On Saturday, protesters gathered at national parks nationwide to oppose the Trump administration’s dismissal of over 1,000 National Park Service employees. Led by the Resistance Rangers, consisting of off-duty and dismissed rangers, demonstrations occurred at at least 145 sites, highlighting concerns about public land and job cuts. Key protests took place in popular parks like Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, where tensions were high, including upside-down American flags displayed by employees in Yosemite. Activists expressed fears of resource extraction and attacks on national monuments, urging citizens to take action to defend their parks and employment.
On Saturday, crowds assembled at national parks across the country, from California to Maine, protesting the Trump administration’s dismissal of over 1,000 National Park Service employees the previous month.
A coalition named Resistance Rangers, comprised of around 700 off-duty rangers—some of whom were among those fired—endeavored to organize protests at all 433 national park locations on Saturday. They aimed to voice opposition to perceived threats to public lands, notably the staff reductions. By the afternoon, there were protests observed at least 145 parks, as shared by Nick Graver, a 30-year-old graduate student involved in organizing the event at Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California.
Demonstrations took place in well-known locations such as Yosemite in Northern California, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Acadia in Maine, Yellowstone in the Northwest, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and Great Falls Park in Virginia. They also occurred at lesser-known sites like Effigy Mounds National Monument in northeastern Iowa. Tensions peaked at Yosemite, where workers displayed upside-down American flags in protest across iconic locations like Yosemite Falls and El Capitan.
Mr. Graver expressed his group’s concerns regarding not just the layoffs, but also the potential for resource extraction on public lands and threats to national monuments, including proposals to strip the president of the authority to designate them.
The National Park Service stated they were collaborating with protest organizers to ensure individuals could “safely exercise their First Amendment rights” while safeguarding park resources.
At Joshua Tree, approximately 150 protesters assembled along a road leading to the park entrance. Among the dismissed were six rangers, part of a broader pattern of cuts aimed at recent federal hires, which the Trump administration claimed was necessary for reducing government expenditure.
Deborah Anderson, a long-time local, protested with a sign reading “Protect Our Parks.”
“What’s happening right now is wrong,” Ms. Anderson, 52, remarked. “I understand if there’s a need for efficiency in government, but the manner in which this is being done — these firings are illegal.”
Up north at Yellowstone, dozens protested near the Roosevelt Arch in Gardiner, Mont., chanting “Public lands are not for sale” and “Down with DOGE,” referring to the Department of Government Efficiency, overseen by Elon Musk, responsible for the staffing cuts.
David Uberuaga, a former National Park Service employee with over 30 years of service, including a tenure as superintendent of the Grand Canyon National Park until his retirement in 2016, encouraged individuals to take action through protests and contacting their legislators.
“We can’t just let things unfold,” stated Mr. Uberuaga, 74. “We must push back vigorously, and that takes time. We cannot afford to lose hope.”
Around 100 individuals protested at the Grand Canyon. Sean Adams, a 29-year-old seasonal worker focusing on conservation studies, mentioned that park visitors were shocked by the firings.
“They weren’t aware that it impacted people like us, who work long hours for insufficient pay,” he explained. “The savings from cutting our positions are negligible in the grand scheme.”
In a different region, around 150 individuals gathered at Effigy Mounds, some holding signs featuring the Lorax from Dr. Seuss, who “speaks for the trees,” and Smokey Bear, known for wildfire prevention. Among the protesters was Brian Gibbs, 41, who was let go from his role as an education technician at the monument.
Mr. Gibbs shared that the area near the Mississippi River holds deep personal significance. It was there his father took him camping as a kid, where he first expressed love to his wife and where their son experienced his inaugural hiking trip.
After all his memorable experiences at the monument, Mr. Gibbs found it surreal to witness it become a focal point for protest.
“It was just a volcanic moment for me,” Mr. Gibbs remarked, adding about the parks that “it had never occurred to me that they would be targeted” by a presidential administration.
Mimi Dwyer contributed reporting from Yosemite National Park and Los Angeles, and Jennifer Brown from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.