More nationwide protests are planned throughout the next week after rallies were held on President’s Day (February 17).
Thousands of National Park Service workers have lost their dream jobs in the past couple of months after the Trump administration inflicted wide ranging and brutal firing hiring cuts.
Now campaigners, charities and non-profits are joining forces to throw them a lifeline and protect America’s iconic wild spaces.
Protesters have rallied throughout the country and those affected have taken to social media to voice their anger.
“I honestly can’t imagine how the parks will operate without my position,” said now-former Yosemite park ranger Alex Smith on Instagram.
“These are the people who teach your Jr Rangers, build your trails, clean your restrooms, rescue injured visitors, and keep the parks operating. We are not the excess. We are essential to maintaining access to parks.”
What’s happened to the NPS?
An estimated 2,000 temporary workers have had their job offers rescinded while many more have been sacked or taken a generous redundancy offer.
Although the administration has rowed back slightly on temporary worker cuts, thousands who’d previously held temporary and full-time positions are now without work.
More than 300 million people visit America’s national parks every year to run, hike, and camp in the stunning North American wilderness.
Without an army of workers to maintain the parks, visitors “could be met with overflowing trash, uncleaned bathrooms, and fewer rangers to provide guidance,” according to a statement from Kristen Brengel, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association
The National Forest Service, various firefighting agencies, and federal mountain rescue organizations have also suffered mass job cuts, raising safety concerns about the American backcountry.
How you can help
Alongside anger, many people are taking active steps to fight back, promoting the funds, charities, and organizations to help the sacked staff and continue their vital work.
Multiple non-profit groups advocate for America’s national parks and work to maintain their stunning natural beauty without government funding.
The National Park Foundation works alongside the NPS to protect the parks and their wildlife. With funding from the public, they restore native habitats, maintain infrastructure and trails, save and protect endangered species, and organize community activities.
The National Forest Foundation performs a similar role, nurturing America’s ancient woodlands and the thousands of miles of trails within them.
With the number of National Park officials dwindling, these organizations are picking up the slack to ensure the health and survival of American wilderness. Both accept public donations.
If you fancy getting your hands dirty, trail maintenance groups like the Fourteeners Initiative are in desperate need of volunteers.
This group and others like it map out and maintain beloved hiking and trail running routes in backcountry areas. The Fourteeners specifically oversee Colorado’s Fourteener summit trails, which feel the impact of more than 260,000 hikers annually.
You can also support former NPS workers directly through various relief funds. Alongside their livelihoods, many workers lost housing and vital employment benefits.
Funds like this one, set up by the Yosemite Employee Association, are distributed between sacked employees to help them pay for rent, food, legal defenses, and healthcare.
