Park Service will fire 1,000 probationary employees, but hire 5,000 seasonals, Post reports

The Park Service aims to fire 1,000 probationary employees nationwide, but will, in turn, hire about 5,000 seasonal positions, the Washington Post reported Friday.

At the Interior Department, the parent agency of the Park Service, roughly 2,300 probationary employees nationwide were set to be fired Friday, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Post. That figure includes about 1,000 probationary employees at the Park Service as well as around 400 probationary workers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, according to two Fish and Wildlife Service employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, the Post reported. 

Probationary employees have worked a year or less at their jobs, so they can be fired without cause. 

The Post reported that about 300 Park Service probationary jobs will be retained, such as in law enforcement and firefighting. 

At the North Fork Interlocal Friday, both Glacier National Park officials and Forest Service officials said they didn’t know how local staffing would pan out for the approaching spring and summer seasons. 

Asked about staffing in Glacier, deputy superintendent Pete Webster told the crowd at the Interlocal that he “didn’t have any information on anything you don’t already have.” 

Rob Davies, the Glacier View/Hungry Horse District Ranger told people attending the meeting the same was true for the Forest Service. 

“I honestly don’t know what’s happening,” Davies said. 

Like the Park Service, the Forest Service also has a host of seasonal employees in the summer months.

The North Fork Interlocal is a biannual meeting between North Fork residents and the agencies that serve the off-grid community.

Glacier utilizes hundreds of seasonal employees in the summer, from rangers to custodians and trail crews. They’re a vital segment of the Glacier’s workforce. Trail crews, which are almost all seasonal employees, are charged each year with clearing and maintaining the Park’s 700-plus miles of trails. Without their work, some trails can be nearly impassable after a winter of blowdown and a spring of high water. 

The Forest Service also relies on seasonal employees for similar work, including trail crews and firefighting. 

Trails aside, Glacier Park will start plowing its roads in about six weeks and the Going-to-the-Sun Road is a major tourist draw as people look to bike and hike it every spring before it opens to vehicles. Park crews start plowing the roads typically in late March or early April. That effort also uses seasonal employees. 

“Allowing parks to hire seasonal staff is essential, but staffing cuts of this magnitude will have devastating consequences for parks and communities. We are concerned about smaller parks closing visitor center doors and larger parks losing key staff including wastewater treatment operators,” said Theresa Pierno, President and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association, a park’s advocacy group. “Exempting National Park Service seasonal staff from the federal hiring freeze means parks can fill some visitor services positions. But with peak season just weeks away, the decision to slash 1,000 permanent, full-time jobs from national parks is reckless and could have serious public safety and health consequences."  

“Years of budget cuts are already weakening the agency’s ability to protect and preserve these incredible places,” Pierno added.  “National parks fuel local economies across the country, generating billions of dollars for area businesses and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs. Slashing staff could have a ripple effect on gateway businesses and communities that depend on parks for survival.”