Sagamore Hill, home of Teddy Roosevelt, set to trim hours after Trump National Park Service cuts 

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay is expected to reduce hours at its Old Orchard Museum and tours of President Theodore Roosevelt’s home after the Trump administration fired nearly 1,000 National Park Service employees.

Unreserved reservation slots for the federal park service site, which includes the 26th president’s home, are set to be paused starting Monday and for the remainder of March, according to The Friends of Sagamore Hill — an organization that helps with the preservation of the location. Tour reservations that have already been made will be honored.

The museum’s hours are set to shift to Friday to Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., a reduction from the previous schedule, Thursday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., according to the historical landmark's website and a Facebook post from The Friends of Sagamore Hill.

Sagamore Hill is also evaluating possible changes for April, according to the Facebook post.

Roosevelt lived at Sagamore Hill from 1885 to his death in 1919 at age 60, according to the National Park Service.

The site’s superintendent, Jonathan Parker, in response to a request for comment on scheduling, said in an email that he was forwarding the request to the National Park Service’s communication office, which is handling media inquiries. The park service had not responded late Thursday to a request for comment on scheduling at Sagamore Hill.

The possible curtailing of hours at the site comes after the firing of nearly 1,000 park service workers as part of President Donald Trump's efforts to scale back the size and scope of the federal government.

A union representative for nonmanagerial park service employees, including those at Sagamore Hill, said change could exacerbate long-standing staffing challenges, and also mean cuts to public safety and maintenance.

"Any loss will have an effect," said Michael Callahan, a representative with the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3432.

Workforce reductions, he said, can mean dirtier public restrooms, fewer staff members answering the public’s questions about a park service site and limited hours.

"It all adds up," Callahan said in a phone interview with Newsday. "Longer lines. Longer wait times to get in."

When Newsday asked about staffing at National Park Service last month, the federal agency responded in a statement on Feb. 27 saying: "The National Park Service is hiring seasonal workers to continue enhancing the visitor experience as we embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management."

The park service usually hires temporary workers as the weather warms, and has said it plans to hire as many as 7,700 seasonal employees this year.

In 2024, the National Park Service said it had hoped to hire 5,000 seasonal workers. 

With AP

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith is a general assignment reporter for Newsday. She previously worked at USA TODAY and is an alum of Howard University.