Major Changes Trump Has Made to National Parks Ahead of ‘Day of Action

0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. National park advocates are planning events across the United States this week, as the National Park Service marks its 110th anniversary amid changes to park fees, staffing and more.

The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) says its nationwide “Day of Action” will encompass 30 events in 20 parks and other locations. Visitors will be invited to sign postcards thanking park employees and petitions calling on Congress and the administration of President Donald Trump to “fund and protect the park system.” Events are planned at sites including Yosemite, Acadia, Glacier, Rocky Mountain and New River Gorge national parks, as well as Muir Woods National Monument and the Blue Ridge Parkway, according to the group’s website.

The action comes during National Park Week, which runs through August 30.

On January 1, the Interior Department introduced separate annual-pass prices for U.S. residents and international visitors.

The America the Beautiful annual pass would cost $80 for U.S. citizens and residents but $250 for nonresidents, the department said. Nonresidents without the annual pass would have to pay a $100 per-person surcharge, in addition to the standard entrance fee, at 11 heavily visited parks : Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion.

The administration presented the differentiated fees as a way to preserve relatively inexpensive access for residents while generating money from visitors who do not contribute to the park system through U.S. taxes.

A July 2025 order directed federal land-management agencies to expand recreational, hunting and fishing access , encourage “responsible, voluntary conservation efforts” and reduce administrative delays. The order cited a National Park Service deferred-maintenance backlog of more than $23 billion.

The Trump administration has since relaxed hunting rules in parts of the National Park System. In May, the Park Service said 36 units had fully or partially rescinded closures or restrictions, including requirements it said duplicated state or federal regulations or went beyond what was necessary for safety and resource protection.

The Associated Press reported that the changes included lifting some prohibitions on hunting along trails, training hunting dogs, retrieving animals by vehicle and using hunting stands that could damage trees. The Interior said restrictions required for public safety, resource protection or legal compliance would remain, according to the outlet.

The administration’s fiscal 2026 budget proposed $2.1 billion for the National Park Service, including $2 billion for park operations. The Interior said the request prioritized work inside park units while seeking savings from project-specific funding, grants and programs outside the park system. It also proposed redirecting Land and Water Conservation Fund money from land acquisition toward deferred maintenance.

The previous administration’s fiscal 2025 proposal sought $3.6 billion in current appropriations for the Park Service, including $3.1 billion for park operations.

Staffing has become a focal point. A government-wide hiring freeze imposed in January 2025 initially prevented most vacant civilian positions from being filled, subject to exemptions for public safety and other needs.

The NPCA has said the Park Service has lost nearly one-quarter of its permanent workforce since January 2025 through “mass” terminations, early retirements and deferred resignations. It also says parks have faced reduced educational programming and fewer specialists working in research, science and stewardship.

The administration also ordered a review of historical interpretation across federal sites . A March 2025 executive order directed the Interior Department to identify federal monuments, memorials, statues and markers that had been removed or changed during the previous five years and to restore those it determined had been altered to present a “false reconstruction” of American history.

The White House said the policy was intended to counter what it described as false narratives, while the NPCA said implementation of the order had forced the removal of exhibits addressing slavery, the federal government’s treatment of Indigenous peoples and climate science, describing the policy as an attempt to “erase or rewrite” the nation’s history.

An Interior Department spokesperson told Newsweek previously that more than 99 percent of contributions during the 2024 election cycle by people who identified NPCA as their employer went to Democratic candidates or committees. The department did not provide the underlying data or methodology, and Newsweek has not independently verified the calculation. The spokesperson also cited accounts followed by NPCA on X, including those of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Center for American Progress, the Sunrise Movement and Indivisible, in arguing that the organization had a political leaning.

NPCA rejected that characterization, saying it does not make political contributions or endorse candidates. “As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, NPCA does not endorse, oppose or fund candidates for public office,” a spokesperson told Newsweek . “Individual employees may make political contributions on their own time using their own resources.”

Newsweek has mapped the NPCA’s Day of Action events below:

National Park Week continues through Sunday, under the theme “Celebrate America’s Story.” The remaining daily themes are:

Monday, August 24: America in Motion Monday

Tuesday, August 25: The National Park Service’s 110th Birthday and Fee-Free day.

Wednesday, August 26: Watch Wildlife Wednesday.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Edward T. Cummins .

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