Federal Hiring Freeze Hits NPS Seasonal Hiring
The Washington Post report today that in response to the government-wide hiring freeze President Trump issued on Monday, the National Park Service has rescinded nearly 400 seasonal jobs at NPS sites across the country. For tourism communities this raises concerns that the sites could be short-staffed during the important summer travel season. The article can be read here.
While NPS has a high profile impact, other public lands agencies will be impacted. What can be done? Tourism leaders and Friends groups can partner to educate their congressional delegation on the effect this will have on their local sites and communities. The Friends groups can highlight the management implications and the tourism leaders can document the economic impact. Please share this outreach with me so I can share it with our coalition partners.
Last week, in anticipation of the hiring freeze and budget cuts, the National Park Conservation Association (NPCA) launched a “Thank You NPS Staff” social media campaign. The campaign is designed to be tweaked for other public lands agencies and Forest Service and Fish & Wildlife Service are two partners that would also benefit from a boost from tourism leaders.
I am sharing the NPCA toolkit as model:
Instagram:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7285732626265485312
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/229407559224365/posts/1013319984166448
Here’s an example of a video, which a CVB staff could easily make and post as a sign of support for the local NPS/Forest Service/Fish & Wildlife site:
Twitter/X: https://www.threads.net/@npcapics/post/DE5gK8RILX6
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@npcapics/post/DE5gK8RILX6
Bluesky:
Here’s some sample copy. These are national talking points but can be easily reworked to recognize a local park site and staff. Honestly, these national campaigns are great but local campaigns are more effective because they connect federal policy to local impact and educate legislators on the issues that matter to their communities.
Park staff work in the trenches every day protecting what makes our country special. And for so many park staff, it’s not just a job – it’s a calling. Please join us in thanking the dedicated staff who protect our national parks and public lands each and every day!
Behind the beauty and the history our national parks hold is a team of people dedicated to protecting our most treasured places. National park staff are the heartbeat of our parks – safeguarding our lands, preserving our history and building community. Join us in thanking the dedicated staff who protect our national parks and public lands each and every day!
National Park Rangers are the beloved, public face and caretakers of our country’s 430 iconic and inspirational places.
Our national parks would not be the same without those proudly wearing green and gray. Thank you to our dedicated NPS staff!
All federal agencies are working through the impact of the hiring freeze and how to implement it, NPS is one of the first feel the impact due to its need to hire a large number of seasonal staff. I am tracking how other key agencies are managing the freeze and how it could impact tourism communities.