Secretary Burgum鈥檚 also calls for a review of each national park鈥檚 operating hours, trail and campground closures, and staffing levels. He said the Interior Department will ensure there鈥檚 enough staffing to support the operating hours and needs of each park.
But given the White House鈥檚 budget-cutting, some are raising concerns about what visitors to national parks may experience this year.
Kate Groetzinger, communications manager with the nonpartisan conservation organization Center for Western Priorities, said some park services may be stretched thin, including search and rescues.
鈥淢aybe bring your own toilet paper 鈥� I'm not kidding when I say that,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd don't do anything dangerous, because these park staff are already stretched thin.鈥�
Groetzinger said visitors should also have a backup plan in case parks are overcrowded and understaffed.
鈥淟ook for other trails and hiking opportunities or biking opportunities around parks in case you can't get in, or you can't find parking when you do get there,鈥� she added.
National parks welcomed more than 331 million visitors last year. The sites were run by more than 20,000 employees and 300,000 volunteers.
Asked how many of the roughly 1,000 fired park employees have been reinstated, the Interior Department told the Mountain West News Bureau, 鈥淲e do not have comment on specific personnel.鈥�
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, 皇冠网址 in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the .