Will a national parks commission help these wonders?

Will a new commission help the nation’s struggling national parks and monuments by directing a laser focus on their operations and backlog of needs?

President Donald Trump seems to think so.

Recently, Trump created the Make America Beautiful Again Commission to help some of the country’s most iconic places where people love to recreate, learn and explore the scenic wonders.

The July 3 executive order cites a number of current problems with these treasures, including mismanagement, regulatory overreach, neglect of routine maintenance, and land-use restrictions which thwart access for hunters, anglers, outdoorsmen and others.

“These bureaucratic restrictions have undermined outdoor traditions and threatened conservation funding. The National Park Service and the United States Forest Service face more than $23 billion and $10.8 billion in deferred maintenance, respectively, leaving roads, trails, and historic landmarks in disrepair. Despite these challenges, our nation has proven that conservation and economic growth go hand in hand,” the order reads.

The order notes that since the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act, the outdoor recreation economy has grown to $1.2 trillion in economic output, and, in 2023, comprised 3.1% of employees in the United States and supported five million jobs.

“It is the policy of my administration to prioritize responsible conservation, restore our lands and waters, and protect our nation’s outdoor heritage for the enjoyment of the American people,” the order said.

The order said the idea is to promote responsible stewardship while driving economic growth; expand access to public lands and waters for recreation, hunting and fishing; encourage responsible, voluntary, conservation efforts; cut bureaucratic delays that hinder effective, environmental management; and recover America’s fish and wildlife populations through proactive, voluntary, on-the-ground collaborative conservation efforts.

The new commission

The executive order’s commission will be chaired by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, with the assistant to the president of domestic policy to serve as its executive director.

Members also include the Defense secretary, the Agriculture secretary, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the chair of the Council on Environmental Quality and the director of the Office of Management and Budget.

In 2021, Utah’s political leaders expressed feeling slighted when money from oil and gas development was supposed to be directed to national parks to help with maintenance under the Great American Outdoors Act passed the previous year.

Coastal states like New York received $50.5 million, Virginia raked in $247.5 million, and even Oregon was rewarded with $12.5 million.

Utah? With its robust oil and gas development and the Mighty Five National Parks, received nothing for park maintenance.

Instead, $7.3 million was funneled to the Bureau of Land Management in Utah to help bolster its projects.

At the time then-Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah said: “It is one of the reasons these public lands issues are so divisive. … If the federal government is going to own this land, they need to step up and take care of it.”

Curtis has since been elected to the U.S. Senate.

With this executive order, the commission is tasked with advising and assisting the president regarding how best to responsibly conserve America’s national treasures and natural resources

Among its duties are to advise on recommendations regarding conservation efforts, develop policies to restore fish and wildlife populations and expand access to clean drinking water and restore aquatic ecosystems to improve water quality and availability, among others.

Visitation amid struggles

National park visitation in Utah grew 100% between 2005 and 2024. At the same time, National Park Service jobs grew 8%, according to a new report from the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.

In 2024, it was a record year across the parks system, logging nearly 331.9 million visits to more than 400 national parks.