Park Rangers Unite to Expose Mass Firings in National Parks

In a bold act of resistance, park rangers across the U.S. are coming together to track and expose mass terminations of National Park Service employees under the Trump administration. This initiative aims to shed light on the widespread dismissals that took place on February 14, now being referred to as the “Valentine’s Day Massacre.”

A Crowdsourced Effort to Reveal the Truth

A seasonal park ranger, who requested anonymity to protect their job, is leading the effort to catalog the number of employees fired in each park unit. “I gathered information from hundreds, possibly thousands, of park rangers,” the ranger shared in an email to SFGATE. They have spent countless hours verifying data to ensure accuracy and believe the public deserves to know the full impact of these firings.

To compile this information, the ranger utilized social media groups where Park Service employees communicate and then cross-checked the data with individual rangers at different sites.

How Many Rangers Were Fired?

It has been widely reported that around 1,000 permanent National Park Service employees—all within their "probationary" period—were abruptly terminated earlier this month. While "probationary" does not indicate poor job performance, it refers to employees who are still within their first one or two years of employment, or those who recently transitioned into a new role.

Beyond the Park Service, an estimated 4,700 additional employees were terminated across other federal land management agencies, including:
🔹 The U.S. Forest Service
🔹 The Bureau of Land Management
🔹 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

However, detailed numbers for individual national parks remain elusive. Several park spokespeople redirected inquiries to the National Park Service Office of Communications, which issued a generic response:

“The National Park Service is hiring seasonal workers to continue enhancing the visitor experience as we embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management. We are focused on ensuring that every visitor has the chance to explore and connect with the incredible, iconic spaces of our national parks.”

What This Means for National Parks

The lack of transparency from federal agencies has left many questioning the true scope of the dismissals. The loss of experienced staff raises concerns about park maintenance, conservation efforts, and the overall visitor experience.

With park rangers banding together to expose the reality of these mass firings, the public is urged to stay informed and demand accountability for decisions that impact the future of America’s national parks.