Temperatures are warming, flowers are blooming and Virginia’s peak park tourism seasons are ahead.
Travelers could find their plans affected, with funding and job cuts hitting the National Park Service. Virginia boasts several trails, parks and historic landmarks that fall under park service management which could be impacted. State officials hope park tourism stays strong because of the millions it generates, and park officials are trying to manage expectations with less resources.
What Park Visitors May Find
If staff is limited, ranger-led tours, guided walks and educational programs could be canceled. Hours of operation for these national parks may be reduced. Visitors could experience longer wait times and lines to enter the park with fewer staff to manage entrance stations.
Rangers are trained to perform emergency medical services, search and rescue, traffic stops and respond to various other safety concerns, according to ranger activity reports. From July through September 2024, Shenandoah National Park rangers responded to 142 service calls, 23 medical events and 18 search and rescues.
Tourists may have to educate themselves on local flora and fauna, which could put themselves at risk, according to Ronan Connolly, who was formerly employed by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s park service.
“The effects of these cuts will be devastating to not only the park service, but also the public that enjoys these protected locations,” Connolly stated in an email. “The effects will be felt nationwide and will impact the properties they maintain far after the Trump Administration has left office.”
The park service hopes to ensure every visitor can still explore and enjoy national parks.
“Our teams are dedicated to meeting the evolving needs of our visitors, ensuring memorable and meaningful experiences for all,” the public relations team stated in response to a question about current conditions and staffing.
Many different positions were impacted, according to Bill Wade, who previously served as a superintendent of Shenandoah National Park. He is now the executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, a nonprofit that supports park management and park rangers.
“It wasn’t just one or two categories, although probably two categories that got hit the hardest across the service were the people who do staff the visitor centers, and you have the ranger-led programs and school groups and that sort of thing, and then the fee collectors,” Wade said.
Around nine fee collector positions were cut at Shenandoah, according to Wade. Multiple custodial positions were also lost.
Wade is worried about a lot of the smaller parks that have historic buildings. Regular maintenance and upkeep is required, he said. If these buildings can’t be maintained the effects could be devastating.
“They start to deteriorate and, you know, once they start to deteriorate, it’s not easy to reverse that,” Wade said.
The Virginia Tourism Corporation highlights and promotes tourist destinations around the state, including national parks. The organization is still promoting Virginia parks, while putting extra emphasis on the importance of “leave no trace,” according to director of communications Juliana Thomas.
“So reminding visitors to dispose of their waste properly, pack it in, pack it out, and leave the areas exactly as they found them,” Thomas said. “With potentially limited staff resources, we all need to do our part for the visitors who come after us.”
National Park Service Staff And Funding Cuts
NPS remains committed to preserving the natural and cultural resources it manages, while following orders.
“As part of the broader efforts led by the Department of the Interior under President Trump’s leadership, we are implementing necessary reforms to ensure fiscal responsibility, operational efficiency, and government accountability,” NPS said in a statement.
An estimated 1,000 probationary park staff were fired in February, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. Staff in the probationary period, which lasts a year on average, includes any recent hires and current or long-standing employees who were moved or promoted into a new position.
Approximately 63 park staff members were fired in Virginia, according to data from the Resistance Rangers, a community of former park service employees, some retired and some who were recently fired. Fifteen were employed at Shenandoah.
Virginia Tourism Could Suffer
Virginia is No. 5 in the U.S. when it comes to visitor spending, jobs supported, value added and economic output, according to National Park Services data.
Tourism dollars are important for the state. Visitors brought in over $33.3 billion in 2023, according to an older press release from Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
“Our tourism industry is a crucial part of driving economic prosperity, providing jobs, building vibrant communities, and enhancing the quality of life for all Virginians,” Youngkin stated.
The state’s parks are a big attraction as over 23 million Virginia park visitors spent an estimated $1.5 billion in 2023, according to the park service. The impact directly benefits the parks, but also surrounding areas with money spent on camping, gas, groceries, hotels, recreational industries, restaurants, retail and transportation.
Park-related tourism spending supported over 21,000 jobs and $769 million in labor income. Overall the economic output was estimated at $2.3 billion for the Virginia economy. The number of jobs and money generated was up from the year before.
The staffing cuts to such an economic engine don’t make sense, not when parks bring in an estimated $55 billion in economic returns throughout the country, according to Emily Douce, deputy vice president of government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association.
“If it were a business, say like Disneyland or Disney World, if you had record-breaking visitation that brings in lots of money for the local economy, then you wouldn’t be cutting staff,” Douce said. “You would be increasing the amount of staff to ensure visitors have a great time.”
She confirmed that without enough staff, park visitors could expect closed or poorly maintained bathrooms, overflowing trash cans, reduced hours and visitor centers, fewer open campgrounds and long lines at entrance gates.
Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior Doug Burgum sent out an order that requires all parks to get approval for park closures, according to Douce.
“So, it’ll be interesting to see how they expect to do this with a severe reduction in the workforce,” Douce said.
Seasonal workers cover many front-facing positions, like custodians, fee collectors and visitor educators, according to Douce. However, many jobs can’t be covered by seasonal staff, like those that oversee the budgets, scientists and staff that monitor the wildlife and protect cultural resources.
Between firings and buyouts, the parks are being dismantled, she said.
“It’s devastating to our national parks and they’re in trouble,” Douce said.
The funding for the park service primarily comes from Congress, according to the National Park Foundation. Parks also receive funding through entrance and user fees, along with private philanthropy received by the foundation.
Written Madison Parlopiano, VCU Capital News Service
Photo by Matt Chaney
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