Over the past several weeks, the federal government has announced mass firings of staff across multiple federal agencies—including many agencies that steward our nation’s historic and cultural places or otherwise support preservation and placemaking, including the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and more.

We at the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation join many of our nonprofit colleagues nationwide in expressing concern over these mass firings. At the National Park Service (NPS) alone, there has been a 9% reduction in staff. And yet, NPS is one of the largest stewards of historic and cultural sites in the country. Here’s a list of just a few of the many sites that NPS manages or otherwise supports here in Washington State:

  • Olympic National Park
  • North Cascades National Park
  • Mount Rainier National Park
  • Manhattan Project National Historical Park at Hanford
  • Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve
  • Maritime Washington National Heritage Area
  • Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area

Despite the fact that our national parks received record visitation in 2024 and that NPS was already understaffed, these staff cuts and hiring freezes were implemented. Furthermore, the federal government has announced plans to terminate NPS leases and shutter 32 offices/sites across the country, including the Klondike Gold Rush Historical Site in downtown Seattle. Canceling this lease would close the Klondike Gold Rush Museum and effectively shutter the Seattle Area National Park Sites.

The National Park Service is a key entity in safeguarding our country’s historic and cultural places. Without sufficient staff, they cannot do their work. Our country’s national parks, landscapes, and heritage areas will suffer, and many of the organizations (including the Washington Trust) that depend upon NPS partnership and support will also suffer. This is no mere budget exercise—our history and our heritage are at stake.

Washington Trust staff are reaching out to our partners and our Congressional delegation to let them know that we stand with NPS staff members and oppose the gutting of NPS overall. Join us. Contact your legislators and let them know that you support the National Park Service and other federal agencies that safeguard our country’s historic and cultural sites. (Look up your Congressional delegates here.) You can also express your support by signing the National Parks Conservation Association’s letter at npca.org/1000jobs.

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