What’s Next for Parks in a Second Trump Administration?

The impacts of this election are already being felt around the globe. Even before President-Elect Trump takes the oath of office, Americans want to know what it will mean.

Here’s one thing I know for sure: NPCA has been fighting for parks alongside our members and supporters for more than a century. We have worked with 19 presidential administrations, dozens of Interior Secretaries and every single National Park Service Director. We always strive to find common ground — and we most certainly fight back when our parks need us to.

During the last Trump administration, we saw attempts to weaken or dismantle the agencies that protect parks and public lands. We saw attempts to undo environmental protections that had stood for decades. Thanks to our community of park supporters, we were able to stop many of those attacks — and we’re prepared to defend our parks again.

We have worked with 19 presidential administrations, dozens of Interior Secretaries and every single National Park Service Director. We always strive to find common ground.

Think about what parks mean to you. They’re places to connect with history and nature. They’re places to share experiences with your family. They’re places to treasure what is best about our nation.

That’s worth fighting for.

And that’s why we were able to forge strong bipartisan alliances during the last Trump administration — resulting in landmark victories like the Great American Outdoors Act.

So during this transition time, that’s what we’re doing again. We’re staking out a firm position for our parks and we’re strengthening our coalition. Because we know the stakes and we know the threats.

To do that, we will:

• Work toward a long-term vision for funding a modern National Park System that balances park protection with a skyrocketing number of visitors.
• Push Congress and the administration to focus on wildlife habitats and corridors to keep parks healthy.
• Keep supporting new parks that commemorate the entire American story — stories from the Asian American Pacific Islanders, Black, Indigenous, Latino and LGBTQ communities.

Since 1919, we have been an independent voice, outside of the government and nonpartisan. We will continue to be that strong, unwavering voice for our parks and all who love them. I know we can count on each other in the days and years ahead.