ProPublica reports that late in February National Parks sites across the country received an email on “talking points” after the round of firings of staff that started on Valentine’s Day. The email said never to refer to the firings as firings, but to say this was “attrition” and “workforce management actions.” The email said that the National Park Service should be described by spokespeople as “prioritizing fiscal responsibility” and “staffing to meet the evolving needs of our visitors.”
As visitors find out about the cutbacks, rangers have been instructed to say “we are not able to address park or program-level impacts at this time” in response to questions.
Even though some gates to National Parks have been closed and visitors’ centers have reduced hours or staffing, Park Service staffers were told to instruct visitors that they will be assured of having a “memorable and meaningful experiences for all.”
In spite of the talking points that obscure what is going on, a spokesperson to ProPublica that the Service is not trying to “silence” Park rangers and other staff. The spokesperson then criticized rangers for speaking out to the media about this.
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