Number of park rangers decline

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility - Figures released by the National Park Service to PEER indicate that in the decade spanning 2005 through 2014, the number of permanent law enforcement rangers in our national parks dropped by nearly 14% (from 1548 to 1322) despite both an increase in the number of park units and a substantial hike in annual visitors, campers and hikers. The drop in seasonal rangers was even steeper. From 2006 (the first year full statistics were available) to 2014 there were nearly 27% (671 to 492) fewer seasonal rangers .