Flathead National Forest DOGE cuts detailed; many did not save taxpayer dollars

Cuts to the federal workforce have hit home.

According to a source at the Flathead National Forest, who provided information as they were not authorized to speak publicly, 38 probationary employees were fired as of Monday and more were expected.

One ranger, who declined to give his name, but said he was the former Jewel Basin Ranger, said he was fired on Monday, even though he’d had good performance reviews and had been at the job for several years.

He was not alone.

Almost all of the jobs cut on the Flathead National Forest were field workers, such as trail crew workers, timber cruisers, river rangers, wildlife and botany technicians, the source said. They added more cuts could be coming in the days ahead.

The cuts, ordered under the Trump administration through the new Department of Government Efficiency headed up by Elon Musk, are designed to hem in government spending.

But the source said that most of those that were fired were paid for through funds raised by the Flathead National Forest fees, such as fees associated with timber sales, or outfitter and guides fees paid to the Forest. They were not taxpayer dollars.

Another problem with the cuts is last year the Forest Service recently changed the way it hired seasonal employees. In the past, the Forest Service would hire seasonal employees annually, and then they would be terminated at the end of the season only to be rehired, if they so choose, the following year.

This made it difficult to retain employees and made it difficult to plan ahead. So the Forest Service changed its hiring practices and created permanent seasonal positions, which helped retain employees and made for better planning. The only caveat was the employees had benefits they normally wouldn’t get as seasonals, so there was an added expense.

But now those jobs were also considered probationary, so they got the ax, even though they may have actually worked for the agency for years.

“They’re not under probation because of performance,” the source said.

Most of the positions that were cut also had the ability to perform other duties, such as firefighting. Almost all of them had red cards, the source said, meaning they had gone through basic firefighting training. While they wouldn’t normally fight fire, they could be pressed into service immediately if need be.

Red card training teaches a person the basics of firefighting and also comes with a physical fitness tests, where a person has to hike 3 miles with a 45-pound pack in 45 minutes or less.

Jack Carroll, a seasonal employee who was one the people fired on Friday offered his perspective in an email to the Hungry Horse News.

“I personally have only ever been found fully successful at my job, and I have worked for three different federal agencies (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Forest Service). In fact, I have received performance awards during five out of six seasons I have served the federal government.”

He termed the firings “unjust.”

The termination letter was also shared by Carroll.

“The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the agency would be in the public interest,” the letter reads in part. “... we appreciate your service to the agency and wish you the greatest success in your future endeavors.”

Caroll made it clear he was speaking only on his behalf, not any agency. 

He noted that he, like others, were considered “probationary” only because of the change in hiring practices.

“I was with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service for two summers, then I worked for the Forest Service for one summer in Colorado, then I spent two summers working for the National Park Service in Glacier National Park, before getting my permanent position last spring on the Flathead National Forest, Tally Lake Ranger District,” Caroll wrote to a letter to the newspaper. “In that time, I have earned five merit awards for outstanding performance. I have earned a Fully Successful performance rating on every review I have ever had. That is what is so maddening about getting this termination letter. It claims that, based on my performance, that my further employment at the agency would not be in the public interest. It was my job to clean the toilets at our campgrounds and day use facilities, like at Round Meadow and Sylvia Lake campground. It was my job to cut trees out of our trails, and improve trail surfaces to make them easier to hike/ride on. I also had collateral duties and training as a wildland firefighter. So, does it not benefit the public interest to have clean bathrooms? Does it not benefit the public interest to have safe, usable trails? Does it not benefit the public interest to have enough staff ready to protect people and communities from wildfire?”

The Jewel Basin Ranger had similar sentiments, saying his job was to educate the public on things like safe food handling in grizzly bear country, keeping a clean camp and making sure dogs in the Jewel Basin were on a leash. The Jewel is home to one of the few native mountain goat populations outside of Glacier National Park in the Flathead and dogs off leash have been known to chase them.

“Secretary (Brooke) Rollins fully supports the President’s directive to improve government, eliminate inefficiencies, and strengthen USDA’s many services to the American people. We have a solemn responsibility to be good stewards of the American people’s hard-earned taxpayer dollars and to ensure that every dollar spent goes to serve the people, not the bureaucracy," a Department of Agriculture spokesman said in an email to the Hungry Horse News. "As 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. Released employees were probationary in status, many of whom were compensated by temporary IRA funding. It’s unfortunate that the Biden administration hired thousands of people with no plan in place to pay them long term. Secretary Rollins is committed to preserving essential safety positions and will ensure that critical services remain uninterrupted.”

The USDA is the umbrella agency of the Forest Service. Temporary IRA funding refers to the bi-partisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed in 2022, with support from both parties.

Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines issued the following statement on the cuts.

“Our Forest Service and National Park employees work hard every day to manage our lands and support our Montana outdoor way of life. As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, I have seen firsthand the issues facing our public lands and I’m always looking for ways to address these issues. I’ll continue to work with USDA and the DOI to make sure we have personnel in place to protect our lands and our outdoor way of life," he said.