by Jessica Hughes | Sep 29, 2026 | Main Articles
by Jessica Hughes
New Kid In Town: The distinct Waymo autonomous vehicles have been hitting the streets of Denver and Glendale since September 1.
While you may not be ready to hand over the keys quite yet, driverless cars have officially arrived in Denver. Waymo began welcoming its first public riders in Denver and Glendale on September 1, 2026, bringing fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the Mile High City and putting the Cherry Creek Valley at the forefront of a rapidly changing transportation industry.
The rollout places Denver and Glendale among a growing number of American cities where residents can hail a vehicle using a mobile app and travel across town without a human driver behind the wheel. Waymo launched public rides in Denver and Glendale simultaneously with San Diego and Tampa, and has continued expanding into additional markets.
For some, the sight of a car navigating busy city streets with nobody sitting in the driver’s seat may still look like something out of a science-fiction movie. But Waymo’s arrival is the culmination of more than 15 years of research and development.
The technology began as Google’s self-driving car project in 2009. Waymo later became a separate company under Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and has spent years testing autonomous vehicles on public roads and gradually introducing commercial ride-hailing service.
The Cherry Creek Valley presents a particularly interesting challenge. Unlike many of Waymo’s earlier markets, the Mile High City experiences snow, ice, freezing temperatures, and rapidly changing weather conditions. Denver therefore offers an important proving ground for autonomous vehicles operating in a four-season climate.
Waymo announced its arrival to the area in September 2025, initially bringing a mixed fleet that included Jaguar I-PACE vehicles equipped with its fifth-generation autonomous driving technology and newer vehicles using its sixth-generation system. The company said its newer technology had benefited from previous winter-weather testing in Michigan, upstate New York, and the Sierra Nevada.
During the months leading up to the public launch, Waymo vehicles became an increasingly familiar sight on Denver-area streets as the company validated its technology under local driving conditions.
Rather than relying solely on GPS to determine where a vehicle is and where it needs to go, Waymo vehicles use a sophisticated combination of cameras, radar, and lidar sensors to continuously monitor their surroundings. The company’s autonomous driving system, known as the “Waymo Driver,” is designed to recognize other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, traffic signals, construction zones, and unexpected obstacles while making driving decisions in real time.
Ride At Your Fingertips: A rider uses the Waymo app to request an autonomous vehicle. Similar to other ride-hailing services, the app allows passengers to request a trip, locate their vehicle, and follow their ride — with one major difference: there is no human driver.
For passengers, however, the experience is designed to feel surprisingly ordinary. A rider requests a vehicle through the Waymo app much like requesting a ride through Uber or Lyft. When the vehicle arrives, there is no driver to greet the passenger. Riders can identify their assigned vehicle through the app and use features such as displaying their initials on the vehicle or remotely sounding its horn to help locate it.
Once inside, passengers buckle up, select their destination, and let the vehicle do the driving.
There is also no awkward question about how much to tip at the end of the trip. Because there is no human driver, tipping is not part of the Waymo experience.
The Appeal Of A Driverless Ride
Supporters of autonomous vehicles see considerable potential in the technology, with safety at the top of the list. Unlike human drivers, computers don’t get tired, distracted by text messages, angry at other motorists, or impaired by alcohol. Autonomous vehicles are also designed to monitor their surroundings continuously in every direction.
Waymo says its safety data shows its autonomous driving system has been involved in substantially fewer serious crashes than comparable human drivers. The company reported at the Denver launch that its vehicles had experienced 94 percent fewer serious-injury-or-worse crashes compared with human drivers traveling comparable distances.
Those figures come from Waymo’s own analysis and will undoubtedly continue to receive scrutiny as autonomous vehicles accumulate more miles and expand into more cities. Another potential advantage is mobility.
Driverless transportation could eventually provide greater independence for people who cannot drive because of age, disability, or certain medical conditions. Older residents who have stopped driving, for example, could potentially maintain greater independence without relying entirely on family members, public transportation, or traditional ride-hailing services.
There are lifestyle benefits as well. Passengers don’t have to make small talk with a driver, worry about a driver canceling a trip, or wonder whether the person behind the wheel has been driving for too many hours. Some riders may simply prefer the privacy of having the vehicle to themselves.
Autonomous vehicles could also provide another option for people who have been drinking. A readily available driverless ride could give someone leaving a restaurant, bar, sporting event, or concert another alternative to getting behind the wheel.
Waymo’s vehicles are electric, adding another transportation option for cities attempting to reduce vehicle emissions.
Not Everyone Is Ready
For all of those potential advantages, there are also legitimate questions surrounding driverless cars. Perhaps the biggest is a simple one: What happens when something goes wrong?
A human driver can encounter a police officer directing traffic around an accident, a construction worker giving unusual hand signals, an unexpected road closure, or any number of situations that require judgment and communication. Autonomous vehicles must interpret those situations through software and sensors.
And the Denver area adds another variable: weather. A sunny September afternoon is considerably different from a January morning following eight inches of snow. Lane markings can disappear beneath snow and ice, visibility can deteriorate quickly, and residential streets may remain snowpacked long after major roads have been cleared.
The Denver area could therefore become an important real-world test of whether autonomous vehicles can operate as reliably in difficult winter conditions as they do in the warmer climates where much of the technology was initially deployed.
There are economic concerns, too.
Uber and Lyft created an enormous gig economy built around human drivers. If autonomous vehicles eventually capture a significant portion of the ride-hailing market, fewer human drivers could be needed. Taxi drivers, rideshare drivers, and eventually workers in other transportation industries could face increasing competition from vehicles that don’t collect wages, take breaks, or call in sick.
Privacy is another consideration. Autonomous vehicles necessarily rely on numerous cameras and sensors to understand their surroundings. Riders may reasonably want to know what information is collected during a trip, how long it is retained, and how it is used.
There is also the question of accountability. When a conventional vehicle crashes, responsibility typically rests with one or more human drivers. A crash involving a fully autonomous vehicle raises more complicated questions involving the vehicle operator, software developer, manufacturer, and insurance companies.
Those issues will likely become increasingly important for lawmakers and regulators as autonomous vehicles become more common.
Waymo Versus Uber And Lyft
Although Waymo, Uber, and Lyft can all get a passenger from Point A to Point B, the experience is fundamentally different.
The most obvious distinction is the empty driver’s seat.
Waymo’s vehicle is operated by an autonomous driving system rather than a rideshare driver using his or her personal vehicle. That means there is no driver to tip, no conversation unless the passengers are talking among themselves, and no individual driver deciding whether to accept a particular trip.
Pricing can vary depending on the trip and demand, much as it does with other ride-hailing services, so Waymo will not necessarily always be cheaper than Uber or Lyft.
The companies are not necessarily destined to be competitors everywhere, either. Waymo has already partnered with Uber in some markets, demonstrating that autonomous vehicles could eventually become another type of vehicle available through existing ride-hailing networks.
Denver And Glendale
Become A Testing Ground
Waymo’s arrival does not mean the Denver area’s streets will suddenly be filled with thousands of driverless vehicles. Access is being introduced gradually. When Waymo launched public rides in Denver, San Diego, and Tampa on September 1, the company said tens of thousands of people in each city had already expressed interest in riding. Waymo said it would steadily add riders as it worked toward opening service more broadly.
The company has also said it intends to expand its service areas over time as the technology and operations develop. That gradual approach means residents are likely to see more Waymo vehicles on local streets even if they haven’t yet taken a ride themselves.
And that may be the most significant part of Waymo’s arrival. For decades, the driverless car was one of those technologies that always seemed to be just around the corner. Engineers promised it, futurists predicted it, and automakers demonstrated prototypes, but most Americans continued to get into vehicles with a person sitting behind the wheel.
That is beginning to change. There are still important questions involving safety, employment, privacy, regulation, winter-weather performance, and public acceptance. Some residents will undoubtedly download the app at the first opportunity, while others may need considerably more convincing before they are comfortable climbing into a car with an empty driver’s seat.
Either way, the Cherry Creek Valley is now part of that experiment. The future of the driverless automobile isn’t simply coming anymore. It’s already navigating our streets.
High-Tech Driver: Waymo’s fifth-generation autonomous driving system sits atop an all-electric Jaguar I-PACE. Cameras, radar, and lidar sensors allow the Waymo Driver to continuously monitor its surroundings and navigate without a human behind the wheel.
by Jessica Hughes | Jul 23, 2026 | Main Articles
by Jessica Hughes
Views from The Outpost observation deck. Photo by Jessica Hughes
If you’ve ever made the weekend trek along I-70 heading west, you may have stopped in Idaho Springs to grab a beer or pizza at Tommy Knocker’s, but the town’s newest addition may give you another reason to stay and linger a little longer. This summer, one of the world’s largest and best-preserved historic gold mills enters a new chapter, with the debut of the Mighty Argo Cable Car.
Panoramic mountain views from 8,800 feet in elevation at Miner’s Point. Photo by Jessica Hughes
It’s been more than 130 years since the Argo Mill and Tunnel sat at the center of one of Colorado’s most notable mining operations. When completed in 1910, the five-mile tunnel was the largest in the world. It served as both a drainage system and an underground railway, connecting numerous mines and helping transform Idaho Springs into an integral mining hub. And while floods, mine closures, and the construction of I-70 eventually shifted the town’s role from a mining center to a roadside stopover, the Argo’s multi-level, rustic-red structure has endured.
This summer, a new project hopes to restore the town’s shine and claim its place as a destination for travelers. This past Memorial Day weekend, the Argo revealed a $71 million redevelopment anchored by the debut of the Mighty Argo Cable Car.
The vision for the Argo’s revival began years ago, when Idaho Springs resident Mary Jane Loevlie saw the historic landmark as a natural addition to her growing portfolio of local properties. Purchasing the site in 2016 with the help and advice of her friend and business partner, legendary Colorado developer Dana Crawford, together, they acquired the Argo with an ambitious vision for its future.
“The Mighty Argo Cable Car has been a long-time vision for Idaho Springs and the Argo property,” says Rose Miller, the Events and Marketing Coordinator for the Mighty Argo. “The idea was first developed to bring new life to the historic Argo Mill & Tunnel while creating a year-round mountain experience that connects history, recreation, food and beverage, events, and the incredible views above town.”
The historic Argo Mill is also now open for tours. Photo by Jessica Hughes
But after years of environmental remediation, including the removal of abandoned metal debris and hazardous materials, the project turned into a nearly decade-long undertaking, with the official groundbreaking taking place on July 25, 2024. After years of planning, investment, construction, and partnership with the City of Idaho Springs and local stakeholders, the Mighty Argo opened to the public this past Memorial Day weekend. Yet the extended timeline ultimately allowed for a more thoughtful transformation — one that carefully preserved the site’s historic character while creating a new future for one of Colorado’s most storied landmarks.
The high-speed, year-round gondola carries visitors 1.2 miles from the historic Argo Mill up Rosa Gulch, climbing roughly 1,300 feet in elevation. Its spacious interior and floor-to-ceiling glass golden-hued cabins showcase the area’s mountain views, making the short 10-minute ride to the top feel like it’s not nearly long enough.
Miller says the experience is designed to connect Idaho Springs’ mining heritage with the outdoor adventure that defines Colorado today. “The Mighty Argo is not just a ride. It is becoming a full experience for Idaho Springs,” says Miller. “It brings together the town’s mining history, mountain views, live music, food and beverage, family activities, events, and outdoor access all in one place.”
The Mighty Argo’s 27 cable cars glide along a 1.2-mile ride to the top of Miner’s Point. Photo by Jessica Hughes
Visitors can begin with a tour of the historic Argo Tunnel and Mill, where original equipment and underground passageways tell the story of the miners who once worked these mountains. From there, the Mighty Argo elevates the journey — both literally and figuratively — offering a bird’s-eye view of the landscape that shaped the town’s history.
At the summit, the ride culminates at Miner’s Point, where The Outpost features observation decks, pedestrian plazas, an amphitheater, and food and beverage offerings from the Sun and Moon Saloon. But what shouldn’t be missed, nor could you miss, are the views from Miner’s Point, where mountain top views stretch as far as the eye can see, across the Continental Divide and four of Colorado’s fourteeners.
And for those who like to experience the mountains instead of just looking at them, visitors have direct access to more than 15 (up to 28 come 2027) miles of hiking and biking trails, all thanks to a partnership with COMBA (Colorado Mountain Bike Association), reopening the Virginia Canyon Mountain Park, with additional attractions still to come.
Building on the town’s mining history, the Mighty Argo Cable Car offers a new perspective on the landmark, connecting Idaho Springs’ rich mining history with scenic mountain views, outdoor recreation, and a new way to experience one of Colorado’s most historic destinations. “For us, the goal is to create something that feels exciting and new while still honoring the history and character of Idaho Springs,” says Miller.
More information and tickets can be found at mightyargo.com.
by Jessica Hughes | Apr 1, 2026 | Glendale City News
by Jessica Hughes
Goodwill of Colorado helps support people and its communities through 25 workforce and community programs.
Thrifting has re-emerged as a popular trend driven by a shift toward sustainable, eco-conscious, and budget-friendly choices. According to Goodwill’s annual reporting, Goodwill Industries reached record revenue of $7 billion in 2025 across its more than 3,400 North American stores, fueled by a 7% increase in sales. Much of that growth has been driven by younger shoppers, including Gen Z and millennial consumers, who increasingly view thrifting as both economical and sustainable.
“There’s less of a stigma attached to shopping second-hand; that perception has flipped completely,” says Stephanie Bell, the brand manager of Goodwill of Colorado. “Now, there is more of a status and cache in finding a unique item. People love the thrill of a thrift and saving money at the same time.” And as prices continue to climb across the country, many shoppers are turning to secondhand stores as a practical way to stretch their budgets, putting stores like Goodwill right in the center of this trend.
Yet beyond the bins of donated goods and the shopping among a treasure trove of unique items, there is an organization with a broader mission. Goodwill retail stores are part of a nonprofit system designed to support individuals, families, and communities by funding a wide range of programs and services that help people find employment, build job skills, and pursue education.
Shopper thrifting at the Glendale Goodwill store.
Goodwill of Colorado, the state’s oldest thrift operation with a nonprofit mission, reinvests much of its revenue into these programs that support local communities. “About 90 cents of every $1 made goes back into the community,” says Bell.
Goodwill of Colorado operates 25 workforce and community programs across the state, supporting more than 143,000 Coloradans in 2024 alone, including veterans, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and those who have experienced incarceration.
One of the organization’s most notable initiatives is the Excel Center in Aurora. The school is the state’s first tuition-free high school for adults, developed through a partnership with the Colorado Department of Education, and offers adults the opportunity to earn a high school diploma at no cost, along with childcare, career coaching, and flexible scheduling designed for adult learners. Since launching in Colorado, the Excel Center has graduated a growing number of students, with more than 100 earning diplomas since August 2024 alone.
Patrick Spaulding and his team at the Leetsdale Goodwill store in Glendale.
Working alongside Goodwill’s Career Development Services, the ReHire Colorado program helps individuals facing barriers to employment successfully return to the workforce. Today, more than 3,000 people are employed by Goodwill across the state, many through the organization’s fair-chance hiring practices that prioritize opportunities for those who might otherwise struggle to find work. According to Goodwill, roughly two-thirds of its social enterprise employees reported experiencing a barrier to employment before joining the organization — challenges that can include disabilities, language barriers, past incarceration, or extended gaps in work history.
The impact of these programs is often evident in the stores themselves. At the Goodwill location on Leetsdale Drive, serving the Glendale and Cherry Creek communities, about 55 employees make up a workforce rich in diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Team members speak six or seven different languages, and the staff includes refugees, individuals with disabilities, and people working to rebuild their careers after incarceration.
Patrick Spaulding, the store’s manager, said providing opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds is one of the most rewarding parts of the job. “We hired a refugee from Chad who speaks very little English, and this was her first job in America,” Spaulding said. “Just because you don’t speak English doesn’t mean you can’t work.”
Spaulding also recounts many success stories of the store’s employees who have turned their lives around through career advancements within the organization, as well as four individuals who came through partner programs like CW STEP (Colorado Works Subsidized Training and Employment Program) — one of several programs that collectively saw more than 43,000 individuals in 2024 receive free job training, career coaching, and placement for those with financial challenges and who haven’t been in the workplace for a while.
The stores themselves rely heavily on community donations. Clothing and textiles make up roughly 60% of donated goods, while electronics are among the least commonly donated items.
Goodwill of Colorado Déjà Blue Boutique in Cherry Creek — the only Goodwill boutique in Colorado.
“There are very few things we don’t take,” Spaulding said.
For shoppers and donors alike, that means everyday choices can have a ripple effect. Donating unwanted items keeps usable goods out of landfills, while shopping secondhand helps fund programs that support education, job training, and employment opportunities across Colorado.
It turns out that what is better for the planet is also better for local communities and improving people’s lives.
So, the next time you consider throwing something away — or buying something new — it may be worth remembering that a donated sweater or a thrifted find can do more than save money. It can help support your community.
by Jessica Hughes | Feb 18, 2026 | Glendale City News
Book Review —
by Jessica Hughes
Katie Vieira is an educator, wife, mother of three, and now a published author. Into the Field is Vieira’s first book.
Monitoring children’s screen time has become one of the most pressing challenges facing parents today, often compared to regulating sugar intake or substance exposure. Where the 1990s urged families to “D.A.R.E.” kids to avoid drugs, today’s battle is often centered on limiting time spent in front of screens. Which is why, Katie Vieira, an educator, wife, and mother of three wants to help children and their parents combat screen addiction by turning to the outdoors with her debut book, Into the Field.
Vieira began noticing the impact of that struggle firsthand when her two daughters showed increasing dependence on digital devices. “I started to notice my kids were constantly asking for it. That’s all they wanted to do,” says Vieira. “No matter how many times I would give the warning to turn off screens, they threw tantrums and became completely distraught.”
She recalls frequent power struggles, especially with her oldest daughter, over getting outside — an early warning sign that prompted concern. “They showed symptoms of digital addiction like difficulty disengaging from technology, mood swings, declining interest in offline activities, compulsive asking for the technology.”
Digital Addiction, as defined by the National Institutes of Health, is identified as functionally equivalent to all addictions, characterized by the compulsive, habitual, and uncontrolled use of digital devices and an excessively repeated engagement in a particular online behavior.
Wanting to help combat her kid’s digital addiction, Vieira focused on creating structures around screen time while intentionally prioritizing outdoor time. They avoid using iPads for education, treat screen time as shared family time, and use technology as a tool for connection rather than distraction. She acknowledges that balance is difficult to maintain. “It’s hard. It’s a slippery slope because it’s easy to say, ‘just put a show on’ but we can’t necessarily get away from it.”
Katie Vieira and her family.
The idea for the book emerged during one of the busiest seasons of Vieira’s life. She was pregnant with her third child while moving across the country before settling in Colorado. During that transition, as her daughters adjusted to a new home and homeschooling, Vieira noticed signs of digital addiction becoming more pronounced. Determined to help them form connections and spend more time outside, she discovered the 1,000 Hours Outside Challenge, which encourages families to match screen time with outdoor time. The challenge responds to data showing children spend roughly 1,000 hours per year on screens — about 2.5 hours per day.
Into the Field is a nature-based adventure story designed to help kids and their parents combat screen addiction through outdoor play. It follows two young sisters — modeled after Vieira’s daughters — who embark on an outdoor adventure to save a friend from screen addiction. Vieira describes the story as portraying an extreme version of the problem. “They are having to save their friend from the video game.” Colorful illustrations by Vieira’s cousin bring the adventure to life, with scenes set amid the landscapes of Tennessee.
The writing process became a family affair. “My girls not only inspired the story, but they actually played a role in writing it,” says Vieira. “I would jot down chapters based off hikes we had just done, after the kids went to bed, and the next morning I would read them the chapter I wrote. They would give some insight on what the kids should wear and sometimes say in certain situations.”
Into the Field is an adventure story designed to help kids and their parents combat screen addiction through outdoor play.
As former classroom teacher with a master’s degree in education, Vieira homeschools her children and emphasizes that technology itself is not the enemy. “I am aware that it is 2026 and still have to use the technology,” she says. “It’s about learning to keep it in their lives in a balanced way.”
She describes the book as magical, adventurous, and family-focused, with a central goal of inspiring outdoor play and creativity. “We have to allow for boredom and force them to be creative without their screens,” she says. “Going outside, allows them to tap into those creative outlets. Allowing them to be imaginative without the stimulus of screens.”
Into the Field is Vieira’s first book, and she has already begun work on the second installment — called Colorado Campground. She plans for the project to become a series, with each book set in a different state. Inspired by her educational background, Vieira also sees Into the Field as a classroom-friendly resource for teachers and parents alike. “My goal is to try and showcase the different biomes across the country, from beaches to mountains,” says Vieira. “I want to weave in social studies and science without the kids really knowing or realizing.”
Through storytelling, geography, and outdoor exploration, Vieira hopes the book series will quietly blend multiple curricula — reading comprehension, science, social studies, and social-emotional learning — while encouraging families to step away from screens and back into the natural world.
Alongside the book, she is also releasing compilation guides and accompanying activities that relate back to each chapter via her Instagram page. You can follow her at @intothefieldbook.
She will also be at the Barnes & Noble in Glendale for a book signing on March 22, from 1-3 p.m. You can also reach out to her directly at intothefield@gmail.com.
by Jessica Hughes | Nov 17, 2025 | Editorials
by Jessica Hughes
Dinosaur National Monument is one of many national parks experiencing severe budget cuts and staff shortages. Photo credit: Jessica Hughes
Often referred to as “America’s best idea,” our national parks are what many consider a national treasure, not only loved for their beauty and recreational access, but for their commitment to conservation, culture, and collective heritage.
Yet, now more than ever, our national parks are in crisis. Since the beginning of this year, they have become political pawns in a larger agenda that seems intent on undermining their mission. Behind the scenes, the foundational work of protecting landscapes and preserving cultural history is under attack.
National parks have struggled under a severe staffing crisis, losing roughly one quarter of their permanent workforce. This loss has made it increasingly hard to keep gates open, deliver basic visitor services, or carry out vital maintenance. It has also caused delays in research and critical maintenance, putting the long-term protection of America’s most iconic landscapes and cultural resources in jeopardy.
But the threats extend far beyond shrinking budgets and empty positions. Park leadership has been pressured to strip climate change information from official webpages and to remove references to slavery and LGBTQ+ history. Staff were also directed to inventory interpretive signage and museum content, and flag so-called “negative information” about past or living Americans via QR-code reporting and submit content for review. These requests are not isolated efforts, rather they reflect a sweeping effort to reshape our national park system and how American history is told.
All of this comes at a time of heightened pressure. Visitation has surged since the COVID era. Climate change is accelerating. And now, with cuts and mandates, national parks are being squeezed from every angle.
In Colorado, where more than one-third of the land is federally owned, roughly 24 million acres, parks were the busiest ever this year, with record-breaking visitation, all forced to operate with minimal staff. “The Administration ordered all NPs to remain open to maintain the appearance of a park visitor experience,” notes Tracy Coppola, the Colorado Program Manager at the National Parks Conservation Association. “It’s been tough this year.”
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is currently operating with no maintenance crew and half its staff. Photo credit: Jessica Hughes
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park was forced to operate with no maintenance crew and half of its staff. “That means Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is unable to fill 24 of the park’s 74 positions – a 1/3 reduction in staffing,” says Caitlyn Burford, the NPCA Senior Communications Manager. In other instances, this past summer, the park operated without rangers at the park’s North Rim, requiring signs to be posted telling visitors that search, and rescue would be slow or unavailable. And because all custodial staff had been terminated, higher-grade employees were being directed away from their regular duties to perform custodial functions.
Even amidst the government shutdown, most parks remain open with fewer amenities, and to the public, no real change is seen. But Coppola points out the front-facing staff shortages and closures aren’t the real issue.
“The challenge with the current narrative is that parks behind the scenes are scrambling. Visitors aren’t really seeing it out front; it is more behind the scenes,” explains Coppola. “It’s the scientists, conservationists, all those behind the scenes are where the parks are feeling it the most.”
Coppola refers to the staff who are hired to help protect the park’s natural and cultural resources. But with the recent cuts, places like Dinosaur National Monument, where its Cultural Resources person was fired, aren’t allowed to replace or rehire this position. And because administrative and maintenance staffing at the park is down 40%, those who remain behind the scenes, such as the park’s archeologist, are jumping in to help where they can, taking them away from what they were hired to do.
“We’re at a place where the parks are being put in an impossible situation,” says Coppola. “The future is uncertain. It is terrifying. We never thought the administration would come for the parks like they have; the parks are becoming politicized more, and we’re losing the reason why parks were created in the first place.”
Staff shortages at national parks have led to visitors exploring at their own risk. Photo provided by National Park Conservation Association
The National Park Conservation Association is the only independent, nonpartisan organization dedicated to protecting and advocating for America’s National Park System. This year, Coppola has seen a huge pivot in the organization’s focus, most of which has been voicing how critically important park staff is, and how these cuts have put a huge strain on the park system.
“We estimate that at least 24% of park permanent staff is gone across the board,” says Coppola. “So, we’ve been using our voice to stand up for park staff.” Another big focus for the organization is the sweeping changes that could come with president’s most extreme proposed 2026 budget.
The harshest budget proposal asks Congress to cut more than $1 billion to the National Park Service, which includes a $900 million cut to the operations of our national parks. According to the NPCA’s calculations, “achieving a $900 million cut to operations would require eliminating funding and staffing for roughly 350 park sites from the smallest to some of the largest.”
The NPCA also goes on to list other Park Service-related budget cuts proposed in the President’s budget, including:
- $73 million cut to park construction funding
- $77 million cut to recreation and preservation funding
- $197 million cut to the Historic Preservation Fund
“This is the most extreme, unrealistic, and destructive National Park Service budget a president has ever proposed in the agency’s 109-year history,” according to a statement issued by National Parks Conservation Association chief executive Theresa Pierno. “It’s nothing less than an all-out assault on America’s national parks.”
It’s clear, no matter how you slice it, the future of America’s national parks is on the line.
