REGIONAL- The whirlwind of public outcry over job offers rescinded, terminations, and resignations at the National Park Service has caused the Trump administration to reverse recent decisions in an attempt to adequately staff for the upcoming tourist season.
When a hiring freeze was announced in January, the park service rescinded job offers to 40 potential seasonal employees and the recruitment process was halted for thousands of seasonal positions that are the lifeblood of park operations during the peaks of visitation in the spring and summer months.
Two weeks ago, Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum dismissed approximately 1,000 full-time park service employees who were on probationary status. The staffing crisis has been heightened by 700 park service employees who have accepted the administration’s deferred resignation plan, which offered workers pay through the summer in exchange for their immediate departure. Those who accepted the offer are prohibited from working beyond March 7.
The sudden shift has left many national parks scrambling to maintain services with reduced personnel, and Burgum has responded by lifting the freeze on seasonal hirings and authorizing up to 7,700 new hires, slightly higher than the most recent three-year average.
But park advocates remain unconvinced that the additional seasonal hires can adequately compensate for the experience and knowledge of the departing full-time staff.
“The National Park Service is in crisis, and things are only getting worse,” said Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association. “In a matter of weeks, nine percent of Park Service staff have been lost to mass firings and resignations. These staffing cuts will put a major strain on an already understaffed and overwhelmed park service. With hundreds of park staff taking the administration’s buyout offer, the park service will lose a wealth of expertise, experience and knowledge they will never get back.”
With more than 325 million visitors annually, national parks were already understaffed according to park advocates. Over the past decade, park visitation has increased by ten percent, while staffing levels have declined by 13 percent, leaving the agency with 2,600 fewer staff members than in 2011.
While the reinstatement of seasonal workers provides temporary relief, the long-term impact of the cuts remains uncertain. With visitor numbers continuing to rise and full-time staff dwindling, many park supporters worry that the nation’s treasured landscapes could suffer from neglect and mismanagement.
“We need strong leadership to ensure these parks remain open, safe and well-maintained,” said Tim Whitehouse, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. “Secretary Burgum needs to step up and make sure these parks are operating at full capacity this spring and summer.”
Voyageurs uncertainty
Beyond the firing of Voyageurs National Park Manager of Interpretation and Public Affairs Kate Severson, who was a probationary employee, the specific impact of the administration’s various actions on Minnesota’s only national park is unknown.
VNP Superintendent Bob DeGross was directed in January to send all media requests to the park service’s national office, thwarting the Timberjay’s attempt to determine the effects of the hiring freeze, as multiple email requests to the park service for information remain unanswered.
The Timberjay attempted to contact DeGross again last week, and he referred the inquiry to the park service’s regional communications office. When the Timberjay finally made contact with that office this week, a representative said that park service could not comment on personnel matters. Such a response is typically reserved for privileged information about current personnel, and not for inquiries about positions that may or may not be available for hire.
Applications for park service positions are submitted through the USAJobs.com website and, as of Tuesday, the only seasonal position offered in Minnesota was for a summer maintenance worker position at Pipestone National Monument.
Among the many park-specific seasonal position announcements were several for jobs such as law enforcement rangers, park guides, and others that had no locations listed, but instead indicated “location negotiable after selected.” It is unknown if Voyageurs will have to rely on these non-specific postings or if they will have park-specific announcements in the days ahead.
Whatever the process, the need is urgent, and time is pressing, according to a Feb. 20 email from Voyageurs Conservancy Executive Director Christina Hausman Rhode.
“Though the Department of Interior has reversed its plans to cut 5,000 seasonal NPS workers, the future is uncertain, and it remains unclear when Voyageurs can begin the long process of hiring 30-40 seasonal workers that are critical ahead of the busy summer season,” Rhode said. “Seasonal staff at Voyageurs National Park support boat programs, visitor centers operations, wildlife monitoring, campsite cleaning, and dock and trail maintenance.”
Rhode urged people with concerns to contact their Congressional representatives, and to patronize the many businesses in VNP gateway communities that are dependent on serving park visitors, noting that, “Their services will be even more critical if park operations continue to diminish.”