By Olivia Miller, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy

The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance, and Friends of the 500th have condemned the Trump administration’s decision to terminate thousands of U.S. Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service employees across the country. The layoffs affect crucial staff—including many who live and work in West Virginia and Virginia—who have long served as stewards of our shared natural heritage.

According to recent reports, approximately 3,400 U.S. Forest Service employees (10% of the workforce), 1,000 National Park Service staff (5% of the workforce), and 1,300 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees have been fired, many while still in their probationary period. The Monongahela National Forest—which was already chronically understaffed—now faces even greater challenges. The Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge and the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, which stretch into parts of West Virginia and Virginia, face the same crisis.

This is a moment of profound upheaval in the agencies entrusted with caring for our national forests and parks. The mass firings and funding freezes are more than bureaucratic changes—they are direct blows to our democracy, the livelihoods of local communities, and the future of our public lands.

In 2024, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve generated over $96 million in tourism dollars and helped support more than a thousand local jobs in West Virginia, according to the National Park Service. In 2023, tourism to Shenandoah National Park contributed $114 million to the local economy in Virginia. That spending supported 1,351 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $156 million. Record visitation at our national forests and state parks is breathing new life into small towns once overshadowed by a century of resource extraction. Our public lands are not just scenic escapes; they are shared resources we hold in trust as an inheritance to be protected and cherished.

Despite these economic and environmental concerns, West Virginia Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice voted against two Senate amendments aimed at reinstating these critical federal employees and establishing permanent funding for wildland firefighters on Feb. 20, 2025. The amendments, which failed by a 48-52 vote, would have directly benefited public lands and the communities that rely on them for economic stability.

National Impact and Response

Beyond West Virginia, the ramifications of these firings are being felt nationwide. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming are all seeing severe staff shortages, leading to delayed trail maintenance, reduced ranger-led programs, and fewer protections for endangered species. 

Environmental organizations across the country, including the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society, have echoed concerns raised by the Conservancy and its partners. Many are calling for urgent congressional hearings to investigate the impact of these mass layoffs on public lands and natural resources.

Recognizing the severity of these cuts, the Conservancy has joined a national sign-on letter urging Congress to immediately reverse these terminations and halt any further reductions to the federal workforce overseeing public lands. This letter, backed by multiple conservation organizations, highlights the devastating effects these indiscriminate workforce reductions will have on environmental protection, public safety, and local economies.

Statement by Marilyn Shoenfeld, President, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and Friends of the 500th:

“It is with great sadness and mounting frustration that I report the sudden firing of Ecological Services staff at Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge on Friday, February 14. This arbitrary decision, made without notice or plan, further compounds devastating layoffs of our U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service employees. Who will now protect and preserve our public lands—including our wetlands, streams, and unique ecological systems—that keep our water drinkable, our air breathable, and our wildlife safe? We must act now and stand together to put an end to this madness.”

Statement by Olivia Miller, Program Director at the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy:

“We are deeply concerned by this attack on our National Forest system, national parks, and their employees—and we’re dismayed by the apparent silence from so many of our state’s leaders. Last Friday, hard-working West Virginians who have been working tirelessly to keep our forests healthy and our parks thriving went to work only to discover they were out of a job by day’s end. Where is the dignity in that?

“Our national forests and parks aren’t just scenery—they’re woven into the fabric of who we are as Americans. They provide us all with clean water, clean air, and irreplaceable opportunities for hunting, fishing, hiking, and family recreation. Our Forest Service employees not only protect these natural treasures but also keep our trails well maintained, safeguard wildlife, and ensure that our campgrounds and forests remain free of litter. We are proud to have worked alongside these professionals over the years, many of whom have served on our board. Our missions go hand in hand.”

Statement from Andrew Young, Staff Attorney at the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance:

“It’s no secret that conservationists and federal land managers don’t always agree on every project. Yet we share a core mission: to safeguard the public interest, protect our treasured landscapes, and preserve our natural heritage for the generations who will follow us. The skilled civil servants now losing their jobs have spent their careers working toward those same ideals—even when we debated the details, our commitment to the land itself was mutual.

“By firing these committed public servants, the administration is clearing the path for corrupt oligarchs and billionaires who view our national forests and parks as a cash grab, not the priceless public treasures they are. These powerful interests thrive on our silence, hoping we’ll be too discouraged or distracted to fight back as this administration floods the zone. But if we stand together—across Appalachia and throughout the country—we can stop the privatization and destruction of the sacred places we hold dear. Our power lies in our unity. When everyday people unite to protect what’s rightfully ours, we can ensure that our national forests, parks, and rivers remain a living legacy for future generations, not a private playground for the ultra-wealthy.”