimate it

The National Park Service, which stewards 433 national park units covering some 85 million acres in each of the 50 states and five trust territories, is one of our most highly regarded federal agencies. It enjoys an approval rating of over 80% by the American people. Last year, our national parks received nearly 332 million visitors from the U.S. and around the world.  That’s more than Disney parks, the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS and NASCAR combined. 

It takes a dedicated cadre of professional park staff to serve the public and protect these parks, whether by maintaining trails, providing search and rescue, keeping park facilities clean, providing ranger-led programs about history and nature or protecting the significant resources for which the park was established.

While some of the major parks like Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon have large staffs with a wide range of expertise, many of our smaller and medium-sized parks like Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Seattle, Whitman Mission National Historic Site in Walla Walla and Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in Astoria, Ore., have small staffs who primarily greet visitors, lead programs, maintain facilities and care for the resources.

Recognizing that these small parks also need the support of park management experts, the National Park Service established regional offices. This efficient model allows centrally located field-based professionals to serve as  “circuit riders” for multiple parks. 

These seven NPS regional offices are spread across the nation from Atlanta to Anchorage. The staff from the Seattle and San Francisco offices alone support over 50 NPS units in seven Western states and three U.S. trust territories. 

Over the past 10-15 years, these regional offices have seen their staffing numbers dwindle due to budget cuts. Now, as the National Park Service is facing another round of budget and staffing cuts, the regional offices are at risk of significant reduction or closure. 

Those who propose such folly do not understand that one of the reasons the public consistently enjoys their national parks is because a small group of regional professionals is making sure the parks are well-run, accountable and up to standards. 

This support includes contracting services, concessions management, facilities design, archaeology, museum curation and historic preservation, endangered species monitoring, IT, fee collection guidance, and human resources and hiring support, including recruitment of a park’s seasonal workforce.

Regional offices also assist state and local governments with conservation issues, as well as regional administration of programs that transfer excess federal lands to communities for local parks.  Regional lands offices assist with legal rights of way and necessary land surveys and property appraisals. Regional staff conduct park reviews and audits to improve visitor services and park operations. This is particularly crucial in these times of budget austerity. 

Finally, the NPS Regional Office structure includes park operations and subject matter expertise, ensuring the continuity of the operating standards that the American public expect in their park visits.  A team with decades of field experience provides oversight to help guide newer park superintendents and division managers.

So while small in numbers, the management’s and staff’s expertise contained in the NPS regional offices needs to be fully supported, as they are a critical asset in the management and operation of our parks, thus helping to ensure the ongoing stewardship of America’s most treasured places.