FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2025

Montanans rally at Glacier National Park to demand lasting support for public lands

Community members demand that Montana’s delegation restore full staffing and funding for America’s national parks

(HELENA, Mont.) — Yesterday, Montanans gathered outside Glacier National Park to raise the alarm about threats to America’s public lands and call for the restoration and protection of comprehensive, long-term investments.

The rally took place as Congressman Ryan Zinke hosts the Congressional Western Caucus in Montana’s Flathead Valley. While rally participants welcomed attention to public lands, they underscored the impact of cuts made earlier this year. Through the “Big Beautiful Bill” passed by Congress earlier this summer and slashes to agency budgets throughout the year, the Trump administration has demanded Glacier National Park and other national parks across the country fire one in every four staff members — jeopardizing public safety, clean water, wildlife, and resources needed to keep these landscapes accessible for visitors today and protected for future generations.

Meanwhile, new threats are emerging for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a cornerstone of American conservation that has invested more than $649 million in Montana alone.

“At the Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund, we’re deeply concerned that the Trump administration is trying to raid the Land and Water Conservation Fund — a program that’s invested nearly $8 million in Glacier and more than $649 million across Montana,” Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund (MCVEF) Program Director Kearstyn Cook told the crowd. “LWCF protects access to hunting and fishing, builds trails and parks, and strengthens our outdoor economy — all without costing taxpayers anything.”

LWCF has protected critical landscapes in Glacier National Park, opened access to hunting and fishing lands, and funded more than 1,900 community projects across Montana through fees and royalties from offshore oil and gas drilling instead of taxpayer dollars. But the Trump administration has since proposed raiding LWCF funds to backfill budget shortfalls caused by its own cuts to the National Park Service and other federal land management agencies.

Montanans at the rally made it clear: our national parks and funding avenues such as LWCF must be protected. Real solutions require restoring park funding, rehiring lost staff, and ensuring LWCF continues to safeguard America’s outdoor way of life for generations to come.

“Montanans are proud of our public lands, from world-renowned treasures like Glacier and Yellowstone to the local playgrounds and fishing sites LWCF has made possible in communities across our state. That legacy is now under threat,” said MCVEF Interim Executive Director Renee Kelley. “You cannot claim to stand for public lands while voting to slash park budgets and stand by as LWCF — the very program that has protected these places for decades — gets raided. Montanans spoke up loud and clear at Glacier. We want real solutions, not political games. That means restoring park funding, rehiring the staff who care for these lands, and protecting LWCF so it can continue safeguarding Montana’s outdoor way of life for generations to come.”