These California national parks have been hit hardest by federal firings
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A park ranger walks through Sequoia National Park. Photo: Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
At least 84 U.S. National Park Service workers in California have been fired amid the Trump administration's purge of federal workers, per an unofficial tally shared with Axios.
Why it matters: The firings have left parks short-staffed ahead of the busy summer travel season, including for critical lifesaving search-and-rescue missions.
The big picture: More than 750 NPS employees had been fired around the country as of Tuesday, according to a spreadsheet shared with Axios by a U.S. park ranger who requested anonymity to protect their job and employment prospects.
- It's based on reports from hundreds of rangers and other park workers in multiple online groups, but is likely undercounting the full breadth of the firings.
Zoom in: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park saw one of the biggest cuts in California, with 10 of 267 full-time workers terminated, the count shows.
- The other losses across California's nine national parks: Yosemite (9 employees), Joshua Tree (6), Redwood (6), Channel Islands (6), Death Valley (6), Pinnacles (2), Lassen Volcanic (1).
- National recreation areas, monuments and historic sites were also hit, including Whiskeytown (10), San Francisco's Golden Gate park (10) and San Diego's Cabrillo National Monument (1).
Across all national parks, Florida's Everglades (15), Virginia's Shenandoah (15) and New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns (14) were the hardest hit locations.
- North Carolina and Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains and Utah's Zion also saw significant losses.
Friction point: Protestors demonstrated at parks nationwide to start March, while upside-down American flags — a traditional symbol of distress — have been hung at Yosemite, Joshua Tree and Rocky Mountain national parks in recent days.
What they're saying: Yosemite lost its only locksmith, per the document. That appears to be a worker named Nate Vince, who shared their story separately on Instagram.
- "48 weeks ago I started my permanent NPS position as Yosemite's new locksmith," Vince wrote.
- "Well now 3 weeks short of my probationary period I've been fired. I've had exemplary performance and am essential for park operations. The people that fired me don't know who I am, or what I do. They simply don't understand this park and how big and complex it is."
What's next: At least a few fired workers have since gotten their jobs back, per the document, suggesting there's at least a glimmer of hope for people who have found themselves out of their dream job.
- On Tuesday, the White House said the firing of federal probationary employees is now up to individual agencies, not the Office of Personnel Management.