Fired Park Rangers Try to ‘Open Some Hearts' on Social Media

New York Times

20-02-2025

Josh Barnes loved the summers he spent working at Sequoia National Park in California.
Like many rangers, Mr. Barnes, 25, described the job as a labor of love, one chosen not for glamour or money but for a true passion for nature and a strong sense of stewardship. And so he was especially excited when, in October, he secured a permanent position at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, selling tickets to visitors and welcoming them to the park.
But his dream job was abruptly terminated when he received word on Feb. 14 that he had been fired. He was among thousands of other parks employees around the country who have lost their jobs part of the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the federal work force.
'I'm terrified for my public lands and the damage that will be done to them by this horrible administration. I hurt for the people who live in and celebrate these places,' he wrote in a letter on Instagram.
He was nervous about speaking out, and he feared it could affect his future employment. Still, he felt he needed to say something.
'It's scary, but it was the right thing to do,' Mr. Barnes said of his decision to post online.
He's one of a growing number of current and former rangers who have voiced their sadness, fear and concerns on social media about the cuts, which the Parks Service has said were an attempt to prioritize fiscal responsibility while maintaining critical services.
Thousands of people have commented on a widely shared post from Brian Gibbs, an educational park ranger at Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa, who also lost his job this month. He hoped his post would help 'open some hearts and minds of people to understand just how important it is to protect and preserve these places of our shared natural heritage,' Mr. Gibbs, 41, said in a phone interview.
Kaesee Bourne, a 25-year-old former biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service who lives in Las Vegas, said there had been a strong sense of camaraderie among her colleagues after the firings, including people offering moral support and employment resources. (The National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service both fall under the Department of the Interior, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.) Like Mr. Barnes, she felt compelled to speak out online, but had initial reservations.
'Being that I was no longer a federal employee, I realized that someone needed to say what was happening,' Ms. Bourne said. 'If no one knows what's going on, no one's going to be able to help.'
Ms. Bourne was alluding to restrictions created by the Hatch Act that prohibit federal employees from engaging in some forms of political behavior.
Further west, Kenan Chan posted a goodbye letter on Instagram after losing his job at the Channel Islands National Park in California, where he worked studying marine ecology. He included several photos taken under water on the job.
'The Park Service is something that pretty much, everybody loves in America and worldwide,' Mr. Chan said in an interview. 'It goes beyond parties, right? It's not a Democrat thing. It's not a Republican thing. It's everybody. Everybody just likes the parks.'