Peak summer tourist season is quickly approaching for the National Park Service (NPS), and it still doesn’t have an official leader. On Monday, April 27, the Trump Administration announced it had withdrawn Scott Socha’s nomination as Director of the NPS. The change follows backlash surrounding Socha’s past business dealings.
What Happened
The Context
On Feb. 11, Trump announced Socha as his nominee to head the National Park Service. This position requires confirmation by the Senate. For nearly 3 decades, Socha worked as an executive for Delaware North, a hospitality company that operates hotels, dining, and other visitor services in national parks. His current title is “President for Parks and Resorts.”
The company was the source of controversy in 2019. When it lost its contract as a concessionaire in Yosemite National Park in 2015, it claimed it had intellectual property rights over the names “Yosemite National Park,” “Ahwahnee Hotel,” and “Curry Village.” The company sued the NPS and won a $12 million settlement.
The Backlash
Criticism from conservation and parks nonprofits following the announcement of Socha as a nominee was swift. They noted a conflict of interest — he would be in charge of awarding contracts to his former employer — and condemned Delaware North’s lawsuit.
“Our public lands belong to all Americans, not the concessionaires who try to trademark and cash in on the names of our nation’s crown jewels,” Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities (CWP), said in a press release.
Other critics noted that, unlike past NPS Directors, Socha had no background in conservation or public land management.
The Withdrawal
In a list of appointments published on April 27, the Trump Administration noted that it had withdrawn Socha’s nomination. No reason was provided. In a statement to Politico, Socha said it was for “personal reasons.” At this time, there is no other available information.
Those same critics were quick to celebrate the news. “Our parks deserve far better than someone who spent his entire career trying to privatize them,” CWP’s Weiss said in a press release.
The Sierra Club used the opportunity to call for broader support for national parks. “The withdrawal of this nomination is an opportunity to reset. The next National Park Service leader must make good on a promise to the parks, not just in words but in action. That means restoring staffing and capacity, rejecting the whitewashing of history, protecting the full and complex stories of our public lands, strengthening infrastructure and visitor experiences, and ensuring these places are accessible and welcoming to all,” Gerry James, deputy director of the Sierra Club’s Outdoors For All campaign, said in a press release.
What’s Next
The NPS has been operating without a Senate-confirmed director since the previous director, Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III, resigned in Jan. 2025. Instead, the Department of the Interior (DOI) has hired interim managers.
This news comes on the heels of Trump’s recently released 2027 budget. In the proposal, he recommended a $736 million cut to the NPS, which is about a 25% decrease from the previous year. In April, DOI Secretary Doug Burgum announced plans to offer early retirement and deferred resignations to shrink the number of NPS staff.
Whether Trump will choose a new nominee is unclear. It’s worth noting that in Trump’s first administration (2017–2021), there was never a confirmed NPS Director, with a series of four interim acting directors serving in the role instead.
GearJunkie reached out to the DOI for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
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