If you ask the National Park Rangers as a reduction in Trump administration costs will affect your next visit to the park, you can get conversations rather than a direct response.
A series of letters sent at the end of last month, front -line staff across the country gave the Rangers instructions on how to describe highly advertised staff cuts. The park leaders also instructed the staff to avoid the word “fired” and not blame the closure at the staff level.
On February 14, at least 1,000 park staff were stopped as part of the Federal Labor Administration Trump and Elon Musk Department of Government Efficiency. As a result, Centers for visitors reduced the clock, Excursions on popular attractions were canceled lines of spiral. Bathrooms can stay unwavering. Restore habitat stopped and the water went Without control over toxic algae.
Meanwhile, the rangers were ordered to describe these cuts – either “lowering” and “actions for the management of the working force”, in accordance with the points of the conversation – as “prioritization of fiscal responsibility” and “staffing to meet the developing needs of our visitors.” They should also tell visitors that the parks will continue to provide “memorable and meaningful experience for everyone.”
When asked about the limited suggestions, the One Park ranger was instructed to say, “At this time we are unable to contact the park or software.”
The leadership reflects other measures that have begun Trump’s administration to dictate as federal staff communicating with the public. This month, the staff of the National Cancer Institute said they needed approval for any communication involved in communication 23 “contradictory, loud or sensitive” Problems including peanuts and autism. Started agencies in the federal government Drawing up lists of words To avoid because they could contradict Trump’s ban on diversity, justice and inclusion, the New York Times reports.
The leadership transmitted to the Park staff puts the ratio in a particularly difficult situation, said Emily Dus, deputy vice -president for the National Association for Park Protection, and Parking. Rangers are proud of knowledge of their parks and responsibility for accurate public learning about habitat, wildlife and geology of these special places.
“They don’t have to think not to talk about the influence of what these cuts mean,” Douis said. “When asked, they must be true in how federal dollars are used or taken.”
The NPS spokesman said in an email statement that any statement that the park staff is “silenced, this is wrong” and that the conversation points are “the main tool” for “providing consistent public communication”.
“The National Park Service is fully striving for responsible supervision of our public lands and raising the experience of visitors – we will not be distracted by sensationalized attacks aimed at undermining this mission,” the statement said.
The press secretary also criticized Park staff who talked to the Propublica reporter. “Millions of hard -working Americans are dealing with problems in the workplace every day without resorting to politically motivated leaks,” the secretary -secretary said.
One ranger in the park, which acted in the light of anonymity, fearing revenge, said the conversations were hindered by the Rangers to tell the truth to society. Some employees have made statements in exaggerated “monotonous” to transfer the visitors they carry the company’s line, but there are still many in history, the ranger said.
“We are obliged to tell the society what is happening,” the ranger said. “When it says,” We just do not have employees to stay open, and here’s what these shooters do, “I think people have the right to know. Every person we lose is harmed.”
In the near future, after the dismissal of the park, he quickly closed the visitors’ centers, finished excursions and changed other services. Some parks were understood on social networks What staffing staffing has led to closing. But recently there were parks more vague In the discussion of impact and not offered explanation for specific closure.
The administration has recovers about 50 NPS employees And he announced that he would continue the work of seasonal staff, labor, which is important for park operations during the busy summer season. The hiring process, however, was detained, which could lead to violations of the operation. And probably there will be more cuts. The hill recently reported that the administration is Given the payroll decline by 30% for NPS.
Cuts come when parks see an increase in visiting which Click Recording in 2024 For the first time since 2016. Although the new data were published on the park service website last week, the administration did not publish this milestone with the release of the past. Be it also come against the background of the staffing deficit across the service.
Aviva O’Neil, Executive Director of the National Park of the Great Pool, a non -profit organization that supports a small park in a remote corner of Nevada, thrusting in an idea outlined in the conversation in which the park can continue to provide the same level of “memorable” with cuts. When the park lost five out of 26 regular employees in February, he was forced to close excursions to attract signatures, Leman Caves. To help restore services, the fund raised money to temporarily hire stopped workers.
“How do they do their daily operations when they don’t have staff?” she said.
