For this story, reporting was supported by the climate equality reporting project at Uc Berkeley Journalism Institute, and part of a project of how the Trump administration affects the California.
In the last few months, it has been a turbulent time for the national park service employees. After President Donald Trump took office, the Federal Agency left about 1,000 employees for a liquidation called the Valentine’s Day massacre. Later, two judges were hired after deciding that the dismissal was illegal. Now, when the government of the government begins to make a formal and much larger plan to reduce the federal labor force, many employees are worried about the next deduction tour. The White House’s agency reportedly directed to reduce the labor force. Up to 30 percent in the coming months.
Despite the darkness of the agency, some changes are clear: As the days warm up, the number of visitors coming to the parks will begin to rise. As spring leads to summer, the western view will start to dry and the risk of drought and fire will increase. It could not be higher for climate and for parks against climate fuel disasters.
A National Park Service employee said, “More developed cities and places are more resistant to changes in the climate, but in these wild areas, we can see more indicators if more warning signs and molds begin to change significantly,” he said. “When all these positions disappear, there will be no one in watching.”
Working in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California were among those who were dismissed in February and were hired. He returned to work on Saturday and asked him to speak freely without fear of retaliation. February layoffs targeted the supervised freedom employees who were hired or promoted in last year.
National Parks are on the front of the climate change. Temperatures in the parks increased Double the rate of the country as a whole. In part, because they are in extreme environments, including high heights and especially in arid places. Many parks now set up faster than ever, resulting in larger fires, while others face an unprecedented flood. In Sequoia National Park, for example, giant Sequoia trees that evolved with fires could not withstand the forest fires of recent years and die in unprecedented proportions. Meanwhile, in 2023, the parts of the park had to be closed because he washed the severe floods.
Grist spoke about the role played by five old and existing parking employees to protect the parks and the climate results of Trump administration’s national park service policies. The agency employs biologists, hydrologists, geologists and protection managers who follow, examine and actively protect the ecosystems they work with, as well as direct public interpreters and preservatives. The crew also removes invasive species to protect domestic species and make the landscape less flammable. Some employees are also working to carry the types of risk of extinction due to climate change, such as Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert, to other parts of the park in a process called ruled displacement. Most of the personnel who examine the burn areas and have effects of fire on domestic species function as a secondary fire force when necessary. If the agency’s labor force decreases significantly, it is not clear how much of this work can continue.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon employee said, “Most of these positions have the least protection to start, so these are the firsts in the joinery block,” he said.
In addition to potential personnel losses, a part of a fund of two acres of federal law – Inflation reduction law And Bilateral infrastructure law – frozen, the agency’s work even more endangered. The agency spokesman did not answer questions about firing or frozen financing.
National Park Service is working to prepare for a warming world. I had an ecosystem inventory and monitoring Existing Program and since 1998 Climate Change Intervention Program In recent years, he has invested in developing both programs to determine and respond to the rapid changes in ecosystems and the number of disasters in parks. He also trained thousands of protectors, trained the people on the effects of climate change on parks and accepted a national frame To help the park staff decide which ecosystems will prioritize savings. In 2023, the agency developed a plan to electrify park vehicle fleets and buildings to reduce general greenhouse gas emissions of parks.
The Biden administration provided financing for some of these initiatives through the inflation reduction law and the two -party infrastructure law adopted in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The agency used the financing to integrate landscape restoration, the removal of invading species and the integration of domestic information with scientific research and restoration works. Only funds from the Inflation Reduction Act led to better preparation of natural, cultural and historical resources of parks to rely on a changing climate. Thirty -five parks because it serves as carbon sinks by storing the planetary gases in the parks, soil, wetlands and forests. Fill the pastures back And the seeds that support them. However, for such initiatives, the future of these projects is now unclear, as the financing is frozen and the potential to dismiss the mass.
Terri Thomas, a retired natural resource manager working at Yosemite and Everglades National Parks Crater Lake, said he was particularly concerned about the potential effect of weakening. Inventory and Monitoring ProgramIt collects scientific information about how domestic plants, animals and birds of a park develop.
“Parks are getting more and more measures Managed displacement To protect the types of risk by moving them to places with more appropriate biotic or climatic conditions beyond their historical range. ”
Some of the agency’s restoration works, which are affiliated to federal financing, are also in the chopping block. Yosemite National Park in 2016 Ackerson MeadowA 400 -acre parcel belonging to the old private property was presented to the National Park Service. Park and a few PROTECTION PROFIT PURPOSE He is trying to restore more than one extinct plants and animals, a large meadow and a large wetland network.
“This is an ongoing process and one of the benefits to improve the hydrology and function of a meadow system and one of the benefits to improve the hydrology and function of a meadow system. “Not only does it provide clean water, but also peats and soils are incredible carbon sinks.”
The number of visitors coming to national parks has been increasing since the pandemi and has almost broke a new record. 34 million People last year. But the last Internal Parking Grade Partly, this growth banned the number of employees from publishing the number, since the awareness of the people may have more concern about the deductions on staff and financing. In the past years, Chainc said that such a impact would result in more resources for the agency. Now, at this point, we are in a completely new operation arena and [parks are] Trying to meet this increasing demand with much less personnel potentially. “
The agency will be allowed to be hired 5,000 seasonal employees This summer, only Chainc and others are concerned about the lack of advancing institutional knowledge. “This is a real problem when you don’t have leadership continuity because [climate resiliency] Projects require long -term effort and devotion. Damage under this management will have an effect for decades. “
