The National Park Service is required by Congress to manage parks in a manner that conserves wildlife and provides for visitor enjoyment. But now at more than 55 national park sites, managers are being instructed to prioritize hunting and trapping access above common-sense conservation and safety measures. Parks are being instructed to do the “minimum necessary for public safety and resource protection” when it comes to hunting and trapping. This means allowing hunting in previously restricted areas of parks, expanding the types of hunting methods allowed, or removing limitations on shooting across trails. Worse yet, it expands hunting into more areas where interactions could occur with other park visitors.
All of this is occurring without providing park advocates the chance to weigh in. Other agencies at the Department of Interior are taking public comment on rule changes on other public lands. Join NPCA in using the Fish and Wildlife Service’s comment period to stand up for parks.
Speak out for park wildlife and visitor safety. Tell Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to let the National Park Service continue to protect park wildlife!
Dear Secretary Burgum,
As someone who cares deeply about wildlife and about people being able to safely enjoy our national parks, I urge you to give the public a chance to understand and comment on the changes being made to hunting and trapping rules by the National Park Service. These decisions could affect park wildlife, visitor safety, and the experience at 55 parks, and they should not move forward without transparency and public input.
Congress allowed hunting and trapping in some parks, but it also protected these places as part of the National Park System for a reason. The standard for caring for national parks is higher than it is for other public lands, and if similar changes on National Wildlife Refuges are open for public review and comment, the same should be true for changes affecting our national park sites.
