Squeezed Thin: Park Staff in Upheaval

Multiple staffing crises are harming the National Park Service, including mass layoffs, a hiring freeze, forced retirements and delays in onboarding seasonal employees — and a new reduction in force could be imminent. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced plans late last Friday to drastically consolidate land management agencies across the country, and a new round of terminations could affect every level of park management.

These reckless, wide-ranging job cuts come at a time when national parks are more popular than ever. How are parks — and people — coping under these ongoing employee upheavals?

This episode, host Jennifer Errick speaks with John Garder, senior director of budget and appropriation at the National Parks Conservation Association, and Cassidy Jones, former park ranger and visitation program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, on how job cuts and insecurity are harming parks and morale, some of the long-term consequences for resource protection, and what people can do to support park staff.

The Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association.

Episode 42, Squeezed Thin: Park Staff in Upheaval, was produced by Jennifer Errick, with help from Todd Christopher, Bev Stanton and Linda Coutant.

Special thanks to Angela Gonzalez, Cory MacNulty and Abbey Robertson.

Original theme music by Chad Fischer.

Read Cassidy Jones’ recent blog story on how to prepare to visit understaffed parks at npca.org/prepare

Learn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.org, including one of Cassidy’s favorite winter adventures in episode 15, The Little Jewel Box.

Remember, NPCA’s silent auction is live until April 28, and you can bid on your own podcast-style audio story, for you and about you, as well as many other cool experiences and keepsakes, at npca.org/auction

For more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations.

And we’re proud of it, too.

You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org.