Florida national parks being impacted by staffing reductions

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Staffing reductions are impacting Florida’s nationwide parks.

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Guests from throughout the nation, like Teague Tevitt from Wisconsin and Mark Eberhardt from Indianapolis, make the journey to expertise Everglades Nationwide Park.

“We now have an 11-year-old son who desires to see some gators,” mentioned Tevitt.

“We flew right down to Miami and have been touring all of the totally different keys and all of the totally different areas, taking all of it in,” mentioned Eberhardt.

Guests are hopeful that federal funding and staffing cuts don’t minimize into our nation’s treasures and pristine public land.

“We go to a couple of nationwide parks all all through america,” mentioned Eberhardt. “I get a little bit involved however I believe they are going to handle the parks. I believe it’s a part of the character of America to maintain what we’ve and it’s an asset so I hope they maintain it within the budgets. I’m not too fearful about it.”

Added Tevitt: “I believe it’s a very regarding time to be chopping very important assets from our parks and the individuals who benefit from the parks.”

The Affiliation of Nationwide Park Rangers confirmed a number of nationwide parks in Florida have already been hit with staffing reductions this month, to incorporate one place at Huge Cypress Nationwide Park, three at Biscayne Nationwide Park and 12 positions at Everglades Nationwide Park.

“This creates actual issues for actual folks and actual assets too are in danger,” mentioned Tevitt.

The Friday earlier than inauguration, to cut back wildfire danger, the Nationwide Park Service introduced a prescribed fireplace undertaking scheduled to start late January, in partnership with the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The South Florida undertaking it mentioned would help in ecosystem restoration, enhance firefighter and public security.

Two weeks in the past a submit on X mentioned park rangers at Everglades Nationwide Park and Huge Cypress Nationwide Protect have determined to postpone.

A Nationwide Park Service worker instructed Native 10 Information one consideration, climate circumstances, involved tribal member Betty Osceola.

One other worker mentioned funding, that the postponement was partially on account of federal price range cuts, acknowledged Osceola, who added that as an everglades advocate, it’s irritating to see an vital environmental and on this case public security undertaking probably caught within the crossfire.

“It’s actually a disgrace,” mentioned Tevitt. “If you wish to minimize issues you must do with a scalpel and never a chainsaw.”

Native 10 Information has reached out to the Nationwide Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the chairman of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, however solely the NPS responded as of the time of this story’s publication. Its assertion is beneath:

No parks are anticipated to be closed on account of staffing. The Nationwide Park Service is hiring seasonal staff to proceed enhancing the customer expertise as we embrace new alternatives for optimization and innovation in workforce administration. We’re targeted on guaranteeing that each customer has the possibility to discover and join with the unimaginable, iconic areas of our nationwide parks. As all the time, guests ought to the Parks web site to make sure there should not hostile climate circumstances site visitors congestion, and many others. that will influence their journey.

Prescribed burns are persevering with for DOI.

J. Elizabeth Peace, Senior Public Affairs Specialist, Workplace of the Secretary, U.S. Division of the Inside

ADDITIONAL INFO

• According to a NPS January 17, 2025 news release: “The undertaking goals to cut back hazardous gas accumulations, create a important fireplace break on the south aspect of the Miccosukee Reserved Space to guard the Tribal Neighborhood from wildfire, improve panorama resiliency, help in ecosystem restoration, shield cultural values and enhance firefighter and public security.”
• “In one case, the freeze to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act funding, mixed with orders limiting journey by some federal staff, compelled the Nationwide Park Service to cancel an enormous prescribed burn scheduled for January and February in Everglades Nationwide Park and Huge Cypress Nationwide Protect, ProPublica has confirmed. Prescribed burns assist stop catastrophic wildfires by clearing vegetation that serves as gas, and the meticulously deliberate 151,434-acre Florida fireplace — to cowl greater than six instances the land space of close by Miami — was additionally meant to guard a Native American reservation and enhance ecological biodiversity.”