If recent news coverage has left you concerned about the future of our national parks, historic sites, and public lands you’re not alone. Regardless of what challenges are currently facing the National Park Service, our national parks and the lands and stories they hold are worth supporting. The good news is that there is no shortage of ways for individuals and communities to help.
National parks have long benefited from community and philanthropic support. While the federal government plays an essential role in stewarding these places, generations of Americans have also stepped forward as volunteers, donors, advocates, educators and nonprofit partners. That’s true for all NPS sites in Illinois.
The Lincoln Presidential Foundation became the official philanthropic partner of Lincoln Home National Historic Site in 2022. Since then, we have been proud to work in partnership on a range of projects, including new exhibits, educational programming and landscape conservation efforts. For example, thanks to a generous grant from Union Pacific, we helped Lincoln Home NHS advance landscape conservation, beautification and safety priorities. We were also delighted to cultivate a relationship with the Springfield Civic Garden Club, whose volunteerism and support have resulted in visible improvements throughout the park.
Even creating a new NPS unit requires strong community involvement. We were honored to be part of the local, state and federal coalition that helped secure national protection for the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument. We also appreciate that coalitions continue to convene and plan for public commemoration and engagement. That work does not end after a National Park Service unit is created.
What we’ve learned in our short time as a park partner is that we’re far from alone. Through the National Park Friends Alliance, we have connected with hundreds of nonprofit organizations partnering with national parks, trails, heritage areas, rivers, monuments and historic sites across the country. There are large organizations with decades of experience and professional teams, small start-up all-volunteer groups and everything in between. The Alliance itself has grown significantly in recent years, a reflection of the extraordinary number of Americans who are choosing to invest their time, talent and resources in preserving our shared heritage.
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This growth demonstrates an important truth: people care deeply about their national parks. And they want to help.
That does not mean volunteers and nonprofit organizations should replace the federal government’s responsibility to steward public lands and historic sites. They should not. But public-private partnerships have long proven to be among the most effective ways to expand what these places can accomplish for the American people. When government agencies, nonprofit organizations, businesses, foundations and community groups work together, everyone benefits.
For those wondering how they can help, there is no single right answer.
Some people volunteer directly with the National Park Service. Others support local friends groups and nonprofit partners like ours. Community organizations, garden clubs, businesses and civic associations can adopt projects that improve and enhance the places and stories that matter to them most. Individuals can support organizations such as the National Park Foundation and the National Parks Conservation Association, each of which plays a different but important role in supporting America’s national parks. Citizens can also make their voices heard by communicating with elected officials about the importance of protecting these places for future generations.
Here in Illinois, we have seen firsthand what can happen when people come together around a shared vision. The designation of the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument reflected years of effort and support from community leaders, local, state and federal elected officials, historians, advocates and residents. It was also a reminder that our national parks can still inspire bipartisan cooperation and broad public engagement. Even so, it took over a decade to accomplish that goal, which is one important step on the road to fully developing a new NPS unit.
Abraham Lincoln understood that each generation has a responsibility to preserve the nation’s inheritance for those who come after it. The future of our national parks is not determined by a single budget cycle, administration or organization. The places stewarded by the National Park Service reflect the many facets of the American story. Their care is a shared responsibility. If we value them, we must support them, advocate for them, and help sustain them for future generations.
Erin Carlson Mast is the president and CEO of the Lincoln Presidential Foundation, the official philanthropic partner of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site.
This article appears in June 18-24, 2026.
Sucks to be 40 trillion in debt.
You do not suggest where else to cut the budget…
That’s not a glitch, that is a choice. The policy for parks would vary according to park district, so it’s very common that you have mixed-use zoning and, at some point, they need to intersect. I’ll take a more-connected community over the minor conveniences of a cellphone any day.
If you rezone it so that agricultural and industrial fuses are not part of the zoning process, the solar bill of rights doesn’t apply. A county can have more lax requirements than called for in state law, but it cannot have more restrictive requirements. If a related company does 80% of or more of its business outside the United States, it gets excluded from the corporate tax calculation entirely. You’re talking about people who are the most mobile in society, and it is very easy for them to go to another state. I am not anti-business. I want our business community to thrive. I want people to do well.