The Mountaineers
On Friday, April 4, Mountaineers members and supporters from across the organization came together for a community update on the growing impacts of significant reductions to the federal land manager workforce. Our conservation team shared a deep dive on the ongoing efforts to cut federal agency staff who manage and steward our public lands, how we’re responding and helping move toward solutions, and what you can do to protect Washington’s public lands. The robust engagement we experienced online provided a strong reminder that our members are continuing to stand up together for our national parks and forests.
For those who missed the opportunity to join the live event, we share key takeaways on the state of play on this important issue and what could be coming next.
Deep Cuts to the Land Manager Workforce
Federal public lands play an integral role in outdoor recreation and landscape conservation in Washington. 24.5 million acres of national forest land across Washington and Oregon offer more than 10,000 miles of hiking trails and more than 500 climbing sites. Washington’s three national parks - Mt. Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades - draw visitors from all over the world, and afford us lasting memories that strengthen our connection to these special outdoor places.
Behind each outdoor experience is a dedicated workforce of land managers who improve recreation, protect natural resources, and shape a more sustainable future for our public lands. They’re dedicated to public service and deeply connected to the landscapes where they live and work, but years of chronic underfunding from Congress has forced them to do more with less.
Last fall, the Forest Service froze the hiring of temporary and seasonal employees - workers who play an important role in managing recreation and carrying out the agency's mission on the front lines. In February, the administration took sudden and drastic action to fire probationary employees and significantly cut the federal land manager workforce, putting public lands, outdoor recreation, and public safety at risk. 10% of the entire Forest Service staff and 5% of staff at the National Park Service were fired, and more cuts are expected soon.
These reductions are part of a coordinated effort to “trim the fat” from the federal workforce across agencies. Unfortunately, these cuts are having the opposite effect, cutting the muscle at the Forest Service and Park Service by reducing on-the-ground staff who conserve, maintain, and stewards these lands for us all.
The effects of these actions will be felt across Washington’s public lands this year and beyond. Campground closures, neglected maintenance, fewer emergency personnel, and a diminished ability to prevent and respond to wildfires are likely - local impacts have already begun. For example, the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest has lost about 70% of its recreation staff and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness is down to just one backcountry ranger position. Many of the fired probationary employees have been hired back but amidst all the uncertainty, we are skeptical that the Forest Service and Park Service will have the tools they need to perform basic functions this summer.
An Update on Our Advocacy
While these cuts are hard to swallow and are likely a harbinger of a troubling shift for how our federally managed public lands are viewed and treated in the other Washington, The Mountaineers and our partners are meeting the urgency of the moment by responding and activating the recreation community in support of our federal lands.
Over the last month and half, Mountaineers like you sent more than 3,000 messages to your senators and representatives, sharing the important need to continue investing in our federal land manager workforce and how these cuts could affect the places you love. With so much going on right now, our members of Congress need to know that public lands are a priority to their constituents.
Our staff team has also done direct advocacy with lawmakers. We’ve reached out to every member of the WA delegation to share more about the local impacts of these cuts. Some offices have even reached out to us, asking to participate in roundtable meetings. Conservation & Advocacy Director Betsy Robblee recently joined small roundtable meetings with Senator Patty Murray and Representative Adam Smith on impacts to federal lands.
We’ve been working with Outdoor Alliance on a national basis to coordinate strategy and reach out to key elected officials. Our CEO Tom Vogl recently traveled to Washington’s D.C. to join forces with the leaders of Outdoor Alliance member organizations to raise these important issues with Congress and the administration.
We’ve also raised awareness of the impact of these cuts in the press. We co-published an editorial piece in the Seattle Times with our partners at WTA, and have spoken with several reporters. Elected officials have told us that these impacts and stories are powerful and move the needle.
We’ll continue our advocacy and ongoing work to collect and share on-the-ground impacts of workforce reductions. This includes fighting back against the upcoming Reduction In Force plans and efforts to decimate land management agencies.
How You Can Help
The Mountaineers remains steadfast in our commitment to support our land managers and work with recreation partners across the country to keep public lands in public hands. Our community’s strong connection to place, and our members’ willingness to show up through advocacy and on-the-ground stewardship, powers The Mountaineers advocacy to protect public lands and the outdoor experience - even in these challenging times.
All of us have a role to play in caring for our public lands during this uncertain time. There are several ways you can support our public lands amidst a significantly reduced federal land manager workforce. These can apply to all public lands, but will be especially important for your outdoor trips on national parks and forests this year:
- Recreate responsibly this summer, and be prepared for limited recreational facilities and a minimal ranger presence.
- If you see something that needs attention - an overflowing toilet, washed-out bridge, brushy trail - document it by emailing conservation@mountaineers.org. We’ll use these examples to highlight impacts of the agency staff reductions when advocating for public lands funding on behalf of our community.
- Give back by participating in a stewardship opportunity through The Mountaineers or another organization.
- Speak up against Forest Service and Park Service firings: If you haven’t taken action already, join our advocacy for the federal land manager workforce by personalizing our advocacy action form to your lawmakers in Congress.
As the situation continues to evolve, we’ll update our community when further staff reductions take place or we learn more about local impacts in Washington. Learn more by viewing the presentation’s slides or a 60-minute recording of the event on YouTube.
