As the National Park Service holds its annual week to draw attention to its properties around the country to encourage tourism, the process is a bit different this year, as it comes at a time when the Department of Government Efficiency has reduced budgets. The Washington Examiner is taking a closer look at those effects and how you can celebrate at a park near you in the coming days and weeks. In Part 2 of our series, National Park Week: The state of America’s outdoors, we take a look at one of the historic tributes scheduled.
Minute Man National Historical Park in Massachusetts will host a series of events to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the first shots of the American Revolutionary War.
On April 19, 1775, Massachusetts minutemen stood on Lexington Green and faced down the seemingly indomitable British military. Around 5:00 a.m., the “shot heard round the world” rang out, and throughout the day, colonists fought off British regulars over 16 miles along the Bay Road from Concord to Boston.
Saturday’s Battle Road Tactical Demonstration at Minute Man NHP is the park’s signature living history event for its Patriots’ Day celebrations.
“Throughout the day, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the events of April 19, 1775 from many points of view. The day will also include a full schedule of living history programs and demonstrations, including a fast-paced tactical demonstration along a restored stretch of the original Battle Road,” according to a description posted by Minute Man NHP.
“Volunteers portraying colonial civilians forced to leave their homes, minute men who answered the sudden call to arms, British soldiers fighting for king and country and Loyalists who saw the struggle differently from their neighbors will be available throughout the park.”
Other events at Minute Man NHP include a North Bridge Battle Walk to honor the 96 patriots who guarded Concord’s North Bridge against 200 British regulars and a Battle Road Anniversary Hike that will take visitors through the “ill-fated” footsteps of the British column.
Both of these events are scheduled for Monday.
The 250th anniversary events are expected to draw large crowds from across the county and world, according to the park.
Patriots’ Day celebrations are supported by the Friends of Minute Man National Park, but this year’s celebrations, including the Battle Road Tactical Demonstration, come while cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency have slashed National Parks staff around the nation.
National Parks Conservation Association Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Kristen Brengel told the Washington Examiner that these cuts should be a concern for parks around the country when planning events and carrying out programs.
“I would be concerned [that] if there’s a particular program or event in a National Park, there may not be enough staff people to actually make the program happen,” Brengel said. “That would probably be pretty low on the list if there’s an understaffed park.”
The NPCA is an independent advocacy group for the National Park Service. Its mission is to protect and enhance the nation’s National Park system for present and future generations.
The hiring freeze placed on national parks represents a major problem for smaller parks, according to Brengel.
“They may have vacancies that they can’t fill because of the hiring freeze,” she said. “So, it’s not just the people who left with the fork-in-the-road email or the early retirement or the buyout. These parks may just have regular attrition, where they have vacancies and just can’t fill them.”
DOGE CUTS NATIONAL PARK STAFF AS VISITATION RATE PEAKS
“There are many reasons why a park may be understaffed right now, and a mid-sized park, with a few dozen staff people, we’re hearing that many of them are very understaffed at this point. They may be able to keep some visitor services available, but they’re gonna be stretched to programs to be able to do programs and events.”
The Washington Examiner contacted Minute Man NHP to see if DOGE cuts or staffing shortages have affected plans for the Patriots’ Day celebration, but did not receive a response.