While the National Park Service has received guidance on hiring seasonal workers for the coming year, the continued hold on permanent hiring is leaving some parks without key positions.
In Utah at Arches and Canyonlands national parks, which are managed by the same team, the chief ranger's position is unfilled, as is the budget analyst's. At Zion National Park, vacancies exist for law enforcement rangers, a roads and trails foreman, and wildlife technician, among others.
At Yellowstone National Park, there are about 70 vacancies, including full-time jobs in the maintenance department, the law enforcement ranks, and the Yellowstone Center for Resources.
"The freeze Executive Order called upon (the Office of Management and Budget) to prepare an 'attrition' plan for the federal government in 90 days. The recommendations in that document will obviously have repercussions for NPS," said Maureen Finerty, chair of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks. "Some ideas that have been floated suggest that agencies only be allowed to fill one out of three vacancies. That would be devastating for NPS, which is already suffering from depleted staffing levels. We will be watching closely to see what OMB recommends."
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I have been employed commercially on the north entrance of Yellowstone Park and I have seen first hand all the work park employees have had over the past several years. In order to maintain repairs, assistance, security and safety to our parks, please let your legislators know to advise our Washington DC Administration work to open the freeze established for hiring federal personnell in our national parks. Thank You.