Significant cuts to the federal workforce have created uncertainty around staffing levels at national parks in Montana. MTPR’s John Hooks shares the latest with host Elinor Smith.
Elinor Smith: So John, I know during the last couple weeks you’ve tried to get a sense of staffing levels at Glacier and Yellowstone. Can you walk me through what you found out?
John Hooks: I’ve been talking to numerous people inside and adjacent to our parks to get a clear picture of what’s happening. The information I’ve got has been confirmed with employees at Glacier and Yellowstone. Those employees have been granted anonymity because of their fear of what speaking out could mean for their jobs.
As of Wednesday (Feb. 19), I was ready to report that Yellowstone and Glacier were under a near-total hiring freeze for seasonal workers, which would have huge impacts on how the parks can operate in the summer.
Seasonals are up to three quarters of the workforce in the parks, and they’re the vast majority of the people you interact with as a visitor; they take your fee at the entrance, steward campgrounds, clean bathrooms and direct traffic. And beyond that, they assist with pretty much every facet of park operations.
Elinor Smith: You said you were ready to report on that hiring freeze yesterday, have things changed between now and then?
John Hooks: The seasonal worker freeze appeared to be lifted Wednesday [Feb. 19]. That’s when I’m told by employees and outside … (partners) — that park managers were able to resume the hiring process, and even re-offer jobs to folks who, just weeks ago, had their tentative offers rescinded.
Elinor Smith: What about the layoffs of permanent employees? Have those hit the Park Service yet?
John Hooks: I’ve been able to confirm that there have been layoffs at Glacier and Yellowstone, but do not have exact numbers at this time. Those layoffs targeted people who’ve been in their current positions for less than a year.
One of those workers at Glacier is Henry Rincavage. He landed a job in August working within Glacier’s museum. Henry told me he’d been bouncing around the country for the last few years working short-term assignments while trying to get something more permanent within the Park Service.
Henry Rincavage: It’s just thrown a wrench in everything. I don't want to leave. I love it here. It's beautiful. The people are great and I really loved my job and the mission I was sent here for. So it's just, yeah, just trying to figure it out. And, you know, probably I'm just going to, I guess, find a job in town and just, just keep working until either I hear something else, or I don't know. It's a tough situation to be in.
Elinor Smith: Do you know how these staffing cuts could affect park operations in the summer?
John Hooks: Even with some of the cuts now rolled back there’s still a meaningful reduction in a workforce that’s already spread very thin. Missing those laid-off positions could have impacts that ripple out into other parts of the park.
For example, Henry’s small team in the museum does a lot of work looking back at internal park records to find important info on infrastructure projects and areas of new construction that’s critical to other workers in the park.
Henry Rincavage: The museum team isn't just helping with preserving objects for visitors to be able to interact with, learn from. They're also helping other groups at the park be able to do their jobs safely, too.
And while the Service can move forward on seasonal hires, the National Parks Conservation Association reports parks are still barred from filling vacant permanent positions.
Those vacant roles include some really important positions. For example, Glacier doesn’t have a chief ranger. And currently, they're blocked from hiring one. Those holes in the workforce could affect visitor safety in the park.
Elinor Smith: How so?
John Hooks: Visitation has been at record levels at both Glacier and Yellowstone in the last decade, and in peak season they see more than 30,000 visitors a day. That leaves even a full staff with very little room to maneuver, especially when there are emergencies. Here’s Jeff Mow, who is a former Park Superintendent at Glacier.
Jeff Mow: If there is a single incident – say at Logan Pass or, you know, any other remote part of the park – those become all-hands-on-deck incidents and they have to pull on everyone who's there.
He says any hit to staff numbers could make those emergency incidents harder to navigate, especially once summer really gets rolling and the park is super busy.
Elinor Smith: John, what else have you heard about how this back and forth over job security impacted the park workers themselves?
John Hooks: Seasonal workers – people who do this work year after year – have told me they are relieved that they have a job and are still committed to the mission of the Park Service. But they are all looking at this situation and asking themselves what’s next.
With some more on this is Sarah Lundstrum, the Glacier Manager for the NPCA.
Sarah Lundstrum: People go into these jobs because they love it. This is not just a career. Like, these are passion jobs. You go into this because you love parks and public lands. And to be told we're not going to fill those positions and you're just going to have to cover it or we're not going to do these things – that's hard for staff. And the constant fear and worry of whether they have jobs or not is even harder.
John Hooks: I’ve reached out multiple times to request official comment and confirmation from the National Park Service. So far, the only response I’ve received is from an Interior Department spokesperson saying leadership is working to ”execute personnel decisions in a manner that best supports the mission of the Department and the policy priorities of the Administration.”
Elinor Smith: Thank you for bringing us this update, John. I hope you’ll come back and keep us informed as things progress.
John Hooks: I will do my best.
