Thousands of national park and forest workers lost their jobs last Friday after sweeping budget cuts at the Department of the Interior (DOI). These included national park rangers, staff members, biologists and natural resource professionals.
Conservation agencies affiliated with the park service and other outdoors services are urging government officials and the public to take action.
A shrinking outdoors workforce
The DOI laid off 1000 National Park Service employees, 800 Bureau of Land Management employees and 420 US Fish and Wildlife Service employees. The US Forest Service also laid off 3400 individuals last week. Most of those fired were still in their probationary period during the first year of employment.
Previous to these layoffs, the DOI rescinded approximately 5000 seasonal job offers in the national parks. Typically, the NPS employs about 8000 seasonal employees each year, according to former NPS Director, Jon Jarvis.
Consequences for the parks
Seasonal workers are critical to day-to-day operations of national parks, especially during peak tourist seasons.
With the amount of visitation to the national park consistently rising year after year, officials are concerned that lack of staffing would lead to poor visitor experiences. Park rangers are not only responsible for helping visitors with navigation, education and interpretation, but they also help clean bathrooms, manage campgrounds and perform life-saving search and rescue.
“The people in the White House have no idea what it takes or the effect that will play out, particularly with seasonal employees,” said Deny Galvin, who served as deputy director of the National Park Service for nine years under three presidents — Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush — and now serves on NPCA’s Board of Trustees.
“Allowing parks to hire seasonal staff is essential, but staffing cuts of this magnitude will have devastating consequences for parks and communities,” the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) president, Theresa Pierno, said in a statement.
She added, “National parks fuel local economies across the country, generating billions of dollars for area businesses and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs. Slashing staff could have a ripple effect on gateway businesses and communities that depend on parks for survival.”
In an article published on NPCA’s website, Galvin predicted that with the “latest workforce reductions, parks face the risk of closed visitor centers, restricted areas or other changes.”
Public backlash against staffing cuts
The layoffs and workforce reductions have faced public backlash, with many rangers going to social media to voice their frustrations.
Brian Gibbs, a ranger at Effigy Mounds National Monument, took to Facebook and shared, “I am absolutely heartbroken and completely devastated to have lost my dream job of an Education Park Ranger with the National Park Service this Valentine’s Day.” His emotional letter has been shared in news outlets across the country.
On President’s Day, hundreds of community members gathered outside Rocky Mountain National Park to protest the layoffs.
“Millions of people, probably around 3 million, come through in the summer, and without those temporary employees, there’s no way this park can function,” said Estes Park resident Iolanthe Culjak to Denver7.
In Utah, the effects of the shortages are already being felt at Zion National Park. According to Fox 13 Salt Lake City, a backup of cars occurred at the park entrance on President’ Day due to only one or two employees manning the gate.
100 seasonal offers have been rescinded at Zion NP, which is one of the busiest in the country. Last year, Zion had 90 percent more visitors than 10 years ago with 11 percent less staff.
The future of public land conservation
A release from the National Wildlife Refuge Association spoke to the 420 workers laid of at the US Fish and Wildlife service. They claim that the layoffs disproportionately targeted biologists and natural resource professionals and “are a direct attack on science-based conservation and the future of America’s wildlife.”
The agency is currently tasked with protecting and managing America’s 573 national wildlife refuges, which span 95 million acres of land, 750 million acres of marine habitat, and support countless species.
“The people being fired today are the backbone of wildlife protection in this country,” said Desirée Sorenson-Groves, President & CEO of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “Without them, habitats will degrade, endangered species will go unmonitored, trails will remain unmaintained, and visitors will lose access to environmental education and recreation opportunities.”
What you can do
Agencies, organizations and influencers are all urging the public to speak out against the layoffs by contacting local, state and federal representatives to express concern over the recent staffing cuts. The Outdoor Alliance and the NPCA both have forms that users can fill out and send to their congress representatives.
As the National Wildlife Refuge Association wrote in their press release, “The public must speak out before more damage is done to our nation’s most treasured wild places.”
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