I am shocked by the news coming out of the National Park Service over the last week and have been processing this along with many of you, but the firings on Friday of the staff I worked to have hired or have personally met hit close to home. Nearly 1,000 lives have been turned upside down; these are people who have stepped forward to serve the nation, and thus all of us.
For over 100 years now our National Parks have been held in very high regard by Americans all across the nation. The writer and historian Wallace Stegner called National Parks “the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.” Today, the reflection is being greatly tarnished. Park staff across this nation have been terminated from their positions for no real or documented reason. These positions cover nearly all types of job categories: natural resources, cultural resources, interpretation, education, maintenance, partnerships, administrative, etc. What does this mean for parks? What does this mean for visitors?
The American people and our international guests will see longer lines into parks, we will see visitor centers with limited hours or closed, we will see water treatment plants in danger of failing, we will see delays in response for medical treatment and search and rescue, we will see a reduction in Ranger led programming and we will see degradation and possible destruction of our national treasures both natural and cultural.
Throughout my career I have learned, and I know for a fact, that people come first. To achieve any vision, mission, objective and goal an organization must have a highly trained and dedicated workforce. The National Park Service is an impressive organization that has possessed one of the finest workforces this nation has ever produced. Since the Park Service’s founding in 1916, we citizens have been so very fortunate to have highly skilled and motivated Park Rangers serving to protect, preserve and enhance the lands, monuments, memorials and historic sites for our collective pleasure and education. The National Park Service has consistently attracted people who love their country; people that are willing to forgo more lucrative opportunities in order to ensure our collective history, special places, natural and cultural resources are protected now and for future generations. As director, I was fortunate to visit over 110 units of the park system during my tenure. I met thousands of staff members, volunteers and partners. I witnessed firsthand the excitement each and every person had for their role in the service. I was very proud of their work, their service and commitment, and for my good fortune to have led such an outstanding workforce.
It is interesting to note that even at the height of the 1930’s Great Depression, the National Park Service expanded its workforce. During that era, the American people may not have been able to visit national park units as often as they once had, but they did expect these special places to be protected to the best of the nation’s ability. Our parks have seen a dramatic increase in visits over the past decade and yet we saw a decrease in the number of park staff. Only recently, over the past two years, have we seen an increase in staffing to meet this demand. Now we are witnessing a lack of basic understanding of what it takes to meet that demand and the mission of the organization. What is happening today is perplexing, infuriating and quite honestly sad.
The willpower, self-discipline, devotion to duty, the strong morale of the Service has been what Americans have expected from these civil servants during good and bad times over the past 100 plus years. The staff of the Park Service take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution and to faithfully discharge the duties of the office they hold. I have witnessed firsthand the pride staff take in swearing to this oath. I have seen the pride their families and communities take when they hear this oath taken by staff. The people of the Park Service come from all kinds of backgrounds. Mechanics, trades people, educators, scientists, businesspeople, all kinds of disciplines. They bring their full selves to their job. They bring their humanity.
Morale has been stricken hard and maliciously. Those still in uniform and working will have to dig very deep to keep the faith that America’s best idea will continue. That America’s best idea is worth fighting for today and every day. That America’s best idea will stand for those generations to come. It is up to every American to fight for this idea, that the work of our Rangers continues to be of national importance. We all must stand with our Rangers now and help those who are trying to find their way, now that they have been let go or those who have been spared and must now do more with less. We need the next generation of stewards, or we will all suffer a fate that lacks integrity in preserving lands, waters, flora, fauna and our collective history.
