Arizona national parks & forests already feeling strain from federal worker firings

Tucson Sentinel (Mar 9, 2025) by Alysa Horton

Arizona national parks and forests are already feeling a strain on resources after President Donald Trumpโ€™s executive order for a federal hiring freeze and extensive firings.

Grand Canyon National Park, one of the stateโ€™sย 22 national park sites, reported wait times being twice as long as usual just a week after the National Park Service and National Forest Service fired thousands. The park lost four toll operators, according toย The Washington Post, despite being the second most visited park in the country. The park service fired an estimated 1,000 employees.

The Trump administrationโ€™s Department of Government Efficiency has tried to slash numerous areas of federal funding โ€“ including for national parks and forests. Aย federal hiring freezeย went into effect Jan. 20, but the park service has since been cleared to fill thousands of seasonal positions.

While national parks are part of the Department of the Interior, national forests are part of the Department of Agriculture, which defended Trumpโ€™s decision to cut positions.

โ€œAs part of this effort, USDA has made the difficult decision to release about 2,000 probationary, non-firefighting employees from the Forest Service. To be clear, none of these individuals were operational firefighters,โ€ a USDA spokesperson wrote. โ€œItโ€™s unfortunate that the Biden administration hired thousands of people with no plan in place to pay them long term.โ€

Though USDA officials say 2,000 employees were let go, a union says the number is closer to 3,400 workers.

Others have been less enthusiastic about the decision to release so many positions. Matthew Nelson, executive director of theย Arizona Trail Association, said the decision is most likely to affect residents of the Valley who travel around the state to access natural lands.

โ€œMost of the public lands that we love and enjoy โ€“ so these are national forests, Bureau of Land Management lands, national parks โ€“ theyโ€™re all managed by federal agencies, and right now, those systems are being completely dismantled,โ€ Nelson said.

In 2023, outdoor recreation added overย $14 billion to the Arizona GDP, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

โ€œBeyond just the economic value of outdoor recreation, what it provides in terms of healthy living, I think it really, for me, defines what it means to be an Arizonan,โ€ Nelson said. โ€œThatโ€™s why I live here, and why Iโ€™ve pursued the job and the lifestyle that I have. If that were to ever change, it would completely transform how I see Arizona and America.โ€

Bill Wade, executive director of theย Association of National Park Rangers, said though the โ€œValentineโ€™s Day massacreโ€ of firings wasnโ€™t a complete surprise, the extent wasnโ€™t anticipated.

โ€œThatโ€™s kind of using the broad sword rather than the scalpel,โ€ Wade said.

Wade said those affected received an email at 4 p.m. Feb. 14 and were given an hour and a half to return any government equipment. The National Park Service maintains it will continue hiring seasonal staff for better visitor experience.

โ€œThe 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,โ€ a spokesperson wrote. โ€œWe are focused on ensuring that every visitor has the chance to explore and connect with the incredible, iconic spaces of our national parks.โ€

In aย social media postย about the Grand Canyon, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said the โ€œTrump administrationโ€™s removal of essential workers undermines our economy and ability to showcase one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.โ€ On Friday, Hobbs said despite the challenges at the Grand Canyon, she would not use state resources to aid the park, according to theย Arizona Capitol Times.

Volunteers and employees of the park service around the state have said Arizonans and tourists will likely feel the fallout of fewer resources.

โ€œWhen this workforce continues to be diminished, itโ€™ll also affect our abilityโ€ to maintain trails, Nelson said. โ€œWe also need our partners at the Forest Service and the BLM and the National Park Service to be engaged in that process. Otherwise, everything falls apart.โ€

 

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