Published November 14, 2026 03:33AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
With Democrats slated take control the House of Representatives and Senate on January 3, the Trump Administration is advancing multiple policies that could impact U.S. national parks and other public lands.<\/p>\n
Among the proposals are a sweeping selloff of territory controlled by the Interior Department, the limiting of public input on decisions made by the Bureau of Land Management, and a dramatic restructuring of the National Park Service (NPS), among others. The plans have sparked strong criticism from nonprofits, conservation groups, and lawmakers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like they\u2019re trying to rush this stuff through in the dark of night,\u201d Edward Stierli, vice president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association, told\u00a0Outside.\u00a0<\/em>\u201cWe know they\u2019re trying to move on these reorganizations before the end of the year because they know in 2027 there will be a higher level of accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look at some of the controversial public lands policies that the administration is considering.<\/p>\n On November 7,\u00a0The Washington Post\u00a0<\/em>published a report<\/a> stating that the Department of Interior (DOI) was planning a dramatic restructuring of both the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.<\/p>\n Citing internal DOI documents, the\u00a0WaPo<\/em> stated that DOI officials are considering \u201cpending duty station changes\u201d to the locations where NPS staff work.\u00a0Outside<\/em> reached out to the DOI for comment but did not hear back prior to the publishing of this story.<\/p>\n The report comes two months after the\u00a0Washington Sun<\/em> reported<\/a> that the DOI was considering realigning its 433 NPS units under a so-called hub-and-spoke management model. Currently, all 433 NPS units retain some autonomy in making their own decisions.<\/p>\n Under the proposed model, decision-making power would be centralized at larger parks, while smaller \u201cspoke\u201d park units would lose some power.<\/p>\n Stierli told\u00a0Outside<\/em> that there\u2019s already regional hub-and-spoke models around resource sharing in the NPS that are effective. But moving to a sweeping hub-and-spoke management model would likely lead to the loss of staff and expertise at smaller sites.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you go to Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania the tour you get there is incredible; it makes everyone cry, because it was designed by someone who is steeped in the history there,\u201d Stireli said. \u201cIf you were to move that position to a different park, or to a variety of different parks, you\u2019re not going to get the same level of expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n Even if the hub-and-spoke model doesn\u2019t move forward, other plans are afoot for the agency. In its new strategic plan for 2026 to 2030<\/a>, the DOI highlighted a move to \u201cconsolidate its workforce to advance operational efficiencies.\u201d The agency has already been crippled by consolidation: in 2025, the NPS lost nearly a quarter of its full-time staff to buyouts and layoffs.<\/p>\n On November 11, the DOI published a sweeping strategic plan<\/a> for 2026 through 2030 that outlines the department\u2019s large-scale path for managing the 11 agencies under its control, including the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.<\/p>\n In his opening letter DOI secretary Douglas Burgum said the agency\u2019s primary focus was to make public lands available for the country\u2019s goals around energy production and industry.<\/p>\n The document also stated that the DOI would \u201cwork to decrease the size of the federal estate by offering to states, localities, and Tribes the opportunity to purchase federal lands.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThrough these sales, the Department will be able to focus its resources on primary federal responsibilities and nationally significant federal lands,\u201d the plan states.<\/p>\n The proposal to sell public lands drew sharp objections from critics.<\/p>\n \u201cSecretary Burgum\u2019s plan threatens the lands where families hike, camp, hunt, and fish, the wildlife habitats that sustain our ecosystems, and the natural, cultural, and historic treasures we have a responsibility to protect for future generations,\u201d Loren Blackford, executive director of the Sierra Club, said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cThe administration should be investing in protecting our public lands and the people who steward them, not looking for ways to shrink and block public access to them.\u201d<\/p>\n This is the Trump Administration\u2019s second attempt at a sweeping sale of public lands. In June 2025, Utah Senator Mike Lee spearheaded a plan to sell 3 million acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. The plan was ultimately torpedoed amid mounting bipartisan opposition.<\/p>\nA Dramatic Reorganization of the National Park Service<\/h2>\n
A Plan to Sell Off Huge Swaths of Public Land<\/h2>\n
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Changing the BLM Rules to Limit Public Comments<\/h2>\n
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