Protesters across the US have taken to the streets after job cuts that have plunged America's 63 national parks into chaos before the peak summer season.
Hundreds gathered at an entrance to the Rocky Mountains National Park in Colorado to defend more than 2,000 National Park Service employees, who've reportedly had their seasonal job offers rescinded in the past month.
Similar protests popped up elsewhere. At Yosemite National Park in California, past and present park workers met to voice their anger, while several hundred people gathered in Flagstaff, Arizona to oppose cuts to the Grand Canyon and Forest Service workforces.
Concern for America's national parks was also high on the agenda at '50501' Presidents Day protests, which took place up and down the nation and criticized President Donald Trump on multiple economic and social policies.
Protests at the parks were sparked by a federal hiring freeze that President Trump signed into law last month.
The freeze stops government agencies from taking on new staff and spells trouble for the National Park Service, which hires up to 8,000 temporary workers every year to help manage the parks in the busy summer period.
Despite a new order exempting seasonal employees from the freeze, thousands were reportedly told they no longer have job offers.
Inside the parks, the new policy already appears to be having an effect. On Monday, February 17, visitors to Zion National Park in Utah faced a lengthy backup of cars, as only two workers were manning the entry booths.
Meanwhile, Yosemite National Park paused its summer camping reservation system last week amid uncertainty about staff numbers.
The park had already halted its entry reservation system, which currently hangs in limbo, reportedly awaiting approval from the Trump administration.
"This is honestly terrifying," Elisabeth Barton, co-founder of tour operator Echo Adventure Cooperative, which operates within Yosemite, told SFGate.
"We’re deeply concerned about the long-term health of Yosemite National Park under the current administration."
More than 300 million people visit America's national parks every year to hike, camp, and run in their unspoiled, ancient wilderness.
Without enough staff, park visitors could be met with "overflowing trash, uncleaned bathrooms, and fewer rangers to provide guidance" according to NPCA senior vice president of government affairs Kristen Brengel.
Protesters up and down the country echoed this sentiment.
"We want their jobs back," Colorado protester Kristen Desantis told 9News.
"The summer is coming. Without the rangers and the seasonal workers, it's just going to be a mess."
Alongside the hiring freeze, permanent park employees were given the option to resign from their current posts and receive payment until the end of September 2025.
The Trump administration also ordered the NPS to declare all employees who haven't completed their one-year probationary period, and those employed with money from the Inflation Reduction Act, or under diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs.
It's currently unclear exactly how many full-time employees were sacked or took redundancy.
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