The summer season in Yosemite National Park faces a shortage of staff.
Yosemite National Park, one of the crown jewels of the National Park Service, is currently facing a series of challenges and controversies. The park, located in California's Yosemite Valley, is down at least 40 staffers compared to last summer, according to figures shared with POLITICO's E&E News by a person familiar with Yosemite's current staffing.
The current acting superintendent of Yosemite National Park is Ray McPadden, following the retirement of Cicely Muldoon. Some staff have criticized McPadden, particularly after a fire was ordered swiftly stamped out by him, in defiance of the advice of fire experts. Critics argue that McPadden believes a national park is comparable to Disneyland and his objective should be to increase visitation, rather than prioritizing safety.
The staffing shortage has led to many rangers working long hours, trying to maintain a cheerful demeanor for visitors despite feeling burdened by the Trump administration's cutbacks. These rangers are responsible for leading backcountry hikes, swearing in junior rangers, and operating the entrance booths.
In response to the National Park Service's moves to scrub official websites of mentions of transgender people, some Yosemite rangers helped hang a transgender pride flag on the cliff face. However, one of the park rangers involved in this incident was later fired by Yosemite, and an NPS investigation of the incident has been referred to federal prosecutors.
The park's staffing struggles have been a bipartisan concern historically. Under the Trump administration push to drastically reduce the size of the federal government, parks are now seeing their staff ranks shrink, initially from buyouts and early retirement offers. Since Trump took office, about 1,600 employees from the roughly 16,000-strong ranks of permanent National Park Service staff accepted buyouts from the administration rather than get snared in the White House's downsizing plan.
As a result of the upheaval at Yosemite this season, some staff have expressed consideration for an exit. Recently, employees at Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon national parks voted to unionize, giving park staffers the right to bargain with the federal government about their working conditions.
Search and rescues in Yosemite have shot up 40 percent between January and July compared to the same period last year. Despite the lack of rangers to patrol in those areas, the park opened all of its campgrounds. Some staff criticized this decision, arguing that the park lacked the necessary staff to ensure safety.
The park has also faced criticism for instructing staff to avoid using terms like "diversity" and "biodiversity" due to heightened scrutiny under the Trump administration of how national parks tell American history.
In a unique protest, Yosemite rangers hung an upside-down American flag on El Capitan in protest of the firing of hundreds of newly hired park staff.
The Federal Labor Relations Authority certified the vote on Monday, giving park staffers the right to bargain with the federal government about their working conditions. However, Yosemite did not respond to questions about these directives and instructions.
These challenges and controversies underscore the complexities faced by Yosemite National Park and the National Park Service as a whole in the current political climate.
