The Mountaineers
Thriving public lands that support outdoor recreation depend on stable, robust federal funding from Congress. As we look toward the next funding cycle, the public lands we know and love are at a crossroads. Over the last year and half, federal land managers like the Forest Service and Park Service have experienced multiple waves of staffing cuts. These workforce reductions - of up to 25% nationally - have significantly reduced the agencies’ ability to protect natural resources, manage sustainable outdoor access, and support local partnerships on public lands.
With the federal government back open, any further agency staffing cuts are paused at least until the end of January. Our community has seen and experienced first-hand the impacts of reduced land manager workforce, and we can’t continue to leave public lands understaffed and underresourced.
The next opportunity to invest in our national parks and forests by advocating for annual funding through the federal appropriations process is here, and we need your voice. The next month represents a crucial time when Congress will be negotiating 2026 appropriations bills. With so many federal agencies and programs to fund, lawmakers hearing from the recreation community will keep public lands front and center during this process.
Act now to urge your lawmakers to support the Senate’s proposed funding levels for the Forest Service, Park Service, and other agencies.
Full-year Funding for Public Lands
Unfortunately, we won’t be able to remedy the damage caused by hiring freezes and multiple rounds of staffing cuts in one funding cycle. It will likely take years to build the chronically underfunded Forest Service and Park Service to a more sustainable place. These staffing losses have touched every corner of the agencies and their programs - from regional leadership and staff that support partnerships with local nonprofits to on-the-ground recreation staff, wilderness rangers, and key positions that maintain facilities and support operations and safety.
Stabilizing these agencies so they can carry out their mission across their many functions - including conserving public lands, restoring aging infrastructure, responding to and recovering from catastrophic wildfire, and improving and maintaining access - requires more staff and the necessary funding to carry out this work.
Achieving a better future for our public lands and the recreation opportunities they support starts now, by passing long-term appropriations bills. It’s been more than a year since lawmakers last passed full-year spending bills. Stringing along multiple short-term funding measures has been detrimental to the work of land managers because of the many challenges presented by uncertain funding year to year.
The president’s fiscal year 2026 budget doesn’t do enough to invest in our public lands and the agencies that steward them with the necessary safeguards to ensure funding is implemented appropriately. That’s why we’re supporting full-year agency funding through the Senate's Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill. The proposal allocates a stabilizing level of funding to land management agencies and reasserts Congress’ purview over federal spending.
The Mountaineers conservation team and partners at Outdoor Alliance continue our work to advocate for federal agency appropriations on behalf of the thousands of human-powered recreationists in Washington state and across the country. We’re weighing in with key lawmakers, sharing our support for robust agency funding through advocacy letters, and activating outdoor enthusiasts like you to lend your voice to our collective advocacy. Advocacy by our coalition paired with constituent action by members of our community forges strong support for the outdoors during a challenging time for public lands.
Take Action
Washington state’s congressional delegation knows what conserved public lands and sustainable recreation access mean to their constituents. Our senators and representatives have elevated stories from our community that highlight how these deep staffing cuts are affecting Washington’s public lands and the recreation experience. On our October visit to Washington, D.C. we heard directly from congressional staff that more letters from constituents sharing local impacts from these cuts will help drive future action on this important issue.
Use our action form to send a letter to your members of Congress asking them to invest in our public lands. Take 5-10 minutes to personalize your letter to make an even deeper advocacy impact. Your grassroots advocacy can help carve a more sustainable path forward for the federal parks and public lands we love and steward for future generations.
