Since January there has been, to put it mildly, a lot of chaos within the National Park Service and locally within the Flagstaff Monuments. I was visiting with a friend who still works for the NPS and they told me that since January they have experienced astonishment, fear, shock, felt terrified, and now are just numb. It is the most challenging time in the history of the NPS with whiplash demands from the administration that undoubtedly prove a challenge to daily work. The next time you visit a National Park tell a ranger how much you appreciate what they do and whenever possible make your voice heard in support of National Parks.
Maggie staffing the visitor center desk at Sunset Crater
We have been incredibly fortunate to receive a substantial donation the past two years that has funded a SCA (Student Conservation Association) intern to work in the parks and participate in the Roving Ranger Program. Maggie spent the summer splitting her time between the Roving Ranger program and working in the Monuments. Earlier this year the coordinator for the Roving Ranger Program was uncertain if the program could even operate given all the staff reductions and changes. But the season has ended in success, in part because of SCA Maggie. Park Ranger Lauren Carter was also able to provide Interpretive skills sessions for the roving ranger staff. Chief of Interpretation Richard Ullmann told me “I can honestly say that without this donation, we would have likely been unable to participate in Roving Rangers this summer season. Whoever you are, you literally saved the partnership and provided an opportunity for thousands of visitors over the season to connect meaningfully and personally to their public lands. THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts and for your amazing generosity.”
The Wupatki Pueblo Trail Guide received a facelift earlier this year and is now available at the Wupatki Visitor Center. The new and improved trail guide was completed with input from the 13 affiliated tribes. Now is a great time to visit Wupatki and check out the new and improved trail guide.
“Parks in Crisis” Coffee Talk, Bright Side Bookshop, Flagstaff
The current president and CEO of National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA), Theresa Pierno remarked that “The future of America’s national parks is at risk. It took more than a century to build a world-class park system, and this administration could unravel it in a matter of months.”
National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA), the only privately funded advocacy group for the National Park Service held a “Protect Every Park” event in Flagstaff last month. FOM sent a representative to talk about the Flagstaff National Monuments. There are plans for more events such as “Protect Every Park”. The NPCA website is an excellent source of current concerns and information, www.npca.org
“Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” is a directive signed in March. As part of this, in June, every NPS sites was directed to display a placard with a QR code asking the public to comment on “negative” or “unpatriotic” messaging. What is exciting is the public has responded with overwhelmingly positive remarks and it seems like the intent of the QR code may have backfired. Below are a few examples of comments received
📣 -regarding Wupatki: “Wonderful visitor center with an interesting set up! I loved reading all about all the different tribes associated with the site and how the park addresses its history. Staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate. Awesome little park with great information and great staff.”
📣 -regarding Walnut Canyon: “Wonderful, so much interesting information. Rangers were so knowledgeable and the museum so cool. Makes me proud to be an American and that we have National Parks and Monuments.”
📣 -regarding Sunset Crater: “Please appropriately fund the park to bring back some core public programs…the natural and cultural history of parks in Flagstaff area are important and ties in the with the mission of the NPS.”
🚨 The threatened government shutdown has become a reality as of October 1, 2025. The official guidance from Washington is that National Parks remain as accessible as possible during the shutdown. The gate at Walnut Canyon will be locked and no entry allowed. The road between Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki is public and remains open, but the visitor centers will be closed.
Are you ready for your next adventure?