The Trump administration has earmarked dozens of National Park Service grants for elimination, including several that aim to protect public lands from the effects of climate change, according to an internal agency document detailing the plans.
The spreadsheet, titled “Grants Potential Cancellation List,” claims the cuts could save $26 million by canceling grants to universities, state historic preservation offices, tribes and youth corps.
It was developed by Conor Fennessy, a staff member in Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, according to two people with direct knowledge of the plan. Similar lists of grant eliminations are being developed in other parts of the Department of the Interior, according to the two people, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution.
At the National Park Service, the DOGE plan proposes eliminating Scientists in Parks, a popular program that places students and early-career scientists at natural and historic landmarks to help protect ecosystems.
Also on the chopping block: a $67,000 climate resiliency study on lands surrounding the Golden Gate National Recreation Area; a $223,000 study of the impact of climate change on Alaska’s glaciers; watershed protection efforts across the country; and a $220,000 project to protect the Louisiana State University “campus mounds,” two dome-shaped structures created by Native Americans thousands of years ago.
The reason given for shuttering those programs, according to the document, is “Climate change/Sustainability,” indicating they were singled out because they touch on an issue the Trump administration has opposed addressing.
Others are listed for potential elimination because of “D.E.I.,” or diversity, equity and inclusion, which the Trump administration also opposes.
Grants for termination listed as D.E.I. include funding $462,000 worth of improvements at a park in Washington State to better accommodate children with disabilities, and $198,000 to the Santa Monica Mountains Fund, a nonprofit group, to mentor college students.
Also on the list, a $58,000 grant to the State Historical Society of Colorado to survey properties associated with gay and transgender history for possible nominations to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Trump administration listed its reason for canceling the grant as: “LGBQ.”
Elizabeth Peace, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, declined to comment on specific grant eliminations. She said in a statement that the agency was committed to fiscal responsibility.
“We are eliminating wasteful programs, cutting unnecessary costs and ensuring every dollar serves a clear purpose,” Ms. Peace said. She added, “By streamlining operations and focusing resources on conservation, responsible energy development and public land protection, we are prioritizing taxpayers while upholding our mission.”
Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit group that advocates on behalf of parks, said the agency was saving very little money while losing a wealth of knowledge and expertise.
“It’s penny-wise and pound-foolish,” she said. “It’s amazing when you look at the dollars on all of these projects at how much the Park Service is accomplishing with so little money.”
Ms. Brengel said cuts to climate change studies would hurt the park-visiting public.
“The research that goes on in national parks is essential for how we’re assessing the conditions of our land, air and water in the country,” she said, adding, “This isn’t about the politics of climate change, it’s about public safety and public health.”
Lisa Friedman is a Times reporter who writes about how governments are addressing climate change and the effects of those policies on communities.
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