What’s Next For Seashore Advisory Commission?

The Cape Cod National Seashore advisory commission is still active for now. But members say they’re awaiting definitive word from Washington, D.C. regarding the commission’s status.

Meanwhile, three positions have been eliminated from the Seashore, and there’s concern about how that will impact operations this summer.

The advisory commission, which works in concert with Seashore staff in helping oversee the 40 miles of shoreline from Chatham to Provincetown, has been erratic in its operation in recent years. The commission was disbanded during the Trump administration’s first term in 2016, but was reinstated with the election of President Joe Biden in 2020.

Now commission members are bracing themselves for the possibility that the advisory group’s ability to convene could once again be halted. 

“At some point we’re going to get a sense as to how this new administration is going to want to handle advisory committees,” said Barnstable County Commissioner Mark Forest, who serves as an alternate member on the advisory commission.

Last month, President Trump signed an executive order seeking to disable advisory bodies in numerous federal agencies. Forest said given the precedent that has already been set by Trump for discontinuing the commission, it’s very possible that another pause could be imminent.

“I think to some degree we’re all concerned that that [order] will be reinstated,” he said.

“Well it’s not ideal, obviously,” echoed Rich Delaney, the commission’s chair, about the possible disbandment. “But when we are in session and we do have issues in front of us at the time, [and] we can be effective. We can make well-reasoned recommendations to the superintendent.”

The Seashore was created in 1961 under President John F. Kennedy, and its establishment called for the creation of the advisory commission. Forest said the 11-member commission, which includes representation from the six towns that make up the Seashore, has been instrumental in helping Seashore staff manage the park, especially areas that lie outside of its purview.

 “If we’re trying to accomplish a goal related to natural resource protection, certain natural resources, certain environmental resources and assets of the park aren’t exclusively controlled by the park,” he said. “So if there’s a desire to protect an endangered species or habitat, or if there’s another initiative to advance the goals of the Seashore, sometimes they can’t do it alone. Sometimes they need the other partners to participate.”

But Forest, whose involvement with the commission dates back to the 1980s as a staffer with Congressmen Gerry Studds and later Bill Delahunt, said the commission has consistently had to ward off the perception of some in Washington that advisory committees aren’t essential, but rather “a nuisance.” 

“In some instances, administrations have no interest in institutionalizing these kinds of organizations,” he said.

While federal support for the commission has been shaky, Delaney said the commission has always enjoyed a constructive working relationship with Seashore staff.

“We just make recommendations,” he said. “The superintendent can take it or leave it, but over the years, and I’ve been there for quite a few, I would say without doing real detailed study almost everything we’ve recommended to all the superintendents…has been listened to.”

But beyond the status of the commission itself, there are broader concerns about impacts to services in the Seashore, which Delaney said attracts millions of people annually. Three Seashore positions have so far been eliminated as part of an ongoing effort by the Department of Government Efficiency to reduce the scope of the federal workforce.

“That’s the more ominous threat to whether or not there will be full services for our four or five million visitors who come to Cape Cod National Seashore,” Delaney said.

David Bernstein of West Yarmouth, who is president of the nonprofit Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore, expressed concern about the potential for deeper cuts into Seashore staffing. He said the Seashore brings in close to $540 million in annual revenue to the region, including money that is spent by visitors at local restaurants, hotels and other attractions.

On top of three positions that recently were eliminated, there are currently 10 unfilled positions within the Seashore ranks, he added. He said he’s particularly concerned about losing supervisory staffers. 

“All the seasonal [workers] have people overseeing them,” he said. “You can’t have seasonals without full-time supervisors. So if they start letting go of full-time supervisors…then seasonals in some cases won’t be able to do their jobs either.”

And while the Friends do not work closely with the commission, Bernstein said he would like to see the group stay intact.

“For me, personally, I feel the commission does good work and should keep going,” he said. 

A spokesperson for the Seashore deferred comment on the commission’s status and the recent staff reductions to National Park Service’s Washington, D.C. headquarters. Requests for comment from the Park Service were not returned as of press time.

Should the commission again be disbanded, Forest said he anticipates there will be an appeal to state and federal officials for help in overturning the order. But he said that could be easier said than done.

“My suspicion is that they will do it again,” he said. “So the question’s going to be, is Congress in a position to provide any relief? And right now in this Congress, I believe it’s going to be very difficult.”

In the near term, things appear to be functioning as normal at the federal level, according to Lauren Amendolara McDermott, spokesperson for U.S. Representative Bill Keating (D-Ninth District). She said in an email Monday that the spring meeting of the National Seashore Advisory Commission has been “set and noticed.”

“At this time, we have every reason to believe it will move forward,” she said.

But if the order to disband comes down, is there anything preventing commission members from meeting unofficially? Forest didn’t rule out the idea, but said even that approach would involve some compromise.

“The thing is the Seashore may be limited in its ability to provide support to it,” he said. “It may very well be that whatever administrative support the Seashore would provide to it would need to be picked up by somebody else. Maybe that’s a role the county could play.”