A nationwide movement to defend America’s national parks is mobilizing for August 25.

 

As the National Park Service marks its 110th anniversary, the National Parks Conservation Association is organizing a nationwide “United by Parks: Day of Action,” bringing park supporters together both online and in communities across the United States.

The campaign comes amid growing concern over staffing and management of the country’s national parks. According to NPCA, the National Park Service has lost nearly 24% of its permanent workforce—more than 4,000 positions—since January 2025, through terminations, early retirements, deferred resignations and vacancies.

Those losses affect far more than visitor centers. Rangers, wildlife specialists, educators, maintenance crews and emergency personnel are responsible for maintaining trails, protecting ecosystems and historic sites, conducting research, running educational programs and responding when visitors are injured or lost.

NPCA warns that fewer experienced employees are already contributing to reduced ranger programs, maintenance problems and the loss of decades of institutional knowledge.

The Day of Action includes public gatherings, advocacy events, volunteer projects, educational programs and other activities around the country, with events occurring throughout National Park Week rather than exclusively on August 25.

The campaign is unfolding against another major controversy involving protected federal land. Earlier this month, crews began clearing land for border-security infrastructure inside Texas’ Big Bend National Park. Following intense bipartisan criticism, U.S. Customs and Border Protection temporarily paused construction on August 17 while officials reassess the project and consult local stakeholders.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, argues that its broader national-parks policies are intended to improve recreational access and infrastructure while reducing bureaucracy.

For conservation advocates, however, the central question is whether America's national parks can remain adequately protected without enough experienced people on the ground to manage them.

Source: National Parks Conservation Association — United by Parks: Day of Action; U.S. Department of the Interior; Reuters.