YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. – Yosemite National Park employees who recently were fired by the Trump administration worry cuts will affect the experience of visitors and the welfare of wildlife that thrive in the popular vacation destination located in California’s Sierra Nevada.
Yosemite is home to giant sequoia trees and a haven for myriad wildlife species. El Capitan, a 3,000-foot (914-meter) wall of sheer granite and possibly the world’s most fabled rock face, attracts climbers from around the world. Such majestic qualities also are what attracted people to work at the beloved park that is a destination for families from California and throughout the country.
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The Trump administration last week fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions as part of its broad-based effort to downsize government.
Facing outcry, the administration plans to restore at least 50 jobs across the parks. The park service also said in a new memo it will hire more seasonal workers than normal. The park service has about 20,000 employees.
At least a dozen of those who lost their jobs worked at Yosemite.
Olek Chmura, a rock climber who moved to California from Ohio and last year took a job as a custodian at the park, received his letter of termination last week.
He and another laid-off custodian were the only two who worked his section of the park and he fears trash will pile up, restrooms won’t be cleaned and maintenance problems will grow, Chmura said.
“You’d be amazed with how many diapers I pick up off the side of the road. Beer bottles, toilet paper, all the stuff so you don’t have to see. You get to see the park in its true natural beauty,” he said.
Getting a job at the park was a dream come true because it allowed him to follow his passion of rock climbing during his time off, Chmura said.
“I knew the writing was on the wall but, I mean, nothing will just prepare you for the shock once you get that letter. Because, you know, it’s everything I love. It’s the park service,” he said. “I mean, our national monuments and parks are just our greatest treasure, and it just ruined my dream, you know?”
Public safety also could be at risk since the park’s search and rescue teams have been impacted by the layoffs, Chmura said.
Other former employees are concerned with the welfare of wildlife living in the park.
Andria Townsend was a carnivore specialist with the National Park Service, leading research on the fisher, a mammal and member of the weasel family, and the Sierra Nevada red fox, both endangered species.
Townsend had worked for the park service for more than two decades, but a recent promotion to a new position labeled her as a probationary employee and her job was eligible for termination.
She said she is worried about the future of wildlife in the park, including animals becoming accustomed to eating garbage left by humans if there is no one to dispose of it properly.
“Bigger picture long-term, what does this mean for the state of national parks? What does this mean for wildlife conservation? It’s really scary,” Townsend said. “It’s a really uncertain time for those of us who care about conservation and public lands, so I am definitely worried for the future.”
The park service says it is reinstating about 5,000 seasonal jobs across numerous parks that were cut as part of a spending freeze ordered by President Donald Trump. Seasonal workers are routinely added during the warm-weather months to serve the millions of visitors who descend on Yosemite each year.
The uncertainty and confusion has lowered morale among park employees and the communities surrounding the park, said Ken Yager, who founded the Yosemite Climbing Association and runs its museum in Mariposa, California, a gateway city to the park.
“People around here are pretty depressed," Yager said. "They’re a little worried about what’s going to happen. How much further is it going to go?”