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National parks look lifeguard shortages aft cuts
Assateague Island, Maryland — The shoreline of Maryland's Assateague Island is simply a acquainted spot for surfer Zack Tyndall.
A erstwhile firefighter paramedic, Tyndall often helped beachgoers determination — but now, arsenic the politician of adjacent Berlin, Maryland, helium says information isn't guaranteed.
"I don't privation to spot anybody drown," Tyndall told CBS News. "We had saves wherever we were capable to bring radical out, and we had immoderate wherever we weren't capable to, and that's my biggest fearfulness present connected the island."
The 37-mile-long Assateague Island is shared by some Maryland and Virginia. Each year, millions of radical sojourn the Assateague Island National Seashore successful Maryland, which is managed by the National Park Service. However, this summer, visiting families are besides seeing shuttered lifeguard towers and signs informing that nary lifeguards are connected duty.
CBS News asked the Park Service astir the staffing concern connected Assateague Island, but the bureau did not straight respond to those questions – instead, saying successful a connection that lifeguard shortages are a "nationwide interest adjacent extracurricular of our nationalist lands. Many communities and cities crossed the state are experiencing a lifeguard shortage beneath perfect levels. Visitors person ever had entree to unguarded beaches and guarded beaches adjacent aft lifeguards permission for the day. We admit the public's knowing and practice arsenic we enactment to guarantee a harmless and enjoyable acquisition for all."
The Trump medication laid disconnected about 1,000 NPS employees successful February arsenic portion of its push, led by the White House's Department of Government Efficiency, to enact large-scale unit and budgetary cuts crossed the national government. President Trump besides enacted a hiring freeze connected national imperishable civilian employees instantly aft taking office, which has impacted the Park Service. That hiring frost has since been extended to July 15.
"This was a argumentation enactment into spot by DOGE and the existent Trump medication that led to a implicit hiring frost connected each hiring crossed the National Park Service," Ed Stierli, Mid-Atlantic portion elder manager of the National Parks Conservation Association, an autarkic Park Service advocacy group, told CBS News.
According to investigation released this week by the Conservation Association, the Park Service has mislaid 24% of its imperishable unit since Mr. Trump took bureau successful January. The investigation besides determined that astir 4,500 seasonal positions person been filled, including lifeguards, good nether the 7,700 seasonal positions NPS earlier this twelvemonth said it was aiming to fill.
"The crushed determination are nary lifeguards astatine Assateague is honestly a grounds of the chaos and dysfunction that has been impacting this bureau since the opening of this administration," Stierli said.
A Trump medication authoritative told CBS News that each fire, instrumentality enforcement and nationalist facing NPS unit are prioritized to stay successful place.
Tyndall, meanwhile, is conscionable hoping for a harmless summertime successful Maryland.
"Every time that we don't person a lifeguard present connected the formation is putting each 1 of these swimmers, each 1 of our section residents, everybody that comes to sojourn Assateague Island, successful jeopardy," Tyndall said.
And the concern could get worse with the projected fund for fiscal twelvemonth 2026, which calls for the Interior Department to cut much than $1 cardinal to the National Park Service, the largest specified chopped successful its history.
Nancy Chen is simply a CBS News correspondent, reporting crossed each broadcasts and platforms. Prior to joining CBS News, Chen was a weekday anchor and newsman astatine WJLA-TV successful Washington, D.C. She joined WJLA-TV from WHDH-TV successful Boston, wherever she spent 5 years arsenic a play anchor and weekday reporter.
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