#nps

[boymanmaletheshequel]

Any reasonable person, and ESPECIALLY environmentalists, recognize how fucking devastating the recent cuts to park funding and plans to privatize their land for development is. They want to destroy our nature for profit. Too bad reason doesn’t exist under fascism, My heart aches and my fists are angry.

Some of you are falling hard for the Trump/Musk anti-federal worker propaganda. I think part of the problem is that a lot of people genuinely don't know how the federal government works, so here's an overview on the intended and current state of the so-called fourth branch of government, the federal bureaucracy:

Executive agencies are considered to be within the executive branch, officially, but can only be created, disbanded, funded, and have new leadership appointed through congressional approval. Well, in theory that is.

The majority of staff in federal agencies are called "career staff" who are nonpolitical civil servants who do every kind of work you can imagine, from IT to accounting to scientific field work to livestock inspections to nursing at VA hospitals. They do not, typically, change from one administration to the next, which is essential to ensure the government is able to continue functioning without interruption. These individuals of course can and do hold their own political opinions, but there are stringent rules on how, when, and where they can express them. It is arguably the most racially diverse workforce in the country. Many are veterans, and many are disabled.

Each agency is headed by a political office appointed by the president and confirmed by Congress. This includes a Secretary or Administrator and all of their hand-picked office staff, who are called "politicals." However, even before Congress confirms the president's nominee, the president can appoint an interim leader with no approval, who has essentially all the same powers but can't hold the position for very long. In short, even in those offices where a leader has not been confirmed by Congress, they are being led by Trump appointees.

When Trump makes an Executive Order, those orders are immediately dispensed through the executive agencies, who must abide by the letter of the order. I saw someone say NPS was "complying in advance" by taking the T off LGBT, but these changes were made across all agencies in direct response to Trump's "Defending Women" order. Any career who did not follow this order would have immediately been fired with cause, no unemployment eligibility, and in the current environment we also know their position would be permanently dissolved.

This is what we're dealing with right now. Trump (and his puppet master Musk) do not have the authority to dissolve government agencies, but they are trying to gut them, harassing careers and making the public turn against them, conducting illegal firings, threatening them into resigning. When people leave, their positions will disappear. Their intent is to diminish the staff until the agencies are non-functional. That's why careers are picking their battles. We're holding on by our fingernails to keep federal agencies alive and functioning. We're in the midst of a hostile takeover, a literal coup of the US government.

Yes, it's awful the T was removed on the website. We don't want this. But I promise that is small potatoes compared to the other battles being fought. I have trans coworkers being forced back to the office and they don't know what bathroom they can use. Our personal information is being leaked to hate groups. Careers are getting threats and spam to their work and personal emails. Most of us expect to be illegally fired. Soon. Last week was the largest layoff in American history, and it's just the beginning.

Please support federal workers. We are under attack.

[mybumblebeeblr]

I remember getting the coolest NPS Pride shirt my first month working for the park service. It's not official uniform but employees of the park put an order together and are allowed to use the logos so it's got the right font and everything. It has a little rainbow ranger on the front and was maybe the first time I've ever felt pride for an organization i was working for.

Please read the article. If you have feelings and need to express them, please know NPS has all the social media Facebook Instagram Twitter Official Page. So does the Department of Interior which oversees the Park Service Facebook Instagram Twitter/X Official Page.

Do you have a favorite park?

Acadia Facebook Instagram official page

Yosemite Facebook Instagram official page

Grand Canyon Facebook Instagram official page

Yellowstone Facebook Instagram official page

Zion Facebook Instagram official page

National Mall Facebook Instagram official page

Stonewall Facebook Instagram official page

Chances are they have their own pages that accept comments as well. Hard to say whether they will be allowed to post Pride content this year, but if you're looking for a more positive approach keep an eye out for those posts and show your support in the comments.

The people who run the nps social media are generally really cool. If nothing else you can get some neat facts!!

[constantlyfalling]

Yellowstone Winter 2023

[theslowtravel]

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park

[stealth-science]

Not only did are the seasonal jobs being reinstated, they are increasing the number of positions by like 2000? Again putting the lie to the statement in the termination letters for probationary rangers that they:

The department needs us desperately. Some of us are going to be hired back in EXACTLY the same position and park but as a seasonal ranger instead of permanent.

I saw an article from the LA Times saying that the Trump administration is backtracking on eliminating seasonal national park employees. I hope this helps you!

I'm...tentatively glad about that.

But at this point, the issue isn't so much the actual firings, it's the CHAOS. And this is just more of it. The constant back and forth is the most exhausting part. We're being fucking toyed with and it's infuriating. Maybe everyone who was fired does get their jobs back, but then whose to say another shoe won't drop and they'll end up fired again in another month?

Also, me personally, I'm in an even WEIRDER position than most. But I don't want to talk about it too much and risk jinxing it. Basically, though, I've got no fucking clue if I have a job or not. And no one else seems to know either, including my boss.

[altfedarchy]

Calling US Federal Seasonals and Seasonal-Hopefuls!

Please help me get some better-than-anecdotal answers for the managers at my work (and elsewhere if I can spread it around).

My next post will share what (little) I've been told about federal seasonal hiring. So check that out if you're in this nasty limbo.

Please reblog for best data!

[americaisdead]

albuquerque, n. mex. december 2024

© tag christof

[usnatarchives]

Don't be a litterbug! 🐛

Check out the humorous artwork discovered on vintage decals from the Borden Decalcomania company records. Found in the National Archives Denver our Glacier National Park holdings, they appear to have been mailed to drum up business with the park.

[catboybiologist]

Fuck, man. It's hard to say how much this saddens me. Yosemite has it's own pride. Fucking Stonewall itself is protected by the NPS. From people I've worked and volunteered with in the past, the NPS is an amazingly queer friendly organization to work for.

I think you can also guess that seeing queer people active and out in nature has been a massive inspiration for me.

My first reaction here is to consider the NPS victims, not instigators here. I need more info before jumping to conclusions, and I encourage people to individually research and form their own opinions on this. To be blunt, the NPS is in a sorry state financially. Their budget hasn't increased at a rate that keeps up with inflation, much less visitation, and as someone who's visited national parks throughout their life, it has visibly shown in their infrastructure, public facing services, and employment opportunities. Being the target of a culture war could be terrifying. This is apparently a "reminder" of existing, universal government policy on the conduct of uniformed government officials being banned from participating in events showing political sides on issues unrelated to their organization.

But it's very, very telling that cops are still allowed to attend pride events in uniform.

This is a decision from a scared government institute, I think.

If that's all apologetics, please call me out on it. I'm queer (no shit). I also love the NPS. I'm going to wait until their official statement to jump to conclusions. But fuck.

[crowwolf]

SOMEONE PLEASE PROTECT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE!

I'm not from the USA - but I follow the NPS because they are hilarious

^^ *Halsin coded*

[faggotfungus]

Person holding large toad in hands by The National Park Service (2007)

[wandering-jana]

Joshua Tree National Park, California

Oct. 2018

[thestuffinginside]

Dilyéhé's views from up top | Tuzigoot NM

Outfit details:

Beanie, scarf, dress, and cargo jacket — SillyMonkeyDollStuff on Etsy

Boots — GOTY 2013 Saige's meet outfit boots

[shutterandsentence]

Just because it's winter doesn't mean you can't have adventures!

Photo: Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

[constantlyfalling]

Bison.

[theslowtravel]

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park