Glacier Park: National Icon under Strain

Our National Parks, Monuments and Historic Sites are not a drain on the U.S. budget. They’re economic powerhouses. By cutting funding, we’re reducing visitation, damaging infrastructure, and shrinking the communities that depend on these revered and celebrated places.

Steve Daines is watching this happen and doing absolutely nothing. What Americans took for granted for generations is now at risk.

Montana’s public park sites define our values. From Glacier’s ice-carved peaks to the solemn expanse of Big Hole Battlefield, these places tell the story of the American West with honesty and permanence.

Our parks are revenue-positive assets. Every federal dollar invested returns well through local and concession income as well as broader economic contributions. Cutting park budgets without recognizing their value harms both the land and Montana’s economy.

Since January 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency has indiscriminately eliminated nearly 25 percent of the permanent workforce within the National Park Service. In June, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which rescinded $267 million from NPS accounts, including money designated for cultural preservation, staffing, emergency response, and climate resilience.

The result is the quiet dismantling of educational programs, maintenance capacity, and public access. The cuts are felt everywhere from our iconic parks of Yellowstone and Glacier and most acutely at Montana’s smaller and historically significant sites, many of which lack the staffing and visibility to withstand this level of erosion.

What’s unfolding across our state indicates an abrupt end to the reverence of our protected historic and natural sites by Montana's Congressional delegation in D.C.

Not one is standing up against the decimation now underway. Montana deserves a U.S. Senator who will.

Glacier National Park entered 2025 with an estimated $134 million deferred maintenance backlog, covering roads, bridges, trails, water and sewer systems, housing, and campgrounds. The park’s assets include over 700 miles of trails and several historic structures that require regular upkeep to ensure visitor safety and protect fragile ecosystems.

Park managers report a 25 percent loss in permanent staff, with continued hiring freezes undermining the ability to maintain aging infrastructure. Less staff on construction and maintenance crews means only emergency fixes are performed. Older trails, bridges, and utility systems are increasingly vulnerable to failure.

Campgrounds face routine closures due to staffing shortages. Ranger programs have been scaled back. Emergency response teams in Glacier National Park are stretched thinner than at any point in the last decade.

Where's the fraud, waste and abuse? Administrative gaps at regional sites like Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site in Deer Lodge, a park based three and a half hours away, have been temporarily filled by Glacier’s superintendent. The cross-park coverage is symptomatic of a larger collapse in administrative continuity.

Neglected trails and systems pose real risks. Montana’s iconic park deserves the staffing to sustain infrastructure and public access.

Workforce reductions and operational cuts are also weakening Glacier’s wildfire preparedness. The absence of seasonal hires, limited funding for fire prevention, and uncertain coordination protocols leave the park and its visitors more vulnerable. As the 2025 fire season intensifies, the consequences of these decisions may become more visible.

Budget cuts and workforce reductions are causing concern regarding wildfire response and management in Glacier and surrounding areas. These cuts have directly affected federal agencies responsible for managing public lands, including the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, both of which play crucial roles in wildfire prevention, mitigation, and suppression efforts.

Both the NPS and USFS have experienced staff reductions, including seasonal workers, which can lead to a shortage of wildland firefighters and support personnel during peak wildfire season. Glacier National Park heavily relies on a network of seasonal employees to operate and maintain the park and its resources, including assisting with fire management functions. These cuts impact the park's ability to adequately respond to fires and ensure visitor safety.

Cuts to fire mitigation and control budgets, combined with staffing shortages, can hamper efforts to proactively manage wildfire risks, such as implementing fuel reduction projects and maintaining fire breaks. This can be particularly concerning in areas near communities where the wildland-urban interface presents significant risks.

Reductions in federal funding and staff strains may negatively impact the effectiveness of overall wildfire response efforts. Investments in wildfire reslilience and preparation are neither waste nor fraud.

The potential for increased wildfire activity and reduced park services cuts could have significant economic and social consequences for Glacier National Park and the surrounding communities. Local economies heavily depend on the outdoor recreation and tourism generated by the park and other public lands.

These federal cuts and workforce reductions have sparked concerns about Glacier National Park's ability to respond effectively to wildfires, manage its resources, and ensure visitor safety. The extent of the impact on wildfire response and mitigation efforts will likely become clearer as the region navigates the upcoming wildfire seasons.

Contact Steve Daines and tell him to full fund our National Parks, Battlefields, Monuments and Historic Sites. Montana's legacy deserves management and protection.