Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Burgum kneecaps national parks, public lands
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Tuesday, February 18, 2025
National Park Service ([link removed])

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum fired more than 2,000 employees across the Interior department in what's being called the Valentine's Day massacre ([link removed]) . Nearly half of the terminated employees worked for the National Park Service, where the effects of the firings will be felt first by the public. The fired employees were in probationary periods, either new hires or veteran employees who had taken new positions within the past year.

The stories of fired park rangers started pouring in. Helen Dhue, a park guide at Palo Alto National Battlefield was in mid-air on a work trip ([link removed]) when she found out she had been fired. Brian Gibbs, an educator at Effigy Mounds National Monument, was locked out of his email ([link removed]) before he even got a formal termination letter.

“Firing the next generation of America’s park rangers, scientists, and land managers is a recipe for literal disaster,” said Aaron Weiss ([link removed]) , deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities. “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.”

The firings weren't limited to the Park Service. National Parks Traveler reported that Jacob B. ([link removed]) , who was fired from his position an attorney at the Interior department, worked with judges to deal with grazing cases, royalty disputes, and mining violations.

"The politically motivated and illegal terminations within the Depatment of Interior, and specifically my office, is a direct assault on the statutory rights of private citizens to receive hearings and present appeals of federal agency decisions," he wrote on LinkedIn ([link removed]) . "This includes ranchers who raise our country's food supply, natural resource companies who provide power and jobs, and private citizens who recreate and hunt our public lands."

Forest Service layoffs increase wildfire risk

The U.S. Forest Service, which is part of the Department of Agriculture, fired 3,400 employees last week ([link removed]) —roughly 10 percent of the agency. The terminations follow a spending freeze that interrupted work to reduce wildfire risk—during the narrow window when many prescribed burns can happen safely. “We will be more vulnerable to a catastrophic fire in the future as a result of not being able to do the prescribed burns,” one federal firefighter told ProPublica ([link removed]) .


** Quick hits
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Interior layoffs threaten park services, public safety

New York Times ([link removed]) | National Parks Traveler: Local impacts ([link removed]) , Growing fallout ([link removed]) , How it happened ([link removed]) , Week in review ([link removed]) | NPR ([link removed]) | CNN ([link removed]) | KSL NewsRadio ([link removed]) | KING5
([link removed]) | Idaho Mountain Express ([link removed]) | Iowa Capital Dispatch ([link removed]) | Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed]) | GearJunkie ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed])

Forest Service freeze, layoffs increase wildfire risk

WyoFile ([link removed]) | Stateline ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | The Guardian ([link removed]) | ProPublica ([link removed]) | San Francisco Chronicle ([link removed])

Fish & Wildlife Service has halted critical funding for conservation

Vox ([link removed])

Sen. Michael Bennet promises 'no' votes on Interior nominees if they support cutting firefighters, national park funding

Monte Vista Journal ([link removed])

Trump's national monument attacks spark pushback

Arizona Mirror ([link removed]) | Las Vegas Review-Journal ([link removed]) | KSNV ([link removed])

Trump spending freeze blocks Hopi Tribe's energy lifeline

E&E News ([link removed])

Secretive Navajo agreement on uranium shipments faces scrutiny

Arizona Republic ([link removed])

Opinion: Americans of all political stripes must speak up to protect public lands

Las Vegas Sun ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” You're losing people that are keeping the bathrooms clean, the trails maintained. You're losing people who are teaching youth the value of protecting and preserving these places for current and future generations.”

—Brian Gibbs, fired environmental educator at Effigy Mounds National Monument, CNN ([link removed])


** Picture This
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[link removed]

@azstateparks ([link removed])
OK, wait! There's a beautiful state park that's just a few hours from Phoenix where you can fish, boat, camp, hike and see a ridiculous number of stars in the night sky. WHERE IS IT? @AlamoLakeStatePark! ([link removed])

🗓️ On March 7-9, the park is hosting a camping weekend with the Arizona Family Campout program.

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