According to a report from AFAR, despite receiving a record number of visitors last year and funneling $55.6 billion in revenue into the national economy in 2023, U.S. national parks have been facing unprecedented budget cuts. Since January 2025, there’s been a 24 percent loss of National Park Service permanent staffing, a threat to sell 1.23 million acres of public lands (which public opinion helped thwart for now), and a $267 million loss in funding under the budget reconciliation bill passed in July, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
Thousands of activists marched across national park sites this past spring brandishing signs and chants such as “hands off our parks” and “defund war not nature” to protest the proposed cuts and show support for conserving the natural havens.
Now, travel company Intrepid is joining the chorus. The B Corp has launched two limited-edition Active-ism trips in U.S. national parks that combine outdoor adventure with activist-led discussions. Designed in partnership with environmentalist Pattie Gonia and led by influential environmentalists, each trip offers insights into the issues, raising awareness and arming travelers with an advocacy toolkit. The initiative is part of Intrepid’s United by Nature campaign, which includes a $50,000 donation to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). …
As parks scramble to fill in the staffing gaps under Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s order to stay open at all costs, vital conservation work is suffering, according to John Garder, senior director of budget and appropriations for NPCA. That work includes management of invasive species, water and air quality monitoring, at-risk wildlife protection, and climate impact reports. This is happening at a time when biodiversity loss and climate change have never been more pressing—or felt more acutely in national parks.
“We are literally seeing scientists in Yosemite maintaining the bathrooms, and what that means is that the science isn’t getting done,” says Garder. The influence of public opinion on the public lands ruling in July 2025 was heartening, but much still hangs in the balance, including how the 2026 fiscal budget will affect national parks, which could lose a further $1.2 billion in funding. “All but $12 million of that budget was reserved for staff,” says Garder. “The loss would be historic and extremely damaging.”
Click here to read the full report from AFAR.
