Latest news with #TracyCoppola
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Upside-down American flags hung as hundreds protest US Forest Service cuts at RMNP
DENVER (KDVR) — Hundreds peacefully protested the impacts to the National Park Service outside the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center at Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday. Some of the protestors hung upside-down American flags from Eagle Cliff, which is private property near the park. Colorado advocates say impacts of National Park Service layoffs will be 'visceral' An upside-down American flag has been a form of protest for decades, according to the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. A similar act was reported at El Capitan in Yosemite National Park earlier this week, and on Friday, an upside-down American flag was also hung from the 2nd flatiron. It's far from the first protest regarding federal layoffs, which have been determined under Executive Order 14210: The Department of Government Efficiency 'Workforce Optimization Initiative.' Local advocates with the National Parks Conservation Association told FOX31 on Friday that the NFS was given the green light to continue its seasonal hiring, but many positions were still eliminated at Colorado parks. 'It means shorter visitors hours, delayed openings, closed campgrounds, maintenance needs are going to pile up, trash will pile up. It's going to be visceral,' said Tracy Coppola, the National Parks Conservation Association's Colorado senior program manager. Coppola also said that in 2023, gateway communities saw almost $800 million in spending from the approximately 7.3 million park visitors who come to Colorado. It's still unclear how many employees have been — or will be — fired — one group of nearly 500 outdoor-industry organizations said in a letter to Congress that between the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service and the National Park Service, approximately 5,700 people have lost their jobs. Other protests found Saturday were not in-person: The sign board for the Dry Lake Trailhead parking lot at Buffalo Pass greeted snowmobilers with a number of 'for sale' signs, and a central sign encouraging citizens to call their representatives and 'Keep public lands public.' Witnesses told Shannon Lukens, of Steamboat Radio, that U.S. Forest Service staff was there and saw the signs, which were gone before noon on Saturday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Colorado advocates say impacts of National Park Service layoffs will be ‘visceral'
DENVER (KDVR) — Local advocates with the National Parks Conservation Association say despite seasonal hiring given the green light after layoffs, impacts will still be seen at parks. One-thousand employees terminated and 700 more taking a buyout — all part of federal employee layoffs. That's the reality for national park services and in Colorado, advocates are worried about the impacts on the parks themselves and surrounding communities. Some of those laid off were seasoned employees that were moving to other positions and others were newer hires. 'Real and immediate consequences for Colorado's economy': Legislators react to reports of US Forest Service mass layoff Across the board, advocates like Tracy Coppola, the National Parks Conservation Association's Colorado Senior Program Manager, say Colorado parks will see impacts. 'It means shorter visitors hours, delayed openings, closed campgrounds, maintenance needs are going to pile up, trash will pile up. It's going to be visceral,' Coppola said, Communities surrounding parks, like Estes Park or Nederland near Rocky Mountain National Park, could see impacts to the local economy as well. Coppola says these are the communities that depend on visitors. 'In 2023 alone, 7.3 million park visitors spent upwards of almost $800 million in local gateway communities in Colorado while visiting national park service lands. So, the impact of that alone,' Coppola said. This week it was announced that the government lifted its freeze on seasonal employee hires, but it could take some time to get to the number needed to avoid impacts and it's not a guarantee all of those seasonal hires will come back. Medicaid cuts would have a big impact on Colorado's budget A new letter was sent to Congress Friday from nearly 500 organizations that is eight pages long. They're urging Congress to 'immediately reverse these terminations and halt any further workforce reduction'. You can see the full letter here. There is also a veterans-focused letter that's being sent to Congress, advocating for reinstatement of the jobs — citing veteran programs that use the parks and veteran staff within national parks. You can read that letter here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
