Questions about this year's layoffs and ranger protests at the National Park Service meant for travelers who made a record 331 million visits that recorded Park Properties last year. In addition to the confusion, a federal court on Thursday ruled that the dismissal was illegal and that the agency must rehire cut workers.
However, the National Park Service parks, grounds and memorials are not the only public land affected by reports of staffing levels and budget cuts brought about by the Trump administration's goal of reducing government spending.
The Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the three largest managers of the US public land, are also more accessible to public land. BLM alone covers 235 million acres, or almost a tenth of the country. If these institutions lose many of their workers, who will be there to handle the influx of visitors while the summer travel season is being prepared?
“Many Americans don't know what we're offering,” said Mary Erickson, retired forest director at Custer Gallatin National Forest in Montana, who visited an average of 3 million visitors a year.
Custer Gallatin has lost 42 employees so far (about a quarter of the non-fugitive workforce). The entire Forest Service experienced the reported 3,400 layoffs. It is unclear whether workers will be revived, but affected people will perform important tasks that may be invisible to the public, such as clearing trails, managing bookings at cabins and campsites, and cleaning public toilets. And these institutions are already operating in the red thanks to budget shortages and staffing shortages.
For now, the disruption at visitor centers and campsites seems likely, although uncertain.
“Unless there's a wildfire, a massive flood event, or a storm, it might be easy to say that everything is going well,” Erickson said. “But a year from now, these things start to add up.”
The BLM, Forest Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service balance recreation with other uses of its properties, such as mining, hunting, and cutting. Below is what these agencies are considering travelling to the land they maintain.
What the agency oversees: As part of the Ministry of Home Affairs, BLM has historically walked the tiny line between recreation and development. 90% of BLM land is open to oil and gas leases. The agency also manages livestock grazing, timber harvesting and other commercial activities on public land.
Much of the vast desert landscape of the Western Province is owned by BLM. This allows visitors to sleep under the stars of the Sierra.
Trump's Cuts: Despite the fact that BLM's recreational visitors are up 41%, severe budget cuts, including a $81 million cut from last year's total budget of $1.7 billion, are hampering the agency's ability to apply additional management to sites designated as a region of environmental concern. The new administration fired 2,300 federal employees of the Department of Home Affairs, including the National Park Service and BLM.
During his first term, urged by ranchers and Republican lawmakers, President Trump significantly reduced the size of Utah's bear ears and grand staircase – the Escalante National Monument. Both are part of BLM and were founded by a Democratic president. Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. restored protection within a year of his term.
Towards: Last June, Congress passed the rules for public lands. This ensures that land conservation is on the same footing as commercial use, and promotes joint streets with the tribal states. Soon after, Congressional Republicans introduced a bill to abolish it.
Agent-supervised: The Forest Service, which falls under the Ministry of Agriculture, manages approximately 133 million acres of national forests and grasslands.
Visits to national forests skyrocketed in 2020 during lockdown. The Forest Service remains a key escape for around 160 million people, but the numbers have been evenly distributed. Among the top activities in the forest? Downhill Skiing – Many ski resorts in both the northeastern and western states are located on Forest Service lands.
Trump Cut: Last month, the agency fired 3,400 employees. Many of them played a role in stewarding more remote backcountry areas, loved by backpackers and more experienced campers.
Future: Fewer rangers in the wilderness mean a decline in their ability to carry out search and rescue operations and patrols due to the illegal use of dirt bikes and ATVs in designated wilderness areas. Also, the trails will have fewer staff members who clean up fallen trees, fix damaged signs, and repair collapsed bridges.
The reduction to agents is nothing new. In August, the Forest Service Director indicated that the agency was facing a “potentially budgeted future,” resulting in a pause of adoption for all seasons. Wildland firefighters continue their jobs. However, during fire season, firefighters rely on non-fugitive personnel for assistance.
Many forests have historically relied on local nonprofits to help with maintenance. Parts of the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail have gone on to agencies, and the federal fund freeze being contested in federal courts means groups like the Pacific Crest Trail Association may not be able to protect the trail from environmental threats such as heavy rain and wildfires.
Agent supervises: Wildlife will be evacuated. A total of over 560 shelters spread across beaches, islands, lakeshores, mud flats and salt marshes, and the land receives over 50 million visitors each year, the National Wildlife Conservation System is the world's largest network of public lands specialising in the conservation of wild flora and fauna.
Compared to national parks and forests, FWS operates on a much smaller scale, often relying on local volunteers and community members to continue operating the facility. Without full-time staff, the future of the volunteer program is uncertain.
Trump cuts: 470 reported biologists, natural resource experts and other workers have been fired since last month. This, in addition to the ongoing “staffing crisis,” has also reduced the National FWS workforce quarterly since 2011, according to the National Wildlife Refuge Association.
Future: This reduction could impact visitor access, educational programs and daily operations at some of the country's most popular natural sanctuaries, including the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, where families can meet Florida manatees each winter. In Hawaii, Kat also came to Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. This is a stunning cliffside paradise that welcomes 500,000 visitors a year.
And shelters are especially important for birdwatchers. Lake Tulle National Wildlife Refuge, located on the California border, is an 80% stoppage of waterfowl along the Pacific Flyway. Staff will help you rent a boat for the shelter's popular self-guided canoe trail.
Perhaps most famous is the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge in southern Florida, which became the first established shelter in 1903 by an executive order from President Theodore Roosevelt. A century later, its brown pelican, the great white ret, Roseate Spoonville remains attractive, along with the federally protected green sea turtle.
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