Haley Aguayo

Landscape of Zion National Park in Utah, U.S. One of the many national parks whose management will be affected by the federal layoffs.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Haley Aguayo

Landscape of Zion National Park in Utah, U.S. One of the many national parks whose management will be affected by the federal layoffs.

President Donald Trump’s administration has been firing more federal employees, and the U.S. National Parks Service is no exception. The recent mass terminations are primarily due to a new initiative introduced by the administration to reduce the amount of employees in the federal workforce. The initiative itself is led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which works to “streamline the Federal Government, eliminate unnecessary programs, and reduce bureaucratic inefficiency.” 

On Feb. 14, the NPS administered over 1,000 layoff notices without warning or alerting these employees that they would be terminated. They held roles such as educating visitors, maintaining trails and ensuring smooth operations. The employees make the spaces safe and clean for public use. Failure to upkeep the national parks allow for more pollution which can deteriorate resources in an environment that native species depend on. With around 5% of the NPS workforce being terminated, things are going to be rough, especially with the upcoming warmer and busy seasons. 

Park visitors nationwide have already been noticing an increase in the wait times for popular parks and delays in operating hours even though the layoffs happened less than a month ago. The immediate shift shows how detrimental the upkeep of national land will be the longer the parks stay understaffed. Beyond affecting the employees, these terminations will impact anyone trying to go outdoors and appreciate the nation’s beauty.

This is disheartening to people who grew up spending time at the parks and love spending time outdoors.

Story continues below advertisement

To hear such tragedy occurring to employees who do nothing but work hard and dedicate themselves to the land is upsetting. These park staff members are essential workers. They keep these essential spaces protected and conserved. Since summer is coming up, things are going to become harder to maintain. Since the parks will open later, lines will be longer and work is going to be harder for the employees.

There are several ways to help out during the busy seasons: picking up trash, following leave no trace rules and booking park visit reservations ahead of time. The staff of the NPS needs help across the board, and the outdoor community must work together to support them.