National parks in Maryland are seeing some impacts from the widespread federal layoffs.
Popular landmarks in Maryland, including Hampton National Site and Fort McHenry, could see changes, according to national park advocates.
“Many of the staff who were let go, these are people who you know,” said Ed Stierli, the senior Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of the National Parks Conservation Association. “They still talk about it as their dream job. You know whether you’re a park ranger or you’re a scientist, many of them were early in their careers.”
Stierli works for the National Parks Conservation Association, which is an advocacy organization founded in 1919 with the mission of protecting our national parks and those who work in them.
“The National Park Service has been dealing with limited budgets, limited staffing for years,” Stierli said. “Many positions had already been vacant. And now to suddenly lose a thousand staff across the agency, another 700 staff, who you know, essentially took the buyout offer under duress. I mean that’s 9% of the agency’s workforce gone in one week.”
Critical Maryland park positions cut
On Feb. 14, 1,000 National Parks Service employees and 3,400 U.S. Forest Service workers learned they were let go as part of President Trump’s effort to shrink the federal workforce. The White House explained this move is necessary to streamline government operations and cut costs.
“In Maryland, that means dozens of positions were lost — critical positions, park rangers, maintenance positions, volunteer coordinators, scientists,” Stierli said. “And this is coming at a time when we’re getting ready to celebrate America’s 250th birthday in Maryland and throughout the nation.”
Stirlei said the job cuts will likely cause a ripple effect.
“This could result in limited hours, reduced programming, reduced tours, you know, and as well as not having the natural resources and maintenance staff needed to conserve the places,” said Stierli. “The national parks in Maryland account for a whopping $340 million in tours in the economy.”
“The clock is ticking”
The Department of the Interior reports the parks will reinstate some seasonal employees. But Stierli says it may not be enough in the long run.
“When there’s an unclear timeline for how they’ll be hired, and the people who maybe manage and train those people are no longer in place,” said Stierli. ” We’re really, we’re very hopeful that they’re able to move forward with that as soon as possible because the clock is ticking.”
Maryland park resources
Travelers planning national park visits are advised to check park websites for updated hours and service changes.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore launched a new website to share resources for federal employees in the state who have been impacted by the layoffs.
