Federal firing frenzy hits St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

Some local National Park Service staff have been laid off in recent weeks.

February 28, 2025

2 minute read

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There are fewer people working to protect the St. Croix River at the National Park Service than there were a a month ago, after the local staff was affected by layoffs that are slashing the federal workforce across the U.S. government. Specific details are few, but Wild Rivers Conservancy reported this week that some St. Croix National Scenic Riverway staff have been affected. Executive Director Matt Poppleton wrote in an email that the cuts will have real impact on river stewardship.

“On February 14, more than 1,000 National Park Service (NPS) staff lost their jobs, including dedicated team members at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. These staff are more than a number. They are the welcoming smile at a visitor center, the teacher passing down learnings to younger generations, and the dedicated professionals ensuring safe and equitable exploration for all visitors.”

As of a couple days ago, federal agencies dedicated to protecting and managing natural resources have lost thousands more staff:

Department of Interior – 2,300 employees fired, including:
- National Park Service – 1,000
- U.S. Geological Survey – 240 employees
Environmental Protection Agency – 388 employees fired (Pres. Trump said at a recent cabinet meeting he will reduce it by 11,000 employees, 65 percent of the workforce.)
U.S. Forest Service – 3,400 employees fired

“National Parks, including the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, have already been operating with limited staff,” Poppleton wrote. “According to the National Parks Conservation Association, the NPS workforce has declined by 20% since 2010, while park visitation has surged by 16%.”

Wild Rivers Conservancy is urging the public to take a few actions to help the St. Croix River and the National Park Service.

Sources and more information:

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4 responses to “Federal firing frenzy hits St. Croix National Scenic Riverway”

Susan

February 28, 2025

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Dianne

February 28, 2025

When all it would take is very rich people paying some taxes. Or maybe #47 not playing golf costing $5 million a day for his security. This is just a very mean narcissistic man. Nothing more. We will support the St Croix National Park. The Wild River Conservancy. We will support all human rights. We will resist with phone calls and emails and protests. Get active.

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1. Mark Hove
  
  February 28, 2025
  
  Agreed, get active!
  
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Christopher Calverley

February 28, 2025

I have been boating and fishing on the St. Croix river near Stillwater my entire life (39 years old) even as a baby, and consider it my second home as I enjoy camping on the islands during the summer months. Since I was young, my parents taught me how to care for and treat the river with much respect and to leave it cleaner than you found it. I have met many lifelong friends from camping on the river and cannot express how truly grateful I am to have such a wonderful place to enjoy with those friends and family and always encourage more people to come out and see how beautiful it is. Many people who come out there know me, my folks, and our big diverse group of friends as we spend most summer weekends on our boats, and have for numerous years. I can tell without a doubt that we have single handedly improved the condition of these islands drastically from when I started camping out there until now. We have all adopted the leave no trace policy and abide by that no matter what. The sad thing is the national park service many years ago used to tell people to bury their garbage out there as means to get rid of it. So when kids are playing around digging in the sand there’s times where garbage is being dug up. It’s crazy to think that was a standard practice but you know we just weren’t wise to the fact of how much impact it could have on the environment. So steadily over the years we have brought it to almost pristine condition, very often on a nice Sunday morning taking a walk down what we refer to as “mile island” and take in the beautiful scenery and nature and we will pick up after any others who may not share the same respect that us regulars do. Over the years we have gotten to know some of the park rangers, with ranger Bob being the most notable. Ranger Bob could be described as one of the good ones. He knew how much we did for the river as we did him, which is why we all had a mutual respect for each other. Since ranger Bob has left his post a handful of years back now, seeing the park service has been very minimal to this past year having not seen them once. So while I don’t necessarily condone the actions of firing national park service employees, if it truly is deemed unnecessary to employ that many people then so be it. They haven’t been making a presence very often in the recent years anyways. The St Croix will be taken care of, at least in the stretch we like to use, the same as it has for the last 30+ years, and the same as it will for the next 30 as we pass out traditions and love and respect for the river down to the next generations.

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