Public lands coalition warns of effects from federal cuts in Arizona
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Tourists view the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on May 13. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Public lands in Arizona are facing longer wait times, overflowing trash, unkept trails and increased wildfire risks this summer, according to a new campaign warning that cites federal staffing cuts.
Why it matters: The Trump administration and Republican-led Congress are targeting public lands such as national forests and parks for workforce and spending cuts.
Driving the news: A coalition of environmental organizations is calling attention to attacks on public lands as part of a tour through the West that launched last week in Denver.
- The coalition has since traveled to Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Tucson, with stops planned in Salt Lake City and Grand Junction, Colorado.
- Public lands advocates are celebrating the rejection of a public land sale amendment in President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" but urging allies to remain vigilant.
- The cuts to staff and budgets will lead to significant impacts down the road, advocates warn.
What they're saying: "It seems clear to us that this is a demolition of the National Park Service unlike anything else that's occurred in the almost 110-year history of the National Park Service," Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, said during the coalition's Tucson press conference on Sunday.
Zoom out: The National Park Service has lost about a quarter of its permanent staff this year, Wade noted.
- The park service earlier this year pledged to hire 7,700 seasonal employees for the summer, but Wade said many of those positions were never filled.
- There are "some impacts to visitor services and, more importantly in my judgment, to resource protection," he added.
Zoom in: Arizona has felt the effects of those cuts.
- At least 10 National Park Service employees were laid off at the Grand Canyon, resulting in longer lines and wait times.
- The lone hydrologist at Coronado National Forest was laid off, raising concerns about forest maintenance and wildfire control.
Yes, but: Both visitor centers at Saguaro National Park are again open every day as of March 31 after layoffs led to Monday closures in February.
- The centers resumed full service after judges ordered the Trump administration to rehire more than 24,000 federal workers who were fired, some of whom worked for the National Park Service.
The other side: A National Park Service spokesperson told Axios Phoenix that monitoring and preservation efforts remain active, and narratives suggesting the national parks system is in decline don't match the reality on the ground.
- A U.S. Department of Interior spokesperson described the Center for Western Priorities, which is leading the public lands campaign, as an anti-Trump organization that misleads the public.