Park Rangers and Channel Island National Park, fired from the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, heard on Thursday their work will soon be revived.
Nonpartisan National Park Conservation Association. As a recent result, on Thursday, “The National Park Service is permitted to fully revive the 1,000 previously terminated probation employees in national parks across the country.” The fired workers included rangers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and other important personnel, the group said.
“The American people love our national parks and want to protect them for future generations,” said Teresa Pierno, president and CEO of the group, in a statement. “It’s when the administration listens. We won’t stop fighting until these attacks on our national parks are over.”
Workers contacted Thursday declined the Times to speak about the records.
On February 14, 1,000 National Park Service permanent workers who had not ended their probationary period were fired as part of a waste reduction effort led by Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk’s White House Advisory Team.
The decision was the second park-related cut by the Trump administration, which encountered widespread opposition. In January, thousands of seasonal park workers were not hired this season. Public protests in the defense of the national parks broke out in form, protests and social media posts, and the Trump administration tried hard about a month later.
On March 1, thousands of people gathered at the park, including hundreds, at local equipment such as Joshua Tree National Park, Channel Islands and Santa Monica Mountain, to show support for the perpetual park workers who have died. A nationwide “Protect the Parks” rally is planned on Saturday, with events scheduled.
The fired workers included about eight staff members in the Santa Monica Mountains near LA and six staff members in the Channel Islands. In the Santa Monica Mountains, fired workers included emergency workers and park rangers trained in land management.
Two archaeologists who were tasked with surveying land in the Santa Monica Mountains were also fired. Katie Preston, one of the fired archaeologists, told the time it was unclear how they were assigned to investigate the park for cultural resources without leaving staff left to do the job. Only 30% of the Santa Monica Mountains have been investigated. This means that potential historical landmarks and sacred indigenous sites remain unknown and unprotected.
In the Channel Islands, Kenan Chan from the Marines, surveyed the kelp forest and tide pools in the park. Channel Island National Park has been collecting data since 1982 through full-time staff and seasonal workers in kelp forests and tide pools. His shooting left only two full-time workers to conduct the study.
Chang said Thursday that he was grateful to be back at work after a “month filled with uncertainty, stress, sadness and frustration.” Chang thanked everyone who came together to support the fired workers.
“I haven’t received any official documents yet confirming that I am an employee, but I am looking forward to it,” Chan said. “We’re back. We did that.”
Pakranger Lydia Jones, who was fired from Badlands National Park in South Dakota, said on Instagram on Thursday that despite making a comeback, she was still excited to be concerned about the potential cuts in the future.
“With plans for massive cuts across the federal government, there is still a possibility that I can cut my position again,” Jones said. “But there’s one thing for sure. I will continue to do the absolute best work of my ability as long as I can serve the people of America as long as I can.”
