Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s botched $16 million restoration of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is threatening the National Park Service’s reputation and morale, the Associated Press reports.
Representative Jared Huffman said park service employees “are being politicized and drawn into the absurdities and corruption of this administration on a regular basis,” and Ed Stierli of the National Parks Conservation Association called the repair “a master class in how not to go about a public rehabilitation project.”
The Reflecting Pool fiasco is happening on top of broader pressure on NPS, which has lost at least a quarter of its permanent workforce to layoffs, forced retirements, and resignations, while an executive order pushes rangers to scrub park exhibits on slavery and climate science the administration deems “divisive.” Representative Jamie Raskin has opened a congressional investigation into whether Interior misled prosecutors to protect the contractor, and Trump has nominated Project 2025 co-author Dennis Kirk to lead an Interior watchdog office that has sat vacant for 18 months.
The National Park Service is a broadly popular agency: Three in four Americans view NPS favorably, according to a Pew Research poll from 2025, but a Washington Post-Ipsos poll found 65 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with President Donald Trump’s Washington-area projects, including the Reflecting Pool.
Are America’s public lands entering a new Gilded Age?
On the latest episode of The Landscape, Kate and Aaron are joined by Professor John Leshy, one of the nation’s top scholars of public lands law, to discuss a new essay of his that argues America’s public lands are entering a new Gilded Age, complete with robber barons, corruption, and deregulation.
Quick hits
Doug Burgum’s Interior department is slowly coming apart
The Big Bend region is losing irreplaceable pieces of US history
Tribes sue Interior department over controversial groundwater pumping project
Mining CEO bought 74,000 shares days before Trump shrank Bears Ears. The House is launching an investigation
Opinion: Public lands, our shared legacy
Top Trump official asked for more resources to fight a small fire near his Idaho ranch
Opinion: Burgum a deflecting fool on Reflecting Pool
USDA pushes forward on a radioactive open pit mine miles from Devils Tower
Quote of the day
Never — not once in decades — have I witnessed such systematic degradation, disrespect and dismantling of the National Park Service as I see today under the thumb of President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.”
—Bill Wade, a former park ranger and superintendent, Associated Press
Picture This
@mypubliclandsAs our nation faces National Preparedness Level 5, the highest alert for wildland fire activity, the commitment of our wildland firefighters is more crucial than ever. These brave individuals are tirelessly working, often far from home, to safeguard lives, communities, public lands, and our precious natural resources. 🔥To all wildland firefighters: Thank you! Your courage, professionalism, and dedication inspire us daily. 🙌
You can support our firefighters by helping to prevent wildfires:
🌲 Follow all fire restrictions and closures
🔥 Never leave a campfire unattended
🚗 Avoid parking on dry vegetation
🚬 Properly dispose of cigarettes
📞 Report wildfires immediately
Every wildfire prevented means one less fire our crews have to battle.
Let’s come together to express our gratitude to the men and women on the frontlines this fire season! 💪
📸: Trinity Hotshots Crew on the Brewer Fire, July 2026. Courtesy of National Interagency Fire Center
Featured photo: Empty Reflecting Pool on August 13, 2026. Source: @joeflood, X