JACKSON, Wyo. — Last week, about 2,000 probationary, non-firefighting employees were released from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), including staff from the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed this USFS number to Buckrail, stating that “Secretary Rollins fully supports the President’s directive to improve government, eliminate inefficiencies and strengthen USDA’s many services to the American people. We have a solemn responsibility to be good stewards of the American people’s hard-earned taxpayer dollars and to ensure that every dollar spent goes to serve the people, not the bureaucracy.”
According to the USDA spokesperson, none of the individuals released from the Service were operational firefighters. Released employees were confirmed to be probationary in status, many of whom were compensated by temporary IRA funding.
“It’s unfortunate that the Biden administration hired thousands of people with no plan in place to pay them long term,” the USDA tells Buckrail. “Secretary Rollins is committed to preserving essential safety positions and will ensure that critical services remain uninterrupted.”
But Friends of Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) Executive Director Scott Kosiba tells Buckrail that the cuts to budget and staff could possibly result in the BTNF closing developed campgrounds, locking vault toilets, prioritizing trails that can be maintained and more. Across the board, Kosiba says the BTNF and partner organizations will “be doing less with less.”
“I can tell you…that the public can expect to see impacts to their experience on public lands across the country, the BTNF included,” Kosiba says.
The BTNF declined a request for comment and has not yet confirmed the exact number of employees included in the USFS release, but today, Feb. 19, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reported on the loss of BTNF spokesperson Mark Gocke.
