National parks layoffs hit northern California, inciting protest
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Hundreds of tourists and photographers flock to El Capitan during sunset at Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park on Feb. 19. Photo: Tayfun Cokun/Anadolu via Getty Images
"Leave no trace" has long been the mantra for preserving our wild spaces, but with fewer federal employees on the ground at national parks and in other natural areas, that ethos will be more important than ever.
Why it matters: With thousands of jobs abruptly cut at agencies that oversee public lands — including dozens in California — that means fewer workers cleaning bathrooms, picking up trash and keeping an eye on visitors to make sure they stay out of protected areas.
The big picture: Former employees and labor union representatives warn the layoffs — part of a nationwide reduction of 3,400 U.S. Forest Service and 1,000 National Park Service (NPS) jobs — could weaken wildfire prevention efforts and the maintenance of beloved campgrounds and trails.
Driving the news: While it remains unclear how many people were impacted in California, dozens of people led by terminated employees protested the cuts at Yosemite National Park over the weekend.
- The demonstration included hanging an upside-down American flag from the summit of Yosemite's iconic El Capitan — meant to "draw attention to the fact that public lands ... are under attack," per a statement posted to former Yosemite locksmith Nate Vince's Instagram.
Zoom in: In San Francisco, the NPS-run Golden Gate National Recreation Area laid off 10 people, employees' union spokesperson Ryan Heron confirmed.
- They ranged from maintenance workers who cleaned facilities to biological science technicians who managed natural resources projects.
- They have filed an internal grievance in a bid for reinstatement and could escalate it to a lawsuit, Heron told Axios.
State of play: California is home to 28 national parks, most notably Yosemite.
- 36.2 million national park visitors contributed roughly $3.2 billion to the state's economy in 2023, a federal report found.
- But NPS also governs over a dozen national historic sites, trails and monuments in the state, including Alcatraz Island and the now-endangered Presidio.
- Meanwhile, the U.S. Forest Service manages 18 national forests in California — spanning more than 20.8 million acres — and typically works as a first line of defense in preventing and repressing wildfires.
Yes, but: NPS employees were already struggling to properly oversee these lands due to years of budget cuts, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.
- The most recent layoffs, especially on teams like search and rescue, will increase public safety threats, hurt local economies and force basic park services like water filtration to close, laid-off workers have said.
- "Firing thousands of staff regardless of position or performance across the nation is the first step in destabilizing the protections in place for these great places," Vince's statement notes.
What they're saying: "The degree to which the public can equip themselves to be stewards of the parks is going to make a huge difference," said Mark Eller, a spokesperson for Leave No Trace — an educational nonprofit that promotes environmental stewardship.
- That sense of personal responsibility will matter a lot more moving forward, he added.
- Evelynn Escobar, the founder and executive director of Hike Clerb, a nonprofit that aims to increase diversity in natural spaces, similarly said on Instagram that everyone needs to think "What would a ranger do?"
- "If you see trash on the ground, pick it up and put it in the trash. You see wildlife on the trail, keep a safe distance and don't interact with them. You see restoration areas marked 'in progress,' you're going to stay off those lands," Escobar said.