The National Park Service has seen around 1,000 jobs cut, including some at Mammoth Cave National Park, in recent weeks as the Trump administration continues its efforts to downsize federal government.

The number of cuts and their impact, however, remain uncertain. Also unknown is what, if any, impact recent court rulings have had on staffing.

Neither Mammoth Cave nor National Park Service representatives responded to numerous requests for comment, but published reports indicate at least 20 positions have been cut at Mammoth Cave.

Sandra Wilson, Horse Cave/Hart County Tourism head, told the Daily News to her organization’s understanding, Mammoth Cave National Park is increasing the number of its self-guided discovery tours while other tours are being kept on their less frequent winter schedules.

“We are already getting calls and inquiries from visitors,” Wilson said. “I’ve had one of my lodging places say they have been getting calls as well from people who had reservations, who were unable to make cave tour reservations.”

She said while some visitors to the area who couldn’t get a cave tour still visited, there are fears that other potential visitors won’t come to the area at all.

“Our other attractions may be thinking hopefully that the people who come will stay here and do other things,” she said. “But the fear is not as many people will be coming to the area.”

Wilson has not seen any recent tourism data yet, save for “anecdotal information.” However, her organization and others statewide are expecting to see an impact in the next few months.

“We’ve heard from some of our peers across the state … that they are already getting cancellations from other things that have happened, like cancelations from Canadian tour groups,” she said.

According to an NPS report, 663,000 visitors to Mammoth Cave National Park in 2022 spent $62 million in area communities. That spending supported 828 jobs in the region and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $89.6 million.

Kentucky has several National Park Service sites within its borders. Along with Mammoth Cave, these include the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, Camp Nelson National Monument and Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument.

Two million visitors to National Park Service sites spent an estimated $115 million in Kentucky in 2023, according to the NPS.

In a Feb. 4 post online, The National Parks Conservation Association stated that a late January hiring freeze from Washington forced NPS to rescind employment for more than 2,000 seasonal and permanent workers across the country.

NPCA states that seasonal workers — a group that normally totals 6,000 annually — operate in a multitude of roles at parks, including welcoming guests, facilities and ground maintenance, building repairs and work to protect historic and natural resources.

Permanent staff, NPCA says, “do all of this work and so much more.”

“These specialized professionals care for our diverse and unique places and ensure safe and inspiring experiences for millions of families every year,” NPCA states.

More than 325 million visits were made to national parks across the United States in 2023, a 13 million-visit increase over 2022, NPCA states.

According to NPCA, staffing at national parks is down 20% since 2010, whereas visitation to parks has increased 16%.