JACKSON, Wyo. — On Thursday, Feb. 27, the National Park Service (NPS) put out a statement that it will be hiring additional seasonal workers after a federal hiring freeze on civil servants reportedly eliminated at least hundreds of jobs from seasonal park employees.
“The NPS is hiring seasonal workers to continue enhancing the visitor experience as we embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management,” an NPS spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Buckrail. “We are focused on ensuring that every visitor has the chance to explore and connect with the incredible, iconic spaces of our national parks.”
The hiring freeze issued on Jan. 20 led to uncertainty regarding the future of staffing at national parks across the country, including at Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and Yellowstone National Park.
Buckrail previously spoke with Sue Consolo-Murphy, executive council member of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks who retired from GTNP/John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway as the Chief of Science and Resource Management five years ago after 16 years; Consolo-Murphy says the seasonal workforce is critical to maintaining visitor services and the protection of not only visitors but of the resources in the Park. When Consolo-Murphy was at GTNP, she confirms there were about three times as many seasonal employees than year-round employees.
This NPS statement comes a week after the U.S. Forest Service released 2,000 employees, including staff from the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
