NPS Struggling to Fill Positions, 2 Years After Cash Infusion
The National Park Service (NPS) is falling behind on hiring, even with $500 million allocated to it in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to add new positions and make other improvements.
That’s according to a flash report from the Interior Department’s Office of the Inspector General, who warns that if hiring doesn’t pick up, NPS may run out of time before the funds expire in fiscal year (FY) 2030.
“Given the challenges NPS faces with hiring and filling a large number of positions, there is a potential risk that NPS may not fully execute its hiring plans on time before funds expire,” the report stated.
NPS Hiring Plans
NPS planned to use a small portion of the funding from the 2022 IRA to hire 1,418 employees including park rangers, IT specialists, and maintenance workers. About half of those are term positions with employment terms of one to four years.
However, as of May 31, 2024, the NPS spent just $21 million of the money, and onboarded just 447 new employees.
The report blamed several issues for the slow hiring pace.
That includes the lack of a fully functioning IRA human resources team.
The report noted that NPS did not have a fully staffed HR team for IRA hiring until the start of FY 2024. In addition, “approximately 78 percent of the employees on the team were new to NPS and needed training and time to develop an understanding of NPS’ structure and organization.”
The report noted that NPS is also struggling with a lack of hiring flexibilities and that not having them means it could “take several months to a year to onboard the bulk of the remaining vacancies approved to date.”
In addition, relocations and lack of housing in certain remote areas are also slowing down the hiring process.
In a statement, an NPS spokesperson said, "We appreciate the IG’s review and affirmation that NPS has established effective and accountable business systems to track these funds provided by the Inflation Reduction Act, and that while NPS faces challenges in recruitment we are hiring as fast as possible within existing authorities.”
NPS also noted it expects to increase IRA spending as positions are filled.
National Park Foundation Receives $100 Million Grant
This week the National Park Foundation (NPF) announced it is the recipient of a “historic” $100 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. NPF is a congressionally chartered non-profit intended to support the NPS.
“The National Park Foundation is inspired by, and incredibly grateful for, this extraordinary gift from Lilly Endowment,” said Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “For over 50 years, private philanthropy has played a vital role in bridging the gap between park needs and available funding. This grant will allow us to supercharge our efforts to ensure our national parks are for everyone, for generations to come.”
The NPF grant will provide funding and resources to programing areas including inspiring the next generation of park stewards, conserving and preserving threatened parks and wildlife, ensuring a world-class visitor experience, and telling a more complete story of America.
“Our founders were inspired by the beauty and wonders of the natural world and supportive of research and educational programs about archaeology and the cultural history of our nation,” said N. Clay Robbins, chairman and CEO of Lilly Endowment.
