President Donald Trump's administration is pushing federal land management officials to lift restrictions on hunting and trapping in national parks, refuges and wilderness areas. The move is raising questions about visitor safety and resource preservation on the sites.
Starmer says he won't quit after local elections deliver losses for Labour and wins for Reform UKJudge rules Trump administration's cancellation of humanities grants was unconstitutionalTrump drives across Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to inspect new blue coating he's putting on itFueled by beer ads, March Madness tournaments will expand to 76 teams each starting next seasonShakira teases new song for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with Afrobeats star Burna Boy called 'Dai Dai'Japanese video-game maker Nintendo raises Switch 2 price, forecasts lower profits1 million bees make for bumper-to-buzzer traffic on a Tennessee highway rampFatou, the world's oldest gorilla living in captivity, celebrates her 69th birthday at Berlin ZooOne Tech Tip: Why digital devices and online accounts need spring cleaningA PGA golfer took his shirt off and approached a gator-filled hazard.
AP's photographer was readyAir conditioning battery program for renters could help cities manage grid stress during heat wavesWhat to know about hantavirus, the illness linked to a cruise ship outbreakFDA's new playbook: Lots of media announcements but not much rulemakingHow to start the new year with a clean inboxDid you find an animal nesting near your house?
Here's what to doPope Leo XIV sought a pastoral role in his first year, but verbal sparring with Trump intervenedDecenas de pasajeros se bajaron del crucero afectado por hantavirus tras la primera muerte, en abrilUS fires on and disables 2 more Iranian tankers as tensions rise in the Strait of HormuzThe Afternoon WireA faint meow in the rubble of a Mississippi tornado leads to a stunning rescueFIFA triples price to $32,970 for its best available tickets to the World Cup finalMovie Review: Billie Eilish and James Cameron make concert movie magic with 'Hit Me Hard and Soft'AP Entertainment WireViral phenomenon in Argentina has young people identifying themselves as animalsHow 2 men claimed an absurd record by driving an old 3-wheel car the length of AfricaDid you find an animal nesting near your house?
Here's what to doA photo captures President Trump and first lady awaiting British royals from rare White House angleThe World in PicturesAgency will move forward with plans to propose weakening some Biden-era PFAS limits, official saysHow public health officials are tracing people who came in contact with hantavirus victimsWhat is hantavirus, the infection that killed Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman’s wife?
The iPhone 16, new AirPods and other highlights from Apple's product showcaseDear Readers: Yes, pen pal programs still exist in a digital worldVatican and State Department stress solid ties after Rubio's fence-mending visit over Trump attacksLíder supremo iraní dice que Teherán protegerá sus"capacidades nucleares y de misiles"President Donald Trump listens as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum speaks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during a visit to to see the new blue protective coating being applied as part of a renovation project, Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Washington. MADISON, Wis.
— President Donald Trump’s administration is quietly pushing national park, refuge and wilderness area managers to dramatically scale back hunting restrictions, raising questions about visitor safety and the impact on wildlife. U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued an order in January directing multiple agencies to remove what he termed “unnecessary regulatory or administrative barriers” to hunting and fishing and justify regulations they want to keep in place.
“Expanding opportunities for the public to hunt and fish on Department-managed lands not only strengthens conservation outcomes, but also supports rural economies, public health, and access to America’s outdoor spaces,” Burgum wrote. “The Department’s policy is clear: public and federally managed lands should be open to hunting and fishing unless a specific, documented, and legally supported exception applies.
”The order applies to 55 sites in the lower 48 states under the National Park Service’s jurisdiction, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. Managers at various locations have already lifted prohibitions on hunting stands that damage trees and training hunting dogs, using vehicles to retrieve animals and hunting along trails, according to an NPCA review of site regulations the organization recently performed after learning of the order. The New York Times was the first to report on the changes.
The hunting season in the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts, for example, would be extended through the spring and summer. Hunters in the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area in Texas would be allowed to clean their kills in bathrooms. And hunters would be allowed to kill alligators in the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Louisiana. Burgum’s order comes as hunting continues to decline in the face of increasing urbanization.
Only about 4.2% of the U.S. population identified as a hunter older than 16 in 2024, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Census data, leaving state wildlife agencies short on revenue from license sales and excise taxes on guns and ammunition. Hunting advocates and conservative policymakers have been exploring multiple avenues to keep hunting alive, including promoting the sport to women and young children, creating seasons for more species and expanding hunter access to public land.across about 51 million National Park Service acres spanning 76 sites, although only about 8 million of those acres lie in the contiguous United States with the rest in Alaska, according to the NPS website.
Fishing is allowed in 213 sites. NPS sites typically adopt state hunting and fishing regulations although they can impose restrictions that go beyond them to protect public safety and wildlife resources, like prohibiting shooting along a trail or near buildings. Dan Wenk, a former Yellowstone National Park superintendent and NPS deputy operations director, said park managers established their regulations by talking with stakeholders and, as a result, most of the restrictions have been widely accepted.
He said it makes no sense for the Trump administration to upend that structure without substantial public discussion.
“Process never seems to stand in the way of many things with this administration,” Wenk said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “This was never a big issue. I’d love to know the problem we’re trying to solve.
Then I could understand the costs that it’s going to take to solve it in terms of resources and visitor safety. ” Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace said in an email that the order is a “commonsense approach to public land management” and promised that any closures or limits needed for public safety, resource protection or legal compliance will remain in place.
“For decades, sportsmen and women have been some of the strongest stewards of our public lands,” she said, “and this order ensures their access is not unnecessarily restricted by outdated or overly broad limitations that are not required by law. ” She did not immediately respond to a follow-up message inquiring about whether the department made any public outreach efforts leading up to issuing the order.
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, which works to preserve access for hunting and fishing, posted a statement online in January calling the order a balance between wildlife management and outdoor traditions hunters and anglers support. Ducks Unlimited posted a statement in March saying Burgum’s order recognizes duck hunters’ “vital role. ” “This process will streamline federal regulations, make them more consistent with existing state rules, and provide more public-land access for outdoor recreation.
Thank you, Secretary Burgum, for prioritizing America’s hunters and anglers,” the statement said. Elaine Leslie, former head of the NPS’ biological resources department, said Trump is undermining a process that was put in place in good faith and the order does not reflect science-based management.
“I don’t want to take my young grandchildren to a park unit only to have a hunter drag a gutted elk they shot across a visitor center parking lot. Nor enter a restroom where hunters are cleaning their game,” Leslie said in a text to the AP.
“There is a time and place for hunting, trapping and fishing ... but that doesn’t mean every place has to be open to every activity especially at the expense of others and degrading our public resources. ”Richmond is an Associated Press reporter covering Wisconsin politics and courts as well as environmental issues and breaking news across the Great Lakes region. He is based in Madison.
Donald Trump Doug Burgum U.S. Department Of The Interior General News Domestic News U.S. News Madison Dan Wenk Politics Elaine Leslie National Park Service Climate And Environment Elizabeth Peace Theodore Roosevelt Wisconsin Climate U.S. News
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump administration live updates: Trump to meet with Brazil’s president at White HouseThis is additional taxonomy that helps us with analytics
Read more »
Prince Harry & King Charles' Relationship After President Donald Trump State VisitWill this feud ever end?
Read more »
Pentagon Releases UFO Files, Says President Donald Trump Wants ‘Maximum Transparency’The Pentagon has released several documents about UFOs, claiming that President Donald Trump wants ‘maximum transparency’
Read more »
President Donald Trump Shuts Down ‘Stupid’ Question From ‘Horror Show’ Reporter Rachel ScottPresident Donald Trump was not impressed with one question from ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott
Read more »