The Brief

National parks across the U.S. are bearing down on an uncertain season, as federal layoffs and staffing shortages threaten many of the services they provide for their millions of annual visitors, from reservations to cleanup to education.

The National Park Service (NPS) laid off some 1,000 employees on Feb. 14, just weeks before the start of the busy season in many of the country's 63 national parks.

The layoffs, which targeted probationary workers, are part of a broader effort by President Trump and adviser Elon Musk to downsize the federal workforce. NPS officials have testified that the agency was already understaffed — the number of full-time employees dropped by about 15% between 2011 and 2022, forcing some visitor facilities to close or limit their hours.

A bit of welcome news came later that week when the Trump administration gave the NPS permission to fill temporary seasonal positions that had been paused due to the federal hiring freeze. The agency is allowed to fill a total of 7,700 positions — higher than the three-year average of 6,350 — according to a memo obtained by NPR.

"Now that's really good news," said Bill Wade, the executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers and a retired superintendent of Shenandoah National Park.

"However, it's not without problems, because at this sort of late date and the hiring timetable, I think there's going to be some difficulty getting some of those positions on board in the parks before the summer season hits."

Between the paperwork, background checks, training regimens and housing searches, experts worry many seasonal positions won't get filled — in general, let alone by summertime. Busy season varies between parks, though generally runs May through September in colder areas and can start as soon as March in warmer parts of the country.

The influx of seasonal workers can more than double the number of park staff in a typical year, Wade said. And their absence will surely be felt by visitors, since they perform such critical functions.

"They're typically the ones that do the fee collection at the entrance stations during that period of time," he added. "They work in the visitor centers and keep them open and staffed and give the ranger-led programs. They are often the custodians that keep the campgrounds clean and the restrooms clean and pick up the trash."

Kristen Brengel, the senior vice president of government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association — a nonprofit that advocates for the NPS — says these workers take care of visitors in subtle but critical ways, from asking hikers how much water they have to gently making sure people keep a safe distance from wildlife.

They also perform more overt acts of heroism, like performing CPR and rescuing overtaxed hikers from trails, an increasing concern after multiple summers of heat-related deaths in national parks. One study found that the risk of heat-related illness at Grand Canyon National Park — and public lands in general — will only increase as climate change worsens.

"This is just such a sad situation," Brengel said. "We hope the dedication that people have to working in the parks comes through and we can see parks staffed well this summer. But with all the chaos going on, it's just concerning."

With layoffs underway and seasonal workers delayed, some parks are already cutting back on services for now — and worrying about what will happen later.

A sign for an emergency phone in California's Joshua Tree National Park. Job cuts are prompting safety concerns, especially given the number of heat-related deaths in national parks in recent summers.

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Job cuts impact the visitor experience 

The NPS has not publicly confirmed the number or types of jobs lost at specific national parks, nor responded to NPR's requests for comment.

But individuals and organizations affiliated with some parks have spoken out in recent days, beginning to paint a picture of the losses.

Ann Simonelli, a spokesperson for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), told NPR over email that two out of 10 Appalachian Trail full-time staff members were impacted by the layoffs.

She said ATC — a nonprofit that works with the NPS and USDA's Forest Service to oversee the protection and management of the trail, with help from volunteers — is pausing all seasonal hiring "until we see what happens with the federal budget." That includes the crews that have been repairing the nearly 500 miles of the trail damaged by Hurricane Helene, work she said requires approval and oversight from agency partners.

Congress has to pass a funding bill by March 14 to avert a government shutdown.

Farther north, Friends of Acadia — the philanthropic partner of Acadia National Park in Maine — says job cuts and hiring delays have added new layers of uncertainty to the park's summer plans.

Eric Stiles, the organization's president and chief executive, told NPR that eight probationary park staffers were laid off: four fee collectors, two who worked on trails, an administrator who coordinated land management and a visual information specialist.

On top of that, he said fears of future rounds of layoffs, as well as the delay in seasonal staff, are cutting into the park's ability to prepare for its busy season since it doesn't know what its workforce will look like.

"I can't tell you what summer visitors at Acadia — what that experience is going to be like," he said. "I can't tell you if the campgrounds are going to be open. I can't tell you if the reservation system for Cadillac [Mountain] is going to be up and running. I can't tell you if trails are going to be closed, because if there's a dead tree overhanging a trail, you need highly skilled, certified folks that might be able to climb and drop a tree with a chainsaw."

Across the country, some fired parks staff members have weighed in on the consequences for park visitors, from loss of wildlife protection to unclean bathrooms to a lack of rangers who can keep hikers safe.

Nate Vince, who said he was Yosemite's only locksmith, wrote in a now-viral Instagram post that he was terminated on Valentine's Day — losing his housing along with his job — with what he said are potentially dangerous repercussions.

"Yosemite National Park [is] the size of Rhode Island and has more locks than a small city, and without a locksmith I'm deeply concerned for the safety and security of the park and people in it," Vince wrote. "This is not right!"

Vehicles wait in line at an entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park on Sunday. It's not clear how many park staff lost their jobs, but Arizona's governor has expressed concern about the economic impact of the layoffs.

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Some parks are already making adjustments 

Disruptions are already being felt at some park sites.

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado posted on Facebook that as of this week, it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, "due to a lack of staffing."

Saguaro National Park in Arizona says its visitor centers will be closed on Mondays until further notice. Yosemite National Park announced it is delaying reservation bookings at five of its popular campgrounds, affecting reservations in June and July.

Responding to reports of staffing shortages causing wait times twice as long as usual at the Grand Canyon last weekend, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs called it "a slap in the face for Arizonans and all who love to come here." (The Grand Canyon National Park referred comment to the NPS.)

"The Trump administration's removal of essential workers undermines our economy and ability to showcase one of the greatest natural wonders of the world," Hobbs tweeted.

National parks play a vital economic role throughout the country. Some 325 million visitors spent an estimated $26.4 billion in local "gateway regions" in 2023 alone, according to NPS. Those expenditures supported 415,000 jobs and created $55.6 billion in economic output in the national economy, it adds.

When asked about safety and economic concerns, J. Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson for the Department of the Interior, told NPR that the park service — which it houses — is hiring seasonal workers "to continue enhancing the visitor experience as we embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management."

"We are focused on ensuring that every visitor has the chance to explore and connect with the incredible, iconic spaces of our national parks," she added. "As always, NPS will continue to provide critical services and deliver excellent customer service."

Visitors admire the "firefall effect" on El Capitan during sunset at Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, California, last week. Busy season starts in May for Yosemite and many other parks.

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What park-lovers — and potential visitors — can do

The experts NPR spoke with all encouraged potential visitors not to cancel their park vacation plans just yet, but urged caution and flexibility given all of the uncertainties.

Brengel, with the National Parks Conservation Association, said people should try to take fewer risks as they venture outside.

"If you don't think you can do the hike, don't do it this year," she said. "Stay out of the direct sunlight, bring lots of water, make sure your footwear is good. ... Just really do your homework before you come in because there may be fewer people to help you once you get there."

Wade, the retired NPS superintendent now with the Association of National Park Rangers, recommends visitors keep checking on their reservations as their trip gets closer since services like guided tours could be suspended.

"They need to check ahead of time and they need to probably be a little bit patient with some of the impacts that they might see, like maybe restrooms not cleaned as as frequently, visitor center hours, trash pick-up, some of those things that they might see now or in the early part of the summer that they wouldn't normally see," he added.

The hope, he said, is that things will run more smoothly as more seasonal positions get filled in the weeks and months ahead. The big question, Wade added, is what happens at the end of the summer when those positions are terminated.

"We don't know what the ultimate outcome of staffing is going to be after the summer season or after those seasonals leave," Wade said. "There are rumors that downsizing is not over yet. ... And so it's a very unsettling time for people in the parks right now."

Wade said the most helpful thing concerned visitors can do is lobby their elected representatives to reverse the layoffs — which some Virginia lawmakers have already asked the Trump administration to do.

A 2024 Pew Research Center poll showed that the park service had the most favorable rating of any government agency at 76%, with strong support from a majority of both Democrats and Republicans.

"This is not a partisan matter. This is not a political matter," said Stiles, with Friends of Acadia. "This is really about the foundational experience of participating, learning from, recreating in the best America has to offer by way of our natural treasures and cultural treasures."

Stiles believes most Americans value and cherish the national parks system, which was the first in the world when it started in 1872 and has been crowned "America's best idea." And he said that while there is a conversation to be had about how to make it more efficient, that's not what is happening now.

"You don't treat America's best idea with a sledgehammer," he said.

Copyright 2025 NPR

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.