25-02-2025
Watch: Demonstrators hang upside-down American flag at Yosemite National Park
As visitors descended on Yosemite National Park to witness its iconic 'Firefall' event, an upside-down American flag was hung on a park summit to protest the ongoing federal job cuts carried out by President Trump's administration.
The flag was seen hanging Saturday on top of the park's famous El Capitan summit, a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation where the 'Firefall' can be spotted.
The demonstration comes after thousands of jobs have been cut across federal agencies, including the National Park Service, where 1,000 workers were laid off.
Garin Carpenter, a maintenance mechanic at the park who provided the flag to fellow demonstrators, told the San Fransisco Chronicle the flag was meant to bring attention to the impacts of layoffs at the National Park Service.
'We're bringing attention to what's happening to the parks, which are every American's properties,' he told the outlet. 'It's super important we take care of them, and we're losing people here, and it's not sustainable if we want to keep the parks open.'
An upside-down flag display is framed by U.S. Code as a sign of disrespect, except when it's used to signal "dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."
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The Trump administration has continued to tear through the federal government's payroll, including at the National Park Service, where hundreds of workers were laid off.
The effects of those cuts have already begun to be felt by rangers and park visitors across the United States, as previously reported by USA TODAY.
Saguaro National Park in Tucson announced it was closing its two visitor centers on Mondays starting Feb. 24. At Yosemite National Park, officials announced they're halting reservations for 577 coveted camping spots this summer. Effigy Mounds in Iowa said it's closing its visitor center two days a week until the summer.
"I don't know whether we'll see overflowing latrines, polluted streams, or deadly wildfires first, but Doug Burgum is already leaving a path of destruction across America's parks and public lands," said Aaron Weiss, the deputy director of the public lands advocacy group Center for Western Priorities.
Contributing: Trevor Hughes
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yosemite protesters hang upside-down flag after Trump park layoffs
