White House spokesman Anna Kelly said in a statement that the Trump administration will “rationalize federal agencies and serve the American people while protecting the rich natural resources of Americans.”
The National Park Service did not respond to a request for comment.
At Devil’s Post Pile National Monument in eastern California, Alex Wild said hikers and campers often first arrived when they were experiencing a health emergency. Until last week, he was the only certified EMT ranger in the park with staff who could run CPR. He is now worried that he will have to wait hours for his local first responder to arrive when people are in a life-threatening situation.
“That can mean life and death for someone with an emergency,” he said.
Democrats denounced federal job cuts and called out “damage and myopia” in a letter signed by 20 Democrats in early February.
The letter also warned that massive cuts could create “staffing disruptions” in national parks.
“This not only threatened the full suite of visitor services, but also allowed the entire park to be completely closed,” the senator wrote.
Along with the National Park Conservation Agency, Kristen Brengel said the end reflects “bad business decisions” by the Trump administration. The park attracts millions of visitors each year. In 2023, it supported an estimated 415,000 jobs and $55.6 billion in total economic activity, according to a letter from the senator. They are economically important to the Gateway community, appealing to large, bipartisan bases across all ages and demographics.
“Americans have said it over and over again. We want to have a place that is not commercialized,” she said.
In Alaska’s Denali National Park and Reserve, sled dogs are one of the biggest attractions for tourists each year. People come from all over the world, meet dog rangers, learn about the work they do in the park and watch demonstrations.
Mitch Flaherty was part of the staff at a small kennel that cared for 31 dogs. His experience made him a key employee during the community pandemic, with his experience in training, raising and operating dogs when Denali was closed.
It’s best to have 3-5 people working with four rangers taking part in three demonstrations a day during the high season. The kennel team has fallen one by one after Flaherty was fired last week.
“If you don’t have enough staff, don’t run your dog during the demonstration,” he said. “Visitors are always upset when they can’t see their dogs actually working and pulling their carts. That’s definitely a major attraction.”
Recently, due to a reduction in talent from the Forest Service, popular trailheads and snow parks near Seattle have been closed, known as Franklin Falls Trailhead.
“We’re committed to providing a great deal of support for our team,” said Jon Hoekstra, executive director of Sound Greenway Trust, a Seattle-based nonprofit protection organization. “Usually there are no frontline forest department staff out there for safety, to help people in sanitation, cleaning, and in a pinch. Those people aren’t there now, so they’re not going to be there. .”
Hoekstra said the Forest Service was also delinquent on bills submitted by his nonprofit for conservation work funded by the Great American Outdoor Act, including habitat recovery and improving trailheads. Includes:
“Frozen these payments has been unprecedented in my decade,” Hoekstra said. “That’s very unusual. Most federal contracts are refund-based. We come in to work, we have budgets and we have expenses, so we submit invoices and get paid.”
Sidney Hansen, a 24-year-old physical science and technology expert, said he came out of a gem cave in South Dakota, the country’s second-longest cave.
Hansen stripped off his knee pads, helmet, elbow pads, cave packs and muddy boots.
“They tainted us, and I’m not grateful for it at all,” Hansen said this week. “I was proud of all the work I did and was proud to work at Park Services. I know this isn’t necessarily because of the park service. I’m just us. I am not satisfied with the government or completely proud of it.”
The firing letter stated that she “failed to demonstrate fitness or qualifications for ongoing employment,” and that her expertise did not meet the needs of her service.
The performance review of Hansen, obtained by NBC News, suggested that it was not the case. According to reviews, Hansen “exceeds expectations.” This describes it as a quick learner who is “careful and accurate in all jobs” and a quick learner who is always prepared for both the ground and the under-taking tasks.
Hansen provided cave tours to visitors, helping them lead their explorations with a cave network of over 220 miles, and assisting in biology, cartography and wildlife projects. Without her, the caves are less safe and it is likely that visitors will not have many options on the tour, Hansen said.
