Anticipated nationwide demonstrations at national parks amidst inaction from the Trump administration concerning reinstatement of dismissed employees.
Straight-up, here's the skinny on the weekend's planned protests. The Resistance Rangers, a crew of more than a thousand off-duty park staffers, ain't happy with the Trump administration for axing National Park Service workers. These folks have organized demonstrations and gatherings at over 170 locations across the country this coming Saturday, March 22.
This ain't the first time they've raised a fuss – protesters took to the streets on March 1 – and it won't be the last if the Trump administration doesn't reinstate the sacked employees. The protesters are pissed off that the administration is appealing federal court rulings to put these workers back on the job.
Two judges already ordered the reinstatement of more than 24,000 sacked probationary federal workers, with over 1,000 NPS employees in the mix. The rulings required the NPS to give each one their job back immediately and follow proper procedures if they still wanted to axe them. But the administration isn't showing much interest in putting staff back to work, according to the Resistance Rangers. Instead, agency heads have been told to hold their horses and wait for further instruction before rehiring anyone.
This appeal by the Department of the Interior claims that rehiring the sacked workers would stir up confusion and create a burden for the affected agencies. With thousands of temporary staff offers revoked and full-time employees taking voluntary redundancy, America's national parks could be understaffed and unsafe during the busy summer season when lots of people come to camp, run, and hike in the North American wilderness.
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[Sources][1] Coalition to Protect America's National Parks. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved from https://protectnps.org/about-us/[2] National Park Service Directors. (n.d.). An Open Letter to Congress & the Administration. Retrieved from https://protectnps.org/an-open-letter-to-congress-the-administration/[3] National Parks Traveler. (2018, October 3). National Parks Traveler. Retrieved from https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/
- In environmental-science news, the ongoing dispute between the Resistance Rangers and the Trump administration over National Park Service workers has prompted a series of protests, with over 170 demonstrations planned for this Saturday.
- Despite two federal court rulings ordering the reinstatement of over 24,000 sacked probationary federal workers, including more than 1,000 NPS employees, the administration has not shown signs of complying, leading to increased unrest in the field of politics.
- The high-stakes struggle between job protection, war-and-conflicts within government agencies, and general-news coverage has spilled over into sports and recreational activities, with concerns over the safety and staffing of America's national parks during the busy summer season.
