OHV Community Feeling The Impacts Of The Hiring Freeze
According to our resident land use advocate Don Amador, the recent DOGE oversight has resulted in a hiring freeze and impending layoffs with the unintended consequence of land closures and lock outs of public recreational areas due to a lack of staffing. “U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have been underfunded for decades and rely heavily on seasonal and temporary workers to provide many essential services to support recreation,” he notes in a recent Americans for Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA) newsletter. “With the spring/summer tourism season rapidly approaching, the staffing cuts could not have come at a worse time.”
The members of ARRA — which include horseback riders, personal watercraft users, off-highway vehicle and snowmobile riders as well as vacationing families — have joined together to provide input on decisions regarding land use designation, recreation opportunities and preservation.
“The on-again off-again cuts may lead to closures of popular multiple-use trails and campgrounds used by millions of American families,” cautions the consortium of ARRA members. “The affected staff provide critical on-the-ground services that include clearing fallen trees off trails, cleaning and stocking public restrooms, monitoring water spigots, installing trail signage, updating information kiosks with travel and public safety information, supporting law enforcement during search and rescue operations, and making sure campfires are drowned out.”
Amador adds the seasonal and probationary staff are also critical to pre- and post-wildfire mitigation and recovery efforts. “They serve as a force multiplier to the career staff by supporting prescribed fire projects and wildfire suppression activities,” he explains. ARRA is also concerned about the long-term impacts these staff layoffs will have on the capacity of career staff to manage recreation facilities and provide access to high-quality outdoor recreation opportunities for the 2025 tourism season and the downward pressure it will have on local recreation economies.
ARRA thanks the members who wrote to their members of Congress urging immediate action to ensure that land agencies have adequate field staff to manage federal lands responsibly. Learn more at: https://arra-access.com/about-us/
