Former NPS Directors to Secretary Burgum: Recent Order Is “Contradictory With The Law And The Intent Of Congress”

For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 8, 2025 

Contact: Bill Wade at bwade@anpr.org

Today, nearly every living former director of the National Park Service sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to express great concern about Secretarial Order 3426, which states that, "that all park units remain open and accessible to the American public.”  In the letter the former directors state:

“These directions suggest, if not outright direct, park managers to ignore their park resource protection responsibilities in favor of providing for visitor services. We believe that these directions are contradictory with the law and the intent of Congress, and we fear that these messages will put NPS superintendents in a difficult situation when confronted with decisions necessary to protect the resources of the units of the National Park System.”

The letter, which was organized by the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and the Association of National Park Rangers, was also signed by eight Deputy Directors and four Associate Directors. 

The letter also states:

"We understand your stated emphasis on visitor services, given that the National Park Service experienced the busiest year in history, having reported a record 331.9 million recreation visits in calendar year 2024 – an increase of 6.36 million recreation visits from 2023. We also know that Americans consistently vote the National Park Service as America’s favorite government agency.

"These are clear indications of how much Americans love their national parks. They demonstrate how important it is for your office to address understaffing and additional reductions in funding that will further decrease the ability of park managers to effectively manage national parks for the benefit of the American public and in accordance with the law.  

“We support the need for management efficiency and the elimination of wasteful activities. However, we believe that the National Park Service has been engaged in management efficiency for decades. Thousands of volunteers already support the work of the parks. Millions of dollars have been donated by park neighbors and organizations in support of the parks. Thousands of National Park Service positions have been eliminated as budgets have not kept pace with inflation. All of this occurred before 2025. National Park Service employees, who should be on hand to protect park resources and to help serve and protect millions of visitors, are under attack.”

You can see the full letter here. 

“Our National Parks are facing a dire situation,” said Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. “Even before the Trump Administration’s cuts, national parks were understaffed and having to do more with less. But recent actions have made a bad situation worse. Safety at parks could be compromised, and visitors this summer should prepare for longer lines, reduced hours of operation at facilities, trails that are not maintained, limited access to some park amenities, and far fewer park rangers to help ensure they have a safe and memorable visit to their national parks. We urge the Administration to reverse course and protect our National Parks and visitors to them.”

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The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization made up of over 4,100 members, all of whom are current, former, and retired employees or volunteers of the National Park Service (NPS). Together, they have accumulated over 50,000 years of experience caring for America’s most valuable natural and cultural resources. Our members include former NPS directors, deputy and regional directors, superintendents, park rangers (both law enforcement and interpretive), maintenance and administrative professionals, and many other dedicated career professionals.

The Association of National Park Rangers is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization created to communicate for, about, and with National Park Service employees of all disciplines; to promote and enhance the professions, spirit, and mission of National Park Service employees; to support management and the perpetuation of the National Park Service and the National Park System; and to provide a forum for professional enrichment.