President Donald Trump's fiscal 2026 budget proposal is anathema to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

More than 90 percent of Biscayne National Park is under water, so no one would miss it if it was dropped from the National Park System, right? You might say the same for Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout national seashores, which are located on barrier islands that sea-level rise eventually is going to submerge, so why should they remain in the system? Bering Land Bridge National Preserve attracted fewer than 3,000 visitors last year, so why is the National Park Service paying staff to keep it open? Close it!

Sure, there’s a Kings Canyon National Park and a Sequoia National Park, both in California, but the National Park Service only has a single webpage combining these two national parks. After all, when you visit one, you ought to go ahead and visit the other right next door, since both are home to some of the world’s largest trees. But it’s not just about the trees.

While it’s important to inventory the stable resources within our country’s borders, we need to take a step back and explore sustainable options before causing irreversible harm to the ones we have.