Help Our National Parks!
Our National Parks are under threat!
Park rangers across all national organizations are being fired in droves. It’s estimated over 5,000 rangers lost their jobs in the span of a week AND there is a federal hiring freeze meaning no seasonal rangers will be hired this year.
This is terrible news for the planet and our public lands. Our rangers educate the public, pick up litter, protect wildlife, help endangered species, fight forest fires, prevent forest fires, and keep us safe among other things. They are underpaid, overworked, and extremely dedicated to the public and the land.
Why are they being fired?
The Office of Personnel Management is being directed by Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency which is not a real or legitimate department) to fire probationary employees for “poor performance.”
It’s perfectly legal to fire someone for poor performance. But the problem is that many rangers and other federal employees are coming forward with receipts: they have no record of poor performance. Their performance reports have high marks. So, there is no legal grounds after all to fire them.
Other threats
Former North Dakota Senator, Doug Burgum, is not in charge of the Department of the Interior, DOI, that runs our public lands. He got rich off of oil and gas and he intends to get richer in this same way. He wants to open our public lands to more oil and gas drilling.
What can we do?
Write a letter
I took inspiration from this letter from the ACLU. Please feel free to copy and past the following in a letter to your reps.
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Dear [THEIR NAME],
I am your constituent from [YOUR CITY OR ZIP CODE] and I am urging you to use the full force of your congressional authority to prevent the executive branch from carrying out any illegal mass layoff of federal workers. In particular, I am alarmed by the mass numbers of probationary employees that the Trump Administration is firing. Not only are such mass layoffs violating federal law, but this action would undermine the important and historic check that the career civil service has had on curbing abuses by the executive branch.
I am particularly concerned about our public lands. Our park rangers are not bureaucrats. Our park rangers protect our public lands for generations to come. Our public lands are part of the greatness of this nation. We all rely on the work of our federal employees who serve their communities and their country with pride. This move does nothing but harm our country in a multitude of ways including harm to thousands of hardworking Americans and their families.
Given these concerns, I respectfully urge that you investigate the Administration’s rationale and legal basis for these planned layoffs and take every step within your power to ensure that agencies are following all existing laws and procedures regarding any potential federal workforce firings of probationary nonpolitical employees.
Thank you for your time, I look forward to your response and swift action.
[YOUR NAME]
//
Call your elected officials
The 5 Calls App is AMAZING! Download this FREE app, enter your zip code, and boom, you’re ready to call. Pick the cause that means the most to you and the app provides you with a script. The app also provides phone numbers for all 3 of your reps.
I suggest altering the script to make it sound more like you. There have been reports of some offices hanging up on folks when the recognize a script is being read from. So, take the provided script, alter it a bit, make it shorter, and get the message across in your tone.
You can also use these scripts to write more letters!
Here’s a quick tutorial I filmed about it.
Follow up with your reps
It’s not enough to send one email and call it a day. Bother them! And DEMAND ACTION! Ask them HOW they are accomplishing what they say they’re going to accomplish. Give them action steps. And, don’t forget, you’re the one with the power. You will be the one to elect them or not in upcoming elections. Don’t be afraid to let them know that they don’t get your vote if they don’t do something about this injustice.
Sign petitions
National Parks Conservation Association: Protect our NPS Staff (you can sign this time and time again when you refresh the browser or app)
Outdoor Alliance: Cutting Public Lands Workforce Will Have Consequences for Outdoor Recreation (you can sign this time and time again when you refresh the browser or app)
Our Monuments Are Not For Sale (you can sign this time and time again when you refresh the browser or app)
Thank you
Thank you for taking the time to read this and do something about it. Please utilize these resources in other ways. Keep using the 5-calls app, keep writing your reps, and continue to stay educated. It’s scary, I know, but our actions have power. Let’s keep working together. We cannot sit idly by as injustice after injustice occurs.
As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)
Emma
