Close to 100 rally at Cone Manor for Our National Parks
Rally attendees gradually gather on the front steps of Cone Manor.
On an almost perfect day to be on our Parkway, close to one hundred people joined a rally to support our National Park Services and US Forest Service on Saturday, March 22. This rally was planned and publicized by word of mouth just a week ago by friends and family members of those experiencing firsthand the reckless and senseless attacks on federal employees and the harm that is being done to our public lands, a resource that has traditionally been cherished by all, regardless of political affiliation.
A few employees and supporters of the park systems and forestry services shared stories and insights into the challenges they face. One spoke of the attempt to fire probationary employees denying them their due process. The false claims that they were fired "for cause" meant that they lost all accrued leave and an immediate end to their medical benefits; this included some local employees who had been working tirelessly to face the challenges wrought by Hurricane Helene and just days away from completing their probationary first year employment.
One cause for hope--these firings led to outcry and public attention, and some positions were reinstated. (We also would note that the courts thus far have found the Republican administration to be in violation of these employees' due process rights and ordered to reinstate them.) It also spoke to the need for rallies such as this one and other efforts to keep the pressure on to preserve our land and protect our federal employees.
One off-duty member of the forestry services reported on what he has observed and answered questions. One question was hard to ignore--the rally attendees sat on the steps of Cone Manor looking out at rolling hills and blue sky, yet in the distance, dark clouds of smoke billowed up from Pisgah. The forestry service employee confirmed that yes, our area is at unprecedented risk to fires now with so much dry fallen brush remaining from the damage of the hurricane and as we enter peak fire season, yet our services are woefully understaffed in the face of such challenges. At the same time, Congress has awarded funds to address some concerns, but we don't have the staffing to make use of those resources. He also commented that federal workers' salaries are just a fraction of the federal budget, and these local positions had modest salaries, and these firings will have a ripple effect on the communities where these workers live. The claims of fighting fraud and increasing efficiency don't match what is happening--"it's like not doing oil changes on your car to save money."
Another speaker shared insights from the experiences of National Park Services at Cone Manor itself, pointing our attention to the fact that they still didn't have the resources to repair Helene's damage to the bathrooms, which has meant that Cone Manor has had to remain closed. He reported on the new plans underway for a Reduction in Force aiming to cut 30% of the park service, which has been short-handed ever since sequestration in 2013. The systems in the park are "antiquated," and without better funding and staffing, park visitors will find it increasingly difficult to visit. There was also discussion of how parts of the parkway are completely washed out, damage that requires massive and expert intervention. The conversation turned to the desire to volunteer, which was appreciated, but one member of a large group of volunteers spoke of how they can only work in partnership with public funding, not replace it. Others described the limits of what volunteers can achieve, though such partnerships and community support are always welcome.
Several at the rally took turns to share some of their stories of how much the National Parks mean to them. Many attendees asked to be kept in the loop for future opportunities to support our parks and our park employees, and there was a chance to sign up (we signed up and we hope to share information about this work in the future, too). They also explained that this rally was inspired by the work of the Resistance Rangers, and that similar rallies had been planned in other national park areas.
Clouds of smoke from a fire rise in the distance as people
volunteer to speak about what the park system means to them.
Bathrooms still damaged and closed due to hurricane.
One of the organizers shared a handout with more information, which is copied in full below:
Parks, People and Public Lands: Not for sale, not forgotten
Save Public Lands / Save Parks!
From Budget Cuts
From Staffing Cuts
From Drilling and Privatization
Take a stand for public land!
Protect the staff
Protect the history
Public land not for sale
Take Action: Stand for Public Land
Make your voice heard by attending protests and calling your representatives.
Talk to your community and support your local parks and federal employees.
Call your representatives
Head to 5calls.org (or download the app) for an easy way to call your reps about issues you care about. Just add your location and the website will find your representatives and even provide a script you can use. In the Topics area under the Environment category you will see public land related issues, like "Defend our National Parks" and "Protect our National Forests from Unregulated Logging." Choose a topic and start calling! Psst...don't want to speak to a real live human? Call after hours to leave a voice message.
Get Involved
For more, visit: https://www.resistancerangers.org
https://www.resistancerangers.org/take-action
Keep public lands in public hands
By Executive Order, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are working to "Unleash American Energy" by revoking restrictions and reviewing federal lands for resource extraction. All federal lands are at risk including NPS, USFS, BLM, and other public lands.
Chuckwalla and Sáttitla Highlands National Monuments, both newly-designated NPS sites in California totaling nearly a million acres of land, are under threat. The Trump administration has stated they planned to eliminate these two monuments and their accompanying land protections.
The Antiquities Act of 1906, which gives a president authority to create national monuments, does not include the authority to rescind them.
Another executive order takes aim at National Forests, directing the US Forest Service "to fully exploit" its lands for timber production. The language orders agencies to weaken environmental and wildlife protections through NEPA (the National Environmental Protection Act) and the ESA (Endangered Species Act), in order to log as widely and quickly as possible.
Protect park rangers and all federal workers
Thousands of National Park Service, Forest Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management employees, as well as workers across the government, were wrongfully terminated by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk's DOGE Team. These include rangers, scientists, wildland firefighters, first responders, trail crews, maintenance crews, and other mission-critical staff.
On March 13, two District Court judges ruled these firings of probationary employees illegal and ordered many agencies to reinstate these employees.
As of March 20, reinstatements have begun for ALL fired employees! This is a huge win to celebrate! However: the Department of the Interior is making plans (the "Agency Reduction and Realignment Plan") for even larger cuts that could terminate 30% or more of Department employees, decimating our ability to safely manage our parks.
All this DESPITE the fact that the Park Service saw its highest ever visitation in 2024 - over 331 million visits - which is even more than the NPS centennial year in 2016. More people visiting and experiencing parks is great. But that also means we need more rangers (not less!) to provide visitor services and protect park lands and habitats.
DOGE has also moved to terminate leases on dozens of park buildings, which house visitor centers, offices, emergency services centers, and priceless artifacts. There are no plans for how park units are supposed to continue accomplishing their missions without these buildings.
