National Parks this summer?

[Gravelette]

If hoping to visit you may want a Plan B. http://https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/03/trump-hiring-freeze-national-park-service-00202098

[Lt Dan]

Thread Reminder

This thread is being allowed to continue as it affects members, but political responses will not be allowed and dealt with.

Thanks to all for staying within the rules.

[Solo_RV_Guy]

[Mod Edit]

The current uh... turmoil in many Federal agencies means I wouldn't make any definitive plans that do not have alternatives.

[Dieselboy]

I’m going to keep making reservations and hope that others cancel theirs. In reality most RVers are able to shift plans if need be. Flexibility is the name of this game.

[ejw7213]

Having a hiring freeze does not mean the parks will be closed. The park service generally uses a lot of volunteers to staff the campgrounds.

[Bigceasar]

The national parks aren’t going to be shut down.
A hiring freeze means just that, no new hires. It doesn’t mean everyone is laid off or fired. The people currently employed will continue to do their jobs, just like they did prior to the freeze.
In the private sector when hiring freezes are put into effect they usually only last a matter of days to no more than a few months. Management uses that time to evaluate actual personnel needs. While the government isn’t the private sector, it isn’t all that different. In other words, this too shall pass.

[Donskiman]

It's too soon to be able to predict what's going to happen. The hiring freeze appears to be temporary. However, between the hiring freeze and trying to get current employees to resign, there is a possibility that many parks may have severe staffing shortages. Whether or not that translates into closures remains to be seen. Everything can change in a day or two.

We visited 12 national parks last year but only have one in our plans this year. There's lots of other things to see.

[Punkinhead]

Originally Posted by Bigceasar

The national parks aren’t going to be shut down.
A hiring freeze means just that, no new hires. It doesn’t mean everyone is laid off or fired.

The problem is they rely heavily on seasonal workers who were let go last Fall with the plan to hire new ones this Spring, same as every year. Their aren't enough permanent employees to run the parks

[Gravelette]

Yes, per the link Feb and March are the months seasonal workers are hired. Seasonals are essential. Fingers crossed that someone will actually think this through before reservations are cancelled.

[RickNC]

While I’m not a fan of the current political situation, I’m confident they will sort this out in the coming weeks.

This past Sunday I spoke to my niece who works for NPS , She says while there is concern about the hiring freeze also extending to seasonal park workers, no one at her unit is panicking.

[OldBaldFat]

When I was a volunteer in Big Bend NP for an April-Aug season - well over half of the staff who worked for NPS disappeared in the first month.

Many went to parks like Mt Rainier, Crater Lake, Yellowstone, Grand Teton. This was both the 'Ranger' positions, and the Law Enforcement positions.

The shuttle from winter parks to summer parks is a way of life for many folks. It also allows the NPS to pay a lot of people cheap temporary worker rates, as opposed to federal FTE GS pay scale rates.

I was told that being under Law Enforcement as campground hosts was unusual in the system like we were at Big Bend. There were no FTE folks in the Chisos Basin during the two summer volunteer seasons.

Our immediate supervisor left BB in late June. After ten years of the shuttle system and having to miss at least three seasons for him or his wife, they decided to accept full-time permanent positions in the North Carolina park system. He also mentioned that it cost him $1,500 out of pocket to be recertified each year as a federal law enforcement officer.

The temporary/ seasonals are vital to the National Park Service (Parks, monuments, seashores, grasslands, etc.)

And the US Forest Service, Fish & Wildlife, COE, etc.

The full-time long-term positions almost never turnover except due to retirement, or a desired park position opens up.

The parks need seasonal employees as much as they need volunteers.

During my 20 years in the US Navy, in uniform, I saw many hiring freezes. Some lasted a year, most were a couple months.

I've seen new aircraft deliveries, new ship commissioning's, even parts shortages caused by hiring freezes.

A hiring freeze, without provisions for filling 'priority positions' has a very negative impact upon any federal agency.

I will make no statement concerning the need for one, or the length.

Even something as 'simple' as the Department of Agriculture Food Inspection program that must clear every imported food item, could impact me or you more than the NPS.

Any discussion before specific actions are announced is wasted breath.

[ppine]

The NPS is chronically under funded. They rely on many seasonal employees that have not been hired yet for 2025 summer season. Most of the Parks are loved to death.

My plan is to avoid National Parks except in the off season. I will avoid them almost entirely this year due to changes in hiring practices.

[scenic route]

We hope to visit 3 NPs this summer. In the 41 NPs we've visited, we have only camped inside two. We gave up on their res systems long ago and prefer to stay at CGs just outside of the parks. It's just that we never know where and how long we'll stay at a particular area and that we enjoy the spontaneity mode of travel. Don't know if it's the lack of the planning gene or we are just easily distracted.

As long as they man the gates, we should be good to go, if we can get to those gates early enough before visitor number restrictions are exceeded.

Someone once said..."We are loving our National Parks to death".

[wfrone]

https://www.sfgate.com/california-pa...s-20163260.php


Sad
Bill