Federal workers deserve better

Our precious public lands are not red or blue. Some are sacred. Some are waterways. They are forests, deserts or grasslands. And some tower over our landscapes topped with snow where eagles soar. 

Here in the Four Corners, we are fortunate to have access to these special places where no matter your political flavor, you can recreate, rest, explore, hunt, fish, horseback ride, raft or kayak, bike, hike, watch wildlife or just sit and soak it all in. We have monuments, national parks, state parks, and community parks and spaces. 

The care of our public lands is critical for their preservation and sustainability in order to have them in good condition in perpetuity. Right now, our federal lands are under siege because those that care for them are being harassed and abused. These federal employees work for the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among others. They fight our fires, clear our trails, protect the ruins, monitor the wildlife and water, clean the restrooms, rescue the lost and injured, and answer our questions at visitor centers. Hundreds of federal workers are right here in the Four Corners – likely your neighbors and your friends.  

Yet lately, they go to work every day scared for their job, their families, their mortgage, their health care. These are dedicated federal workers – passionate about these special places and passionate about sharing them with the American public and visitors from around the world. We all likely agree there is some degree of fraud and waste in federal government just as there is anywhere in any workforce. But there are processes and policies to hold people accountable. Instilling fear and threats and stress is not the American way – red, blue or independent – in order to reduce our federal debt. 

Federal employees are being wrongfully and recklessly fired. Across the country, our public lands – America’s greatest treasures – are experiencing these reductions in staff, which will lead to area closures, public safety issues, lack of emergency response, reduction or elimination of visitor center operations, and lack of maintenance including filthy or closed restrooms, overflowing trash receptacles and increased impacts to resources. Budget cuts and mass firings are also going to cause reductions in economic benefits to surrounding communities that depend on visitor expenditures such as Cortez, Durango and Silverton.

If you care about our Four Corners treasures and those who care for them, contact your representatives and let them know this matters to you. If you’re like me, you want these places and experiences for our kids and grandkids and neighbors. And the people who have dedicated their lives and careers to protecting them deserve to be treated compassionately and with respect. That is clearly not happening.

– Elaine Leslie, NPS retired, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Durango