More than 130 national park projects have reportedly been blocked by the Trump administration, and $25 million in funding is now on hold

The Interior Department last month disapproved more than 130 planned partnership agreements at national parks, The Washington Post reported after reviewing internal documents. The blocked work is worth at least $25 million, according to that reporting. The funds had already been lined up and were waiting for a final sign-off before they could be released.

Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, and Joshua Tree were among the parks named in the documents. The National Park Service often turns to outside groups when a job needs extra hands or specialized skills, rather than adding full-time federal staff, the post reported.

Interior spokesperson Aubrie Spady confirmed the department had rejected agreements with groups she described as “actively working against the best interests of the American people and the priorities of this administration.”

Documents warned of fire risk and other unfinished work at several parks

“This decisive action is ensuring that these taxpayer dollars are being used in alignment with the administration’s objectives to make life more affordable for Americans, unleash domestic energy production and expand access to our public lands,” Spady said. She did not name the groups or give more detail on why each agreement was turned down.

Joshua Tree National Park in California was reportedly hit hardest, with at least 10 agreements blocked. Those plans are said to have included wildfire preparation, work on land burned in earlier fires, and removal of rodents that carry hantavirus from historic buildings. The documents indicated the park would have hired at least 16 people under the partnerships.

Internal documents described what could happen if the fireworks do not go forward. “If this work is not completed, the park will be unable to fight wildfire. Fires will be larger and fire suppression will be more expensive,” the documents read, reports The Washington Post.

Other disapproved projects would reportedly have removed trees that threaten prehistoric Native American mounds in Iowa, supported work to keep an endangered snake from disappearing in California, and paid for daily care of sled dogs at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

The Great Basin Institute, a conservation nonprofit, reportedly lost more than 70 proposed agreements worth at least $12 million. Chief executive Peter Woodruff told The Washington Post that Interior did not contact the institute directly and that he did not know the reason for the rejections.

In a letter to Interior, Woodruff wrote that “GBI’s standards remain staunchly nonpartisan through six presidential administrations, with a mission of supporting public lands management and the agencies charged with that mission.”

He also wrote that “GBI has no advocacy directives and does not engage in or support any actions counter to Executive Orders or Secretarial Orders.” Asked about diversity policies, Woodruff said the group “does not engage in unlawful preference or discriminatory practices.” Such disputes over federal land management have also affected wildlife conservation, as Arizona scrambles to save endangered turtles whose only home faces potential destruction from a Trump administration plan.

Four Park Service staffers who were not authorized to speak to reporters said they were given no explanation beyond a note that the requests were “Disapproved by DOI.” The department reportedly approved more than 700 other agreements this year through early August. Agreements under $50,000 apparently do not need an interior review.

Elaine Leslie, a former Park Service acting superintendent and wildlife biologist who looked at the disapproval list, asked, “The real question is where did this $25 million go to?” She added, “$25 million worth of funding was set aside for these projects. Where is it?” Spady did not answer questions about whether the money would be moved elsewhere.

At Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa, a partner would have taken trees off mounds at the Sny Magill unit. “The mounds at Sny Magill will remain at risk from tree fall that might expose the human remains buried within these mounds,” the documents said. “Sixty-one of the proposed tree removals are currently within a mound risking severe damage should the tree fall.”

A partnership with the San Francisco Zoological Society would have helped raise and release juvenile San Francisco garter snakes in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. At Denali, one blocked agreement would have hired three people to care for sled dogs that rangers use in winter.

“Without funding, kennel operations will lose essential support, reducing dog care capacity, limiting winter patrol readiness, and decreasing visitor engagement,” the document said. The administration’s pattern of blocking projects extends beyond national parks, as communities across the US are also blocking datacenter projects Trump says they’re ignoring the financial upside of.