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Washington, D.C – Attracting more millennial visitors to National Parks is a laudable goal and agency leadership should consult National Park Service (NPS) employees for ideas, National Treasury Employees Union President (NTEU) Tony Reardon told Congress Wednesday.

“Rather than seek costly contracts with firms that believe they can attract the next generation, we believe there are talented personnel already in the Park Service that can produce a vision of what’s needed,” Reardon said in testimony submitted to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks.

Reardon applauded the outreach to younger generations, but warned Congress that further cuts to the NPS budget or hiring more private contractors would backfire. With a smaller operating budget in 2018, the Park Service would be forced to reduce park hours, reduce visitor center hours, close some visitor centers and host fewer ranger-led talks. Additionally, the maintenance backlog would increase and maintenance staff would be subjected to overtime hours during the summer months.

“It will continue to be the case that the most important part of a visit to a National Park is the stunning setting and the interaction of the Park Rangers with visitors,” Reardon said.

Park Service employees already have ideas to attract visitors from the millennial generation, such as offering special entrance fee discount days or launching a social media campaign to ask visitors for their input, Reardon said.

Since Fiscal Year 2011, the NPS workforce has decreased by 11 percent, while visitors have increased 17 percent.

“As one of our chapter leaders put it, ‘We’ve gone from doing more with less to doing less with less,’” Reardon said.

NTEU represents 150,000 employees at 31 federal agencies and departments.