Tim Whitehouse, the executive director at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), an organization that works with and supports park rangers, scientists, land managers and other civil servants, said he’s in touch with many NPS employees. He pointed out that rangers are already people who live in remote areas under difficult conditions for little pay because “they love the mission,” so the past year has been “devastating for them.”
“These things that are needed to keep any huge organizational footprint working are not being supported and funded,” Whitehouse told CNN. “That can be maintenance workers, that could be people collecting fees, it can be trail maintenance – all of these things are being degraded and people are being asked to step in and try and fill these holes when they may not be able to, may not have the qualifications to do it, or may already have a full-time job elsewhere in the park service.”