The Sink or Swim Project

“Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your children, your children’s children, and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American, if he can travel at all, should see.”
President Theodore Roosevelt
In 1903, upon visiting Grand Canyon National Park

Someone once called our nation’s national parks “America’s best idea,” and I could not agree more. I’ve just returned from an early summer trip with my family that included visits to Acadia National Park (NP) in Maine and Virginia’s Shenandoah NP and, as I’ve posted before, my goal is to visit every one of America’s 63 amazing National Parks during my lifetime (as of today I am pleased to report that I’ve now seen 42).

These protected places are so majestic to me that I’ve come to believe that, along with the democratic values eloquently articulated by the founders in the U.S. Constitution, our country’s national parks are the foundational crown jewels of what makes America so very special. If you’ve never hiked along a rocky trail amongst a herd of deer on a misty morning in Shenandoah NP, ridden a bike through the ancient rugged mountains of South Dakota’s Badlands NP amidst a pack of curious goats, swam next to a pod of curious sea turtles in Virgin Islands NP, or any of the other countless experiences to constantly be enjoyed in our parks, then I hope your summer will allow such a visit soon.

And when I say soon, it’s not only because of how enriching these experiences are for your soul but because I am deeply worried about the future of America’s public lands given the assault they face by special interests and some elected leaders intent on diminishing, destroying, or privatizing them by selling them to the highest bidder. When America’s new Secretary of the Interior, someone seemingly charged with protecting our public resources, speaks about the United States’ public lands as “national assets on America’s balance sheet,” as he recently did, we have a serious problem.

And when our newly released proposed federal budget suggests reducing our national park funding by over $1 billion or, for that matter, is authored by an administration that is firing park and forest rangers, considering offloading some park land to states, and opening others to oil drilling, mining, and logging, the seriousness of this attack on our protected lands (and public trust) should alarm every single American. Those cuts, which you read more about here, include 30% cuts to the National Park Service staff in charge of the parks’ operations, transferring national park properties to the states, and a 31% cut to the Department of the Interior, the federal agency that houses the National Park Service.

The budget would cut $1.2 billion from the National Park Service in FY 2026, including sweeping reductions to funding park management from $2.6 billion in 2025 to $1.8 billion in 2026. It also includes slashing funds for numerous national recreation and preservation programs within the Park Service. Natural resource programs would see almost 95% of their funding cut. Cultural programs would lose 60% of their funding. The National Heritage Areas Program, which supports 62 National Heritage Areas, would lose 100% of its funding. Funding for full-time, permanent employees would decrease from an estimated $1 billion to $714 million, while funding for seasonal, temporary positions would decrease from approximately $80 million to $39 million. The proposed budget would cut 5,518 full-time positions.

If any of that concerns you, then I suspect you will find it interesting how Jon Jarvis, the 18th National Park Service Director, and Gary Machlis, former science advisor to the NPS Director, explained what’s happening in part recently:

“The administration’s plan is as clear and stunning as the sun rising over the Grand Canyon. First, severely slash the budget of the NPS, force retirements of dedicated and experienced NPS leaders, terminate the employment of those who refuse, cut the staffs of parks and historic sites, and replace park superintendents with political appointees ready to do the private sector’s bidding. Then, with failure as the goal, ignore the concerns of the public, the outdoor recreation industry, conservationists, and the communities near parks (many with Republican town governments) that are dependent upon visitor tourism for jobs and services.

Next, the administration will claim the private sector can better run (read “exploit”) the parks that the administration purposely set up to fail. Trump officials will begin to find ways around the law, Congress and the public to eliminate the NPS and centralize control among the Doge staff embedded at the Department of the Interior as a step toward putting the parks in the hands of private developers.

The first to be privatized will be what they see as “cash cows” – parks with high visitation and profit potential, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. The Trump administration will suggest this is just a “pilot program” but the real intent is to test if the public, the courts and Congress can be safely ignored. If successful, the privatizing will expand to the sale, transfer or abandonment of the smaller park sites, such as Teddy Roosevelt’s home at Sagamore Hill national historic site. As clear evidence of this direction, on 2 May, the Trump administration released its fiscal year 2026 discretionary budget request proposing a $900m cut to the NPS budget and stated: “There is an urgent need to streamline staffing and transfer certain properties to State-level management.”

Or, consider Crater Lake NP in Oregon, a place I visited in the summer of 2023. This is one of America’s most unique national parks, an inactive volcanic crater formed 7,700 years ago, which today is filled with the most beautiful deep cobalt blue water you will ever see. It even has an island right in the middle of the lake with an equally magical name: Wizard Island. I visited the park on a spectacular freezing cold day in June (June!) 2023, where snow covered the forest that surrounds the lake as far as you could see.

Aside from the unique natural beauty of Crater Lake NP, it was abundantly clear that many of the Park’s facilities had been neglected and were in dire need of repair. Many buildings were closed, others were in various states of renovation, awaiting additional funding, and my overall sense was that the park could use new leadership, as well as an infusion of money to pay for the repairs.

Thankfully, all of that is part of the reasons why Superintendent Heatley took the job this past January, in hopes of upgrading those facilities and having the man-made attributes better represent the Park’s natural beauty, while also seeking ways to combat the impact our warming climate is having on the park.

“Things are not OK.
This is not a normal situation.
This is a paradigm shift that is having repercussions that will last for at least a generation.”
Crater Lake National Park’s Former Superintendent Kevin Heatly

Unfortunately, Superintendent Heatley’s tenure was extremely short-lived. Just last week, he resigned amidst news that Crater Lakes staff would suffer a permanent job cut and much-needed seasonal workers would be delayed by at least a month. In my view, the proposed federal cutbacks serve to cut the heart out of America’s park system. Like he said, “things are not ok.”

And it’s not just our national parks and other federal lands that are under attack. Let’s not forget that just last summer, less than a year ago, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced what he termed a “great” idea to turn sites at several of Florida’s public parks into pickleball courts, golf courses, 350-room resorts, and more. You can read my post about how our esteemed Governor Desantis, another man, like our nation’s current President that for reasons unknown likes to compare himself to renowned Theordore Roosevelt (a man often called the “Conservation President” because he created five national parks and protected nearly 230 million acres of America’s land while President) and his Florida Department of Environmental Protection (talk about a misnomer), announced what they called Florida’s “Great Outdoor Initiative” here.

Thankfully, after learning about that utterly horrific idea, Floridians of every political persuasion quickly spoke up and out against it which led the Florida House of Representatives to pass a bill restricting commercial development in state parks that the governor quickly signed (I presume to theoretically atone for the idiocy of supporting his own idea in the first place). Will that end the idea of developing Florida’s public parks, protected parks, and other such places in states all over America? Of course not. As long as there is money to be made, developers and other business interests will always lust for the opportunity to monetize such places at the detriment of the environment, our citizens, and future generations by placing short-term profits and political support above protecting nature.

“Imagine an awe-inspiring wilderness filled with towering trees, snowcapped mountains, breathtaking waterfalls, roaring rivers and impressive geysers. While fictional, Piston Peak is inspired by the Rocky Mountain area and the history and iconic sights of the American Frontier and its national parks.”
June 3, 2025
Disney Parks Blog

And here’s the thing: If we don’t remain ever watchful for such shenanigans by local, state, and our national governments, ever vigilant to protecting these unique and special places (including their funding), the day could come when the only place to visit a “national park” is at a theme park. To be clear, I have nothing against theme parks, Disney, or having fun. I love a good roller coaster, and two years ago, I spent a wonderful day with my family at Disneyland in California. I even thought that the small area (Grizzly Peak), which tried to mimic a national park, was “cute” and wondered (hoped) whether it could inspire their customers to visit a real National Park Service site.

With these things in mind, Disney’s news earlier this month that it was expanding its Florida park, Disney World, by adding yet another area that mimics nature and national parks, in this case called Piston Peak, caught my attention, but for different reasons. The press release that accompanied the news boldly makes it clear that our real natural parks are the direct inspiration for this imaginary place.

“Inside Piston Peak, guests will be able to see and explore the visitor lodge, Ranger HQ, trails and more all set within the Disney and Pixar “Cars” universe. To make sure these buildings fit naturally within the surrounding majestic landscapes, Imagineers are using a style of architecture called “Parkitecture,” which was developed by the National Park Service to create structures that harmonize with the natural environment.”
June 2, 2025
Disney Parks Blog

The news of such a fictional place at a time when our National and State Parks are relentlessly under attack has me deeply concerned that in time people will come to think that such a make believe place is an adequate replacement for the real thing (it is NOT) or, for that matter, serves as a timely yet cryptic metaphor of what’s to come as our government seeks to diminish, downgrade, and sell off America’s priceless natural places.

We just can’t let that happen. If you feel strongly, as I do, that our national parks are worth preserving and investing in, then contact your elected federal representatives and senator before it’s too late. Tell them to increase funding for the Park Service, not decrease it. Tell them to leave our Parks’ rangers alone and, while they are at it, increase, not decrease, staffing. And tell them to take their hands and eyes off our protected public lands, finite resources for sure, that are the heart and humanity of who we are as Americans.

Otherwise, if you don’t speak up and voice your concern now, be prepared to buy an “E” ticket or whatever the heck parks like Disney and Universal plan to sell for you to see a recreation of what was once America’s pride and joy: our natural world in a publicly protected park.