Josh Barnes loved the summers he spent working at Sequoia National Park in California.
Mr. Barnes, 25, like many rangers, said the work is a labor of love, selected for a genuine love of the outdoors and a strong sense of stewardship rather than for the money or the glitz. Therefore, he was particularly thrilled when he was hired on a permanent basis in October to greet and sell tickets to guests at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico.
However, on February 14, he was informed that he had been dismissed, which abruptly ended his ideal employment. As part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce, he was one of thousands of other park and forest service workers nationwide who lost their employment.
“I’m afraid of what this awful administration will do to my public lands and the harm it will cause.” He posted a message on Instagram, saying, “I feel bad for the people who live here and celebrate these places.”
Speaking up made him anxious since he thought it would have an impact on his future job. Nevertheless, he felt compelled to speak.
Regarding his choice to publish online, Mr. Barnes stated, “It’s frightening, but it was the right thing to do.”
The Parks Service has stated that the changes were an effort to emphasize financial responsibility while retaining essential services, and he is one of many current and former rangers who have expressed their sorrow, worry, and worries on social media.
A widely circulated post by Brian Gibbs, an educational park ranger at Iowa’s Effigy Mounds National Monument who also lost his job last month, has received thousands of comments. In a phone interview, Mr. Gibbs, 41, expressed his hope that his job would “open some hearts and minds of people to understand just how important it is to protect and preserve these places of our shared natural heritage.”
After the terminations, Kaesee Bourne, a 25-year-old Las Vegas-based former biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service, said her coworkers had a strong feeling of camaraderie, including those who provided resources for employment and spiritual support.
