WildTomorrow · THE RECORD · Verified Data
Who's Left to
Protect the Parks?
FOIA-verified staffing losses at four federal conservation agencies since January 2025
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EPA
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency
2024
16,155 employees
2025
~12,400 employees
Proj. '26
~9,700 (est.)
~33%
of Jan. 2025 staff gone by end of 2025
July 2025 EPA press release: 3,707 of 16,155 employees terminated
Research output: peer-reviewed studies down 17% in 2025
Administration goal: shrink to Reagan-era levels (~9,700)
Sources: Environmental Data & Governance Initiative, Sept. 2025 · EPA press release July 18, 2025 · Federal News Network / PEER, May 2026
FWS
FWS
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
2024
9,957 employees
May '25
8,179 employees
18%
of nationwide staff lost by May 2025
Net loss: 1,778 employees — biologists, listing specialists, field agents
FOIA source: Center for Biological Diversity
Congressional response: bipartisan Senate letter to Burgum, Dec. 2025

When listing staff are gone, species don't get protected. When field agents are cut, habitats don't get designated. The law stays on the books. Enforcement quietly collapses.

Sources: Center for Biological Diversity FOIA data · Sen. Whitehouse press release Dec. 19, 2025
NPS
NPS
National Park Service
Pre-cuts
20,000+ employees
Current
~15,200 (est.)
24%
of permanent workforce lost since Jan. 2025
Feb. 2025: ~1,000 NPS employees terminated in initial DOGE cuts
Impact: 90+ parks reported failures Apr.–Jul. 2025
Context: hunting restrictions simultaneously loosened at 55 NPS sites
Sources: Earth.Org, Feb. 2026 · New York Times · AP, May 2026
NOAA
NOAA
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
Baseline
11,266 FTE (proposed)
FY2026
9,901 FTE (proposed cut)
24%
of Alaska Regional Office staff lost in first 6 months of 2025
NOAA Fisheries budget: 28% cut proposed vs. prior year
March 2025: additional ~1,000 NOAA employees cut in second round
Fishing seasons delayed waiting on required federal documents
Sources: SeafoodSource · National Fisherman · Newsweek DOGE tracker, Mar. 2025
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~6,800
EPA employees lost or projected by end of 2025
1,778
FWS employees lost per FOIA data
90+
parks with operational failures Apr.–Jul. 2025