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A few states over, the U.S. has a new national park. Yesterday, President Trump signed the Chiricahua National Park Act, elevating a national monument in Arizona to national park status. But there are concerns about its future, as Arizona Public Media's Katya Mendoza reports.
KATYA MENDOZA, BYLINE: The new park is part of the Chiricahua Mountains, about a two hours' drive southeast of Tucson, accessed by a winding road surrounded by a sea of grasslands. The mountains are one of several so called sky island ranges that rise from the deserts here. They serve as a crossroads for four major ecosystems, where the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Madres converge.
ARMAND SANTILLI: It's like the Arizona version of Bryce Canyon.
MENDOZA: Armand Santilli came to visit what people call a wonderland of rocks, which was designated a national monument in 1924 by President Calvin Coolidge. Santilli had no idea he'd be the first visitor to the new national park.
SANTILLI: I figured I'd come on through while I was visiting the rest of the mountain range. I figured I had to see the monument, and what a time to pick.
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JUAN CISCOMANI: Please help me welcome United States Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
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MENDOZA: Arizona Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani introduced Secretary Burgum at a ceremony establishing the park, now America's 64th national park.
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DOUG BURGUM: This state is rich in places that are being preserved by the national park system.
MENDOZA: Chiricahua is now Arizona's fourth national park, joining the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest and Saguaro. Ciscomani introduced a bill to make Chiricahua a national park in 2023. President Trump signed it into law yesterday.
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BURGUM: It's a great example of bipartisan work, bicameral work, and with an administration that supports our national parks in these lands to remain public for people to enjoy them for generations to come.
MENDOZA: But the new park is being added at a time when the National Park Service's workforce has been reduced, dropping by nearly 3,000 jobs last year. Trump has also redirected entrance fees from some parks to public works projects in Washington, D.C.
SANOBER MIRZA: That's highly concerning because now - the National Park Service was already really underfunded and understaffed.
MENDOZA: Sanober Mirza is with the National Parks Conservation Association.
MIRZA: Right now, our national parks as a whole are under threat in a way that they've never been before.
MENDOZA: The National Parks Service says it currently has a $24 billion backlog of deferred maintenance projects nationwide. In 2020, Congress passed a law to send Parks $6.5 billion by 2025. Interior Secretary Burgum said yesterday more could be on the way.
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BURGUM: Congress is going to have an opportunity when they come back this November, December to pass the Great American Outdoors Act 2.0, which will, again, represent the largest capital expenditures ever going towards the Park Service.
MENDOZA: Mirza, with the Parks Conservation Association, says she's hopeful that elevating Chiricahua from national monument to national park will bring additional funding for it. Congressman Ciscomani says he likes the odds for more funding, too.
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CISCOMANI: The fact that this is in my home district and as - having a seat in the appropriations committee puts us in a good position to make sure that this is well-funded.
MENDOZA: The Interior Department says about 70,000 people visited Chiricahua last year. The mayor of a nearby gateway town says he expects more now that it's officially a national park.
For NPR News, I'm Katya Mendoza.
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