A giant sequoia tree is featured on the National Park Service emblem on park ranger Scott Gediman's uniform at the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park on Tuesday, June 12, 2018. 

In 2022, a YouGov poll found that National Park Service rangers are broadly popular among members of the public. In fact, 75% of respondents said that they viewed the NPS either favorably or somewhat so, the highest overall approval ratings of any federal agency, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the branches of the U.S. military.  

The men and women who wear the gray and green uniform, topped by the distinctive tan campaign hat, are seen by the public as a combination of educators, wildlife protectors, emergency responders, cultural interpreters, search-and-rescue experts and law enforcement specialists. Admired stewards of our nation’s most precious natural and historic treasures, they oversee 433 national park sites spread over 85 million acres from Maine to islands in the western Pacific Ocean. 

While many NPS employees carry guys, the public, by and large, still see them as approachable, and 40% say they have met a park ranger. That trust is critical to preserving our national parks, and explains why the NPS motto “Ask a Ranger” has been so effective. 

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But this trust is in danger of fraying. 

Testifying this spring before the House of Representatives Natural Resources Subcommittee, Charles Cuvelier, associate director for visitor and resource protection in the NPS,........

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