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Death Valley officials warn staffing cuts and budget uncertainty threaten park services and projects
Summary
National Park Service officials told the Inyo County Board that federal staffing reductions, hiring freezes and uncertain funding could delay road, water and visitor projects and already have forced reduced services at some campgrounds and maintenance activities.
Death Valley National Park officials told the Inyo County Board of Supervisors at the Southeast County meeting that federal staffing cuts and budget uncertainty are already reducing park services and could delay major repair projects.
Park superintendent Mike Reynolds said the park is working on several road and safety projects after receiving federal and state grants, including a roughly $280,000 Caltrans grant for resurfacing and chevrons, culvert work on Highway 190 and a planned overlay on Giant Ranch Road. "Our engineers are working on the final specs, and hopefully, we'll be getting out to bid it later on this year," Reynolds said.
Park staff described deeper, systemic risks tied to a potential reduction in force in the National Park Service and an ongoing federal hiring freeze. Abby, park staff, said the agency expects to know "within the next 45 days what the impact will be" from a proposed RIF and that the park's operations already face constraints. "So our net loss is only 5 people to this point, which is 6% of the staff," Abby said, summarizing recent departures, rehiring and vacancies.
Nut graf: The park manages large, remote infrastructure — multiple water and wastewater systems, paved roads and visitor facilities — and staff said reduced federal capacity and delayed contract reviews threaten both routine services and multi‑million-dollar repair projects, with possible closures and reduced maintenance in the short term.
Officials outlined projects either completed or underway: a roughly $15 million Federal Highway Administration program to reconstruct paved roads and install riprap and rail at vulnerable washout points, new culverts installed by Caltrans between Zabriskie Point and Furnace Creek to keep the creek off the road, solar panel installations with Southern California Edison on park housing and LED retrofits for buildings, Salt Creek boardwalk repairs, and Titus Canyon Road scheduled for construction this fall. Reynolds and Abby also said the park is working on final design for a separated pathway downtown and high‑visibility bus stops tied to a local safety plan.
Park staff said funding timing is uncertain. Abby summarized the budget outlook: the White House's outline this year included a proposal to cut the National Park Service operations account by about 30 percent; the park does not yet have a full FY25 appropriation, and the park-level purchase and contracting authorities are restricted. She said routine procurement has been constrained — purchase cards were shut off earlier this year and now only six park employees can approve purchases — and mandatory Department of the Interior contract reviews are taking months.
Staff described operational changes already in effect: Wyler Bros. Campground has been closed to water service to reduce labor; cleaning and outreach activities will be less frequent; and some projects are being deferred. Abby said water and wastewater operator availability is the park's greatest pinch point and that some campground services were curtailed to save staff hours. "We are under a hiring freeze," she said, adding that an executive order currently limits hiring to one new employee for every four who leave.
Park staff asked the board and the public to communicate the local impacts to federal elected officials. Board members and county staff thanked park officials and encouraged outreach. County officials noted they had applied a portion of $70,000 in transient occupancy tax to convert a former elementary school to a community center and that federal, state and local partners remain involved in park projects.
Ending: Park leaders said many of the repairs and improvements they described are contingent on federal funding, contracting timelines and decisions still pending at regional and Washington levels. They urged local officials and residents to monitor federal budget and staffing developments and to raise concerns with elected representatives while the park assesses how federal changes will affect visitor services and public‑safety capacity within the park.
