Reuters reports that those targeted for termination were newer hires and those in new roles still in a probationary period, which was the case for Dhue; and that certain public safety positions, like firefighters and law enforcement, were being exempt from the firings. Brengel described the terminations as seemingly indiscriminate, lamenting that they spanned many essential roles, like wastewater treatment operators. “No one wants our parks to smell like a sewer over the summer,” she says.

There’s more to the story though: In addition to the firings, 7,700 seasonal park positions, which had initially been subject to the federal hiring freeze initiated on January 20, have reportedly been reinstated. Unfortunately, the hiring process is now far behind schedule with a lack in staff supervisors to train them, experts say.

“The National Park Service is hiring seasonal workers to continue enhancing the visitor experience as we embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management,” the NPS tells Traveler in an emailed statement. “We are focused on ensuring that every visitor has the chance to explore and connect with the incredible, iconic spaces of our national parks.”

A spokesperson for the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the US Forest Service, justified their terminations in an email to Traveler, outlining budgetary constraints and stating that the department’s head “fully supports the President’s directive to improve government, eliminate inefficiencies, and strengthen USDA’s many services to the American people.”

Francis questioned the validity of any economic gains to be made from job cuts, particularly given the parks’ importance as “economic generators for those communities that surround the parks.” National parks added some $56 billion to the US economy in 2023, inclusive of output like spending at lodging and restaurants near national parks.

Park experts like Francis say the moves are demoralizing an already understaffed and underfunded parks workforce. According to the NPCA, national park staffing was already down 20% since 2010.

“It’s pretty depressing” for park workers today, Francis says. He recounted that in the heyday of his own national parks career, “we looked forward to coming to work. We didn’t want to go home necessarily at the end of the day,” and cited the rewarding natural setting, camaraderie, and public service appeal. But, he says, “that’s been pretty much destroyed because of scaring the employees . . . they never know if they might be fired.”

And the expertise that’s being lost is not easy to replace. “This was a real brain drain for the park service,” Brengel adds.

Francis advises that park-goers should be mindful when visiting this year. The workers who remain “really care about serving the American public and protecting the parks.” He adds, “You might say ‘thank you’ to those folks.”

This article has been updated with new information since its original publication date.