Stewarding Our Public Lands and Waters Requires a Workforce

During his first term, President Trump signed two major conservation laws. In 2019, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act protected 1.3 million acres as Wilderness, designated ten new Wild and Scenic River segments, and expanded three national parks. The following year, he supported the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, which directed $9.5 billion to address the National Park Service’s maintenance backlog and ensured a permanent annual allocation of $900 million to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the country’s primary source of funding for outdoor recreation infrastructure. In the first few weeks of his second term, scattershot actions to shrink the size of government through staffing cuts have significantly undermined those legislative investments in our public lands and waters.

Despite those gains in addressing the maintenance backlog and infrastructure projects, public land agencies like the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), National Park Service (NPS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have still been chronically underfunded, and as visitors to these lands have increased, our workforce stewarding them has not. These agencies manage thousands of miles of rivers critically important to our clean water supply and recreation economies. They are now being stripped disproportionately of their on-the-ground staff who play a direct role in managing rivers and the infrastructure we rely on to access them. American Whitewater works closely with agency staff, and while we don’t always agree on every issue, we deeply respect the work they do and it’s important we speak up and defend them from unwarranted firings, which leave our public lands and waters vulnerable. 

Our public lands and waters need you to raise your voice in support of their workforce and we’ve made it super simple to do right now by reaching out to Congress using our easy-action form.

Lands management employees are dedicated professionals, the vast majority of whom live in the communities and watersheds they serve. They know the rivers and landscapes intimately, care for them tirelessly, and share many of the same values as the outdoor recreation community—because they are often part of it. Their work is essential to keeping public lands healthy, accessible, and protected for everyone. If the agencies lack staff to manage recreation, we will likely see closures of campgrounds, access areas, or even entire permitted rivers. 

With thousands of integral positions at the USFS laid off, including essential seasonal workers, the ability to maintain river access, campgrounds, and other recreation infrastructure is severely compromised. Even more concerning, emergency response teams—vital to managing natural disasters like wildfires—are facing cuts that could delay responses and make our lands less safe. These staffing cuts will lead to fewer open access areas, campground closures, and a diminished experience for the millions of Americans who rely on public lands and waters for recreation and recreation-related jobs.

River enthusiasts need to raise our collective voices in opposition to these cuts and ask our lawmakers and the administration to reinvest in the workforce that manages our public lands– we make it super easy to do just that right now by using our easy-action form today. And if you have an extra moment please personalize it with your own experiences and love for our public lands and water and the people who steward them. It makes a big difference. Thank you!