National Park Service layoffs hit Texas' Big Bend
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The Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images
The Trump administration's recent federal workforce layoffs have hit Texas National Park Service sites, though not as severely as in other states.
Why it matters: Advocates for the parks warn the layoffs — part of a nationwide reduction of 3,400 U.S. Forest Service and 1,000 National Park Service jobs — could weaken the maintenance of beloved campgrounds and trails heading into spring break season.
- Officials with the Association of National Park Rangers say the cuts will result in slower emergency response times, park closures, reduced hours and educational programs, and more uncollected litter.
By the numbers: At least nine employees at NPS sites in Texas have lost their jobs, Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, tells Axios.
- That includes five people at Big Bend National Park, two at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in the Hill Country, and two at Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park in Brownsville.
- Wade says the number of losses are compiled from the association's members and social media posts.
Yes, but: Texas doesn't appear to be as severely impacted as other states.
- More than 150 workers have been cut in Colorado, over 60 were laid off in Oregon, and at least 10 employees at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona have lost their jobs.
- At least two trailheads in Washington state have closed due to staffing shortages.
Staff at the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park declined to answer questions about layoffs, referring questions to federal NPS representatives.
- The NPS did not immediately respond to Axios' messages.
State of play: The National Park Service runs 18 sites across Texas, including Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains national parks in West Texas and Padre Island National Seashore in South Texas. There are four National Forests in Texas.
- In 2023, Texas National Park sites saw 5.3 million visitors who contributed about $323 million to local economies. That spending supported 4,460 jobs and $488 million in economic output in Texas, per the NPS.
The big picture: The cuts come as NPS sites nationwide already face staffing shortages amid growing park visitation, Cary Dupuy, Texas regional director with the National Parks Conservation Association, tells Axios. The NPCA is a nonprofit that advocates for national parks.
- Dupuy says maintenance, fee collection and cultural interpreter positions appear to be the hardest hit.
Between the lines: The Trump administration's federal hiring freeze means one of the NPS' newest sites — The Blackwell School in Marfa — can't hire a site manager and has shorter operating hours as a result, per Dupuy.
- Fort Davis National Historic Site in West Texas can't replace its superintendent who recently retired, she added.
What they're saying: National parks tell the story of America and of Texas, Dupuy says.
- "Our park staff is wonderful, and they want to do their jobs" she says. "They want to be able to provide that experience, and I know that they will to the best of their ability."