To the editor:

What is happening to our National Park Service and public lands is not just neglect, it is a betrayal!

Under Donald Trump and his enablers, who continue to champion his policies, protections that took generations to establish are gutted with breathtaking speed and indifference. Lands that belong to the American people are handed over to corporate interests for drilling, mining and exploitation, as if they were nothing more than assets to be liquidated.

Let’s be clear: this is not about “energy independence” or “economic growth.” It is about greed. It is about prioritizing short-term profit over irreplaceable natural treasures that, once destroyed, will never come back.

At the same time, the National Park Service has been deliberately starved; underfunded, understaffed and stretched to the breaking point. Rangers who dedicate their lives to protecting these lands are left overwhelmed. Infrastructure crumbles. Ecosystems suffer. Visitors are met not with the majesty we promise the world, but with overcrowding, deterioration and decline.

This is how you dismantle a national legacy, quietly, piece by piece, until the damage is so widespread it becomes the new normal.

Our national parks are not a political bargaining chip. They are not a giveaway for the highest bidder. They are the birthright of every American and the inheritance of every child who will come after us.

Outdoor companies like Patagonia, REI, The North Face, Columbia Sportswear who profit from America’s natural beauty must use their platforms and influence to speak out loudly against these policies. Silence is complicity. Congress must be pressed by all of us to restore protections, fully fund the National Park Service and put an end to the sell-off of our public lands.

Everyone should be outraged. We must demand accountability. We must insist that those entrusted with stewardship of our public lands start doing their job.

Because once these places are gone, no amount of regret will bring them back!

Regina Kekis

Rome