The “resistance” to the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the federal government is coming to Great Falls Park.
The park at 9200 Old Dominion Drive in McLean is expected to host a rally tomorrow (Saturday) as part of a nationwide Protect the Parks Protest organized by a group of off-duty, former and retired National Park Service rangers and staff known as the Resistance Rangers.
The Great Falls Park rally, which is open to the public and will start at noon, aims to mobilize community support for national parks, as the Trump administration plans to slash the workforce and expand federal land sales to private industries, including for mineral, energy and timber production, says organizer Henrik Sundqvist, an Arlington resident and artist.
“I have been camping at National Parks since 1998. U.S. National Park staff are national treasures and allow the public to enjoy our natural and cultural resources for present and future generations,” Sundqvist said. “It is unAmerican and shortsighted to sell off our public lands to private developers and the gas and oil industry for short-term profits.”
Boasting about 1,000 members, the Resistance Rangers emerged in response to recent layoffs and budget cuts that have reportedly already affected services at some parks and raised concerns about the remaining staff’s ability to keep parks running and ensure visitor safety.
According to news reports, the National Park Service fired about 1,000 recently hired and promoted employees — about 5% of all workers — in mid-February, though it simultaneously exempted about 5,000 seasonal positions from a government-wide hiring freeze that was instituted when President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20.
“The National Park Service is hiring seasonal workers to continue enhancing the visitor experience as we embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management,” the NPS said in a Feb. 27 statement. “We are focused on ensuring that every visitor has the chance to explore and connect with the incredible, iconic spaces of our national parks. Our teams are dedicated to staffing to meet the evolving needs of our visitors, ensuring memorable and meaningful experiences for all.”
The fired workers have included park rangers at Great Falls Park and four rangers from George Washington Memorial Parkway, according to Sundqvist. As of early March, approximately 40 park service workers in the D.C. region had been terminated, with Shenandoah National Park as the hardest-hit site, Axios DC reported.
Last week, a federal judge in California ordered the Trump administration to reinstate fired workers across several agencies, including the Department of the Interior. The National Park Service began offering jobs back to all of its fired probationary workers yesterday (Thursday), per the Washington Post.
However, it remains to be seen how many of those employees will return, and this past Monday (March 17), the Interior Department reportedly offered $25,000 severance payments to workers who agreed to leave this spring.
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), a nonprofit advocacy group, said it “welcomes” the court-mandated reinstatements but warned they’re unlikely to mark the end of the uncertainty national park workers have experienced.
“This chaotic whiplash is no way to manage the Park Service, especially as they are welcoming millions of visitors right now,” NCPA President and CEO Theresa Pierno said in a statement. “… The American people love our national parks and want them protected for future generations. It’s time the administration listened.”
