posted February 17, 2025 04:10 PM            

Today I lost my dream job as a permanent park ranger in the NPS. I’m still in shock, and completely devastated. I have dedicated my life to being a public servant, teacher, and advocate for places that we ALL cherish. I have saved lives and put my own life at risk to serve my community. And today, without any warning, I got a termination email stating:

“The Department determined that you have failed to demonstrate fitness or qualifications for continued employment because your subject matter knowledge, skills, and abilities do not meet the Department’s current needs, and it is necessary and appropriate to terminate, during the probationary period, your appointment to the position of Park Ranger.”

This is the biggest slap in the face imaginable.

This decision has nothing to do with performance or the needs of the department. My supervisors and park leadership have made it clear that I am a valued and essential part of the team. This decision came from the top, DOGE and the new federal administration.

I honestly can’t imagine how the parks will operate without my position. I mean, they just can’t. I am the only EMT at my park and the first responder for any emergency. This is flat-out reckless.
There are 800 other National Park employees that unexpectedly lost their jobs today and thousands of people in other agencies. They are now unemployed. Those who lived in park housing are now homeless. They have no income to support their families, by the act of a single layoff. These are US citizens, with background checks and college degrees. These are the people who teach your Jr Rangers, build your trails, clean your restrooms, rescue injured visitors, and keep the parks operating. We are not the excess. We are essential to maintaining access to parks.

My heart is broken for all of the other people who lost their jobs and their housing. My heart is broken for the parks and landscapes that will be damaged. And my heart is broken for my country.

posted February 18, 2025 02:16 PM            

If you are not needed, if your position is not needed in a particular federal office or workforce, there is absolutely no reason for you to keep that job. The Federal Government is not a charity organization. In any other industry, you would have been laid off. The Federal government cannot be any different.

People were fed a bureaucratic lie that whenever they enter the Federal workforce, they will have job security with great benefits and be there for life!!! No wonder we have a bloated bureaucracy!

posted February 18, 2025 02:25 PM            

Major PRO: Reduction of the financial burden of the Federal Government and saving money.

Major CON: Those layoffs increase the pool of the unemployed. The job market is going to be very tight for workers, and mass dissatisfaction may grow if these people are not able to find decent or comparable jobs. Many people were already losing jobs due to AI and automation so we could potentially have a major unemployed workforce crisis down the line in a few years.