Local environmental groups warn that $1.2 billion budget cut proposal to the National Park Service could endanger programs, maintenance, and safety at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
The Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy (CNPC) and the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) sent out a call to supporters this week to help save the funding.
The fiscal year 2026 federal budget proposal includes cutting nearly 40 percent of the National Park Service’s funding, according to a joint press release. Though it offers few details, a significant cut in resource stewardship and maintenance funds has been proposed. How this would affect the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) is unknown.
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“Is it going to be conservation, preservation, or science? And so we’re preparing ourselves at least mentally for what our goal is going to look like, to preserve, and protect this park with our partner so that it can stay the same for the next 20, 50, 100 years,” CNPC Executive Director Brittany Jones told Rough Draft Atlanta.
CRNRA started the year with some vacancies. A hiring freeze was imposed. Employees were offered buyouts to encourage early retirement. The park got approval to hire seasonal employees. That approval didn’t happen until later than usual.
Visitors haven’t seen much change at the park because the Secretary of the Interior sent out an order that all parks must remain open and accessible.
Since 2012, the conservancy has supported and enhanced the park by raising philanthropic dollars It doesn’t get federal funding.
“When our partner suffers, it affects how we do any kind of long-term big capital improvements,” Jones said. “We are looking at what the immediate smaller-scale wins are that we can provide for this park, because we are watching our partner get stretched to their capacity and their limit.”
The conservancy has provided $250,000 to $300,000 annually over the last four or five years for park projects. Those funds have gone toward trail improvements, bridge and overlook replacements, and youth field trips to the park.
Flock cameras were funded by the conservancy to assist law enforcement with crime prevention. Life jacket loaner stations have been constructed as well.
This year, the conservancy wants to invest close to $1 million in the park. That’s a sizeable chunk compared to the park’s estimated $4 million annual budget.
Public outcry and pressure from Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock helped convince the Department of the Interior to reverse its decision to end a lease for the USGS South Atlantic Water Science Center in Norcross.
The facility maintains stream gauges that track the Chattahoochee River’s bacterial levels and water height, discharge, and temperature. Gauges located within the park ensure safe recreation for paddlers, anglers, and families on the river.
We’re grateful for the reversal of the USGS lease termination. It’s proof that advocacy works,” said CRK Riverkeeper and Executive Director Jason Ulseth, according to the joint press release. “Now, we need to keep that momentum going to protect the broader system of public lands and the park rangers who care for them.”
CRK has a letter-writing tool on its website to make it easy for residents to become advocates. Supporters can write to members of Congress with a few easy clicks.
The conservancy is the official nonprofit partner of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, raising funds to support and enhance the park through projects, community outreach, and volunteerism.
CRK’s mission is to educate, advocate, and secure the protection and stewardship of the Chattahoochee River, including its lakes, tributaries, and watershed, striving to restore and conserve the river’s ecological health for the people and wildlife that depend on the river system.
