We are appalled to learn that the Trump administration is proposing a 25% reduction in the National Park Service budget for 2027. The National Park Service is responsible for not only our national parks — America’s best idea — but also for a multitude of national monuments, preserves, reserves, refuges, battlefields, lakeshores, seashores, rivers, trails, parkways and historical sites, including all positions necessary for their ongoing operation and maintenance.

We have had the good fortune of visiting many of these areas, from Maine to Florida and west to California, which are protected and maintained by the National Park Service. With their dedicated personnel, they represent America’s best landscapes, and the stories they tell help us to understand their natural and cultural history. The Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to appease special interests by rewriting these stories are both irresponsible and unacceptable.

We urge everyone who appreciates the mission of the National Park Service to contact Sen. Collins, Sen. King, Rep. Pingree and Rep. Golden and urge them to oppose the cuts proposed for the National Park Service FY 2027 budget. Our representative in Washington, D.C., should approve nothing less than the full funding necessary to operate the National Park Service in FY 2027.

Paul and Jean Johnson
Oakland