Yosemite National Park
Sierra Sun Times file photo
Update Thursday at 12:10 P.M.: The Park Service is now authorized to reinstate ALL 1,000 probationary park staff who were terminated on 2/14. They were originally authorized to reinstate only ~400 previously terminated probationary employees.
March 20, 2025 - Washington, DC – Today, due to recent court orders, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has learned that the National Park Service is authorized to fully reinstate approximately 400 previously terminated probationary employees at national parks across the country. While these probationary staff will be reinstated and can get back to work, the administration is placing the remaining previously terminated staff on administrative leave, vulnerable to additional reductions in force.
One thousand Park Service employees were fired on February 14, including rangers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and other critical personnel. However, two recent court rulings have temporarily blocked the administration’s terminations of these and other federal employees across multiple agencies and ordered them to be reinstated.
The administration plans to reinstate probationary staff in two designated groups:
- Group A – Includes approximately 400 probationary employees with positions related to public safety, national security and critical park operations. These employees can fully return to work and will receive back pay.
- Group B – Includes hundreds of remaining terminated probationary employees. These employees will receive backpay but will be put on administrative leave, unable to return to work.
While NPCA welcomes these reinstatements mandated by the courts, it warns that our national parks remain in crisis. Recent resignations and buyout offers are just the latest pressure tactic in the administration’s ongoing effort to dismantle the Park Service—coercing staff to either leave or endure the constant threat of more firings while being stripped of the essential tools and resources needed to do their jobs, including eliminating purchasing ability, cancelling office leases and banning travel.
NPCA is calling on the Trump administration and Congress to restore all terminated park staff immediately and prevent any further cuts to park staffing and funding. For over a century, NPCA has stood up for the protection of our national parks and those who dedicate their careers to safeguarding everything that makes these places so special. And we won’t stop now.
Statement by Theresa Pierno, President and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA):
“The administration’s reckless and indefensible decision to fire 1,000 park staff has put our parks and millions of visitors and resources at risk. This court-ordered reinstatement is a welcome relief and getting these employees back to work as quickly as possible is critical.
“When these park staff lost their jobs, many also lost their homes and communities. Now, with uncertainty looming over if or when the next cut might come, it’s unclear how many will choose to return. The Park Service stands to lose an irreplaceable wealth of expertise, experience, and institutional knowledge they may never get back.
"And even in the midst of these reinstatements, the administration continues to coerce staff to resign from the jobs they’ve dedicated their lives to or face ongoing firings and mounting obstacles to doing their work. Pressuring staff to leave will devastate the Park Service’s ability to keep our national parks running and safeguard our precious historic and natural treasures.
“This chaotic whiplash is no way to manage the Park Service, especially as they are welcoming millions of visitors right now. This administration needs to stop playing games with the future of our national parks.
“The American people love our national parks and want them protected for future generations. It’s time the administration listened. We won’t stop fighting until every park employee is reinstated and these attacks on our national parks come to an end.
About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.
Source: NPCA
