Many senators are pushing for an appropriations bill that provides about $3 billion for the National Park Service.
That includes Yellowstone National Park, which covers over 2 million acres of land across Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. However, it didn’t see the major cuts some other parks experienced this year, at least according to Michelle Uberuaga, Yellowstone senior program manager at the nonprofit, National Park Conservation Association.
“When you come into Yellowstone, you're warmly welcomed at the front gate. Trails are open,” said Uberuaga.
But she said she’s concerned about a hiring freeze at parks, plus other budget limitations that could impact them long-term.
“We need funding to make sure that our roads are repaired, we have safe bridges,” Uberuaga said, in addition to having biologists and researchers to study the park’s iconic wildlife.
She said the bipartisan appropriations bill in the Senate could help maintain funding levels at parks, restore necessary operational staff numbers and prevent future land sell-offs.
“What we really need right now is the ability for our park superintendent to hire staff and have a budget,” she added.
The House and Senate need to reconcile their funding bills in order for the budget to pass. Proposals from President Trump and House Republicans are looking to further reduce spending and bureaucracy.
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, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
