As the spring green climbs the mountains of Western North Carolina, Park Service employees are still unsure how federal cuts will impact some of the region's most beloved - and most visited - places.
The hiring freeze of seasonal workers, probationary staff terminations and the “fork in the road” option to retire early earlier this year has left the park service even more understaffed than before, explains Southern Appalachian Director of National Parks Conservation Association Jeff Hunter.
“You can imagine what that would do to the morale of the staff. But it also has deleterious impacts to management of cultural and natural resources,”Hunter said. He lives in Burnsville and explains that the nonpartisan organization has been around for 106 years.
Local environmental organizations are hosting a public forum in Asheville for community members to learn how to support public lands and national parks.
The National Parks Conservation Association is one of about 10 organizations taking part in “Support Our Public Lands” event.
“People, not only who work in conservation, but people who love our public lands are frustrated and they're looking for some way to plug in to make a difference. So that's what we're trying to do,” Hunter said.
He estimates 25 people were terminated or left the staff of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited park in the country.
“By the way, the Smokies does not have a superintendent or a deputy superintendent in place,” Hunter said.
Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Cassius Cash stepped down in September 2024 to become the president and CEO of the Yosemite Conservancy in San Francisco. Cash was the park's first Black superintendent and worked in the role for a decade.
Hunter says local parks also have a positive economic impact on local communities.
“For every dollar the federal government spends on the National Park Service, $15 is spent in the local community. So local economies are dependent upon the visitor experience,” Hunter said.
A federal judge ordered the 1,000 Park Service employees fired to be rehired, but many say it appears the agency likely will terminate those employees during the upcoming reduction in force plans. Those reductions are expected later this month.
One employee who spoke with BPR after they were terminated said that the parks of this country “tell America's story.”
“We don't do it for the money. We're not making millions here. We do it because we love the mission. We swore an oath to protect and preserve these public lands for future generations,” they said. They asked not to be identified because they have been rehired. But they are concerned that their role will be terminated during the RIF.
Another seasonal worker who also spoke with BPR anonymously said that their role had previously been rescinded but now their job offer is valid again. The job is still pending a background check.
Hunter says the “Support Our Public Lands” event hopes to connect community members who support public lands so that they know how to advocate for changes to current policies and how to volunteer locally.
“National parks are really one of the more popular ideas among the American people. They're beloved. I believe we have somewhere on the order of 330+ million visits to National Parks in 2024,” Hunter said. “That's more than NFL Major League Baseball, the NBA, Major League Soccer, and NASCAR combined in terms of attendance. I mean it's staggering.”
Parks still recovering from Helene
The staffing needs for local national parks have only increased due to the damage caused by Helene. Hunter says three campgrounds are closed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park due to damages and a number of additional campgrounds are administratively closed. The park is still accessing damage but some trails are closed including Laurel Falls Trail which closed Jan. 6, for about 18 months of rehabilitation work. Here’s a list of closures.
The National Park Service (NPS) has cleared mountains of debris, conducted hundreds of facility and resource assessments, and reopened over 312 miles of the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina. However, 22 sections of the North Carolina side of the Parkway are still closed due to Helene. The NPS has identified at least 57 landslides across approximately 200 miles of Parkway in the state.
“As with our surrounding communities, we have made significant progress, but the Parkway’s path to permanent repair and recovery will be a long one,” Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout said in a press release. “The damage to the Parkway is unprecedented in its nearly 100-year history. We ask our many neighbors and visitors to remain patient as we work to reopen sections of the park as quickly as possible.
While significant work is needed to address all Parkway damage, the NPS has begun emergency roadway repairs at eight slide locations to restore and stabilize the road, remove remaining debris, and repair guardrails near critical transportation networks. There are eight initial project locations from north of Doughton Park at milepost 224.9 to near Waynesville at milepost 421.8.
The Parkways long-term storm recovery is being funded from “multiple sources, including a portion of the more than $2 billion in supplemental disaster funding Congress allocated to the National Park Service,” according to the National Park Service. The damage is estimated to cost as much as $2 billion.
Support our Public Lands
Hunter explains that the event will include information from key environmental leaders in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee about advocacy and volunteer opportunities followed by a Q&A and social hour. Food and drinks are available at the venue.
Groups taking part in the event include Appalachian Watershed Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Discover Life in America, MountainTrue, National Parks Conservation Association, RiverLink, Safe Passage, Smokies Life, The Wilderness Society, and Wildlands Network.
The event is April 9 at The Mule at Devil's Foot Beverage in Asheville from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
