TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — After the Trump administration fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees last week, Saguaro National Park is already feeling the impact.
Two permanent staff members who worked at the visitor center were terminated, according to Fred Stula, executive director of Friends of Saguaro National Park, a nonprofit partner of the park.
"The reason that I know that is because they're both former 'next gens' that actually reached out to me to tell me that their positions had been terminated," Stula said.
Stula explained that the 'Next Gen' program prepares interns to enter the park workforce. Despite the firings, Friends of Saguaro is providing contract work for those employees.
"There's been a lot of time and effort and personal effort invested in them," Stula said. "To just have them not be able to continue something that they're very passionate about and love, that's something that wasn’t OK for Friends and for our board."
Now, the visitor center is closed on Mondays and open six days a week instead of seven.
"I've never seen anything like it," said longtime Tucson resident Chantelle Khambholja, who hikes whenever she can, often alongside tourists. She worries about the safety implications for those unfamiliar with the harsh desert environment.
“They're not used to this kind of heat, and my concern is that it's going to become a public health problem in the summer when it's really hot and there are people who are pretty unprepared for the weather and don’t know very much about the animals that we have here, like rattlesnakes and Gila monsters,” Khambholja said.
She says the visitor center provides valuable resources on how to stay safe on the trails.
"Every time I've ever driven through a National Park, they've been so helpful in educating me about trail conditions, giving me a map of the park if I don't have one, giving me a heads-up about weather conditions in the area, especially if I'm not from there," she said.
However, on Tuesday, though the visitor center was open, even the fee ranger was absent, a result of the ongoing understaffing issue at Saguaro.
Despite the firings, Friends of Saguaro is providing work for those employees. The National Park Service has announced plans to hire up to 7,700 seasonal workers this year. However, Stula emphasized that while it's a step in the right direction, this would not replace the loss of year-round staff.
“They can help increase the capacity and help the park achieve a lot of their goals. But it's not a replacement for permanent staff. Seasonal employees aren't able to provide that same kind of continuity of service,” he said.
He referred to an example at Saguaro, where permanent employees run the environmental education program.
"Having a relationship with a school on a year-to-year basis, to know who to reach out to for a transportation reimbursement, who to reach out to to schedule a hiking club program or a field trip, those are really important kinds of institutional things where seasonal employees aren't able to provide that same kind of continuity of service," Stula said.
For hikers like Khambholja, the hope is that the next trail leads to change.
“I don’t think that they should have lost their jobs. As a citizen, I think for us it’s important to hold leadership accountable. Our representatives, get them involved and get some action on the parks,” Khambholja said.
KGUN 9 reached out to the National Park Service and did not receive a response.
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Maria Staubs joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist and producer in July of 2024. Her passion for writing and storytelling stems from anchoring her middle school’s news show and editing her high school’s yearbook. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication with a minor in film and media production, as well as a master's degree in mass communication. You can email Maria at maria.staubs@kgun9.com or reach out to her on X/Twitter or Instagram.
