Mass Firings, Lease Terminations, Logging Expansion, and the Local Fight to Save National Parks
The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency has announced over 700 lease terminations for federal offices across multiple agencies.
These cancellations include dozens of offices used by environmental and energy agencies, impacting EPA scientists, National Park Service officials, and energy regulators. Additionally, the administration has released a list of more than 400 federal buildings designated for disposal.
At the Department of the Interior, officials are considering closing up to 164 offices nationwide, including 27% of all Bureau of Indian Affairs locations. That’s according to North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA), who released a list of the proposed closures that would shutter 2 million square feet of office space nationwide.
In California, nine offices are slated to shut down, with Huffman’s district (CA-2) facing the most closures. Among those at risk are the National Park Service office in Arcata, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Arcata, the BLM office in Ukiah, and the Bureau of Reclamation office in Weaverville.
Protests Erupt in Response
In response, concerned citizens are taking to the streets. Protests have ranged from small grassroots gatherings at the Garberville Town Clock to larger demonstrations at the Eureka Courthouse. These actions are part of a nationwide movement, including a recent demonstration in Orick against the mass firing of staff at Redwood National Park, home to the world’s tallest trees.
To learn more about the protests and their local and national impact, KMUD News spoke with Emma Dendler, a Cal Poly Humboldt student, social media influencer (@thesimpleenvironmentalist), and organizer of the Orick protest.
A Personal Fight for Public Lands
Dendler describes herself as a passionate environmental advocate, deeply connected to public lands—not just as a nature lover but also as the wife of a ranger at Redwood National Park. That job, like many others, is now at risk.
“This was actually my first protest ever, and this is an issue that means a lot to me,” Dendler said. “Once I knew my husband’s job and my friends’ jobs were on the line—as well as our public lands, clean air, clean water, and wildlife—I knew I had to act. Now’s the time to put my words into action.”
She helped organize the Orick demonstration as part of the Resistance Rangers movement, a coalition of “over 730 off-duty park rangers” advocating for the protection of public lands and reinstatement of fired staff.
“Redwood National Park might be small, but it has such a big impact on the community. There’s a long history of environmental activism here, and I wanted to emphasize that again,” she added.
Nationwide Movement Gains Momentum
The Resistance Rangers movement gained national attention when Yosemite National Park employees protested by hanging an upside-down American flag on El Capitan—a symbol of distress over the mass firings.
In response, the group organized the “Protect Your Parks Protest”, which saw tens of thousands of people rallying at National Parks, Monuments, and Historic Sites across the country. The group estimates that over 12,000 participants gathered at more than 170 park sites, demanding the reinstatement of the approx. 3,400 federal workers terminated in February.
Uncertainty and Fear Among Park Employees
Dendler says the impact of these cuts is already being felt locally.
“One of our close friends lost their job after moving here specifically for that position. My husband is still in his probationary period, so theoretically, he could lose his job at any time. Every day he goes to work, we’re anxious. Every time he gets an email from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) or the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), we’re anxious. Everything’s up in the air—his job, our livelihood,” she said.
She described feeling whiplash as some of Trump’s executive orders were either temporarily blocked by judges or rescinded, creating a state of chaos and uncertainty.
“It’s always uncertain, right? Because, like, is it true? Is it going to be reversed tomorrow? Isit going to actually go into effect? So ultimately, we just try to ignore what goes on in the media and wait for him to actually get directive from his supervisors, from his leadership, and then stuff like this reversal is also really unfortunate, because had that been passed, you know,three weeks ago, my friend wouldn’t have lost their job. 1000s of rangers have already lost their job, and they are not going to get them back” she added.
Logging Expansion Threatens Forests
In another major move affecting national parks, Trump has issued an executive order expanding logging across 280 million acres of national forests and public lands. The order claims that restrictive federal policies have increased reliance on foreign timber imports and argues that domestic logging is essential for national and economic security.
Under this directive, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have been instructed to increase timber production and use emergency powers to bypass Endangered Species Act protections, raising concerns over the destruction of ecologically significant forests.
Dendler, who lives in a timber-heavy region, fears the consequences.
“When Trump got re-elected, I knew it wasn’t going to be good news for public lands,” she said. “Looking at his first term, it’s clear that this will be bad news for the planet, for ecosystems, for everything.”
EPIC Sounds the Alarm
The Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) has issued an action alert, warning that the Northwest Forest Plan—which provides key environmental protections—is at risk of being dismantled.
“We have been watching President Trump’s second term with great alarm,” said Tom Wheeler, executive director of EPIC, which has advocated for forest conservation in Northern California for over four decades.
He explained that the administration is pushing federal agencies to weaken environmental laws and may declare emergencies to bypass regulations altogether.
“This is so extreme that the executive order also hints that they know that species may go extinct because of this rapid increase in federal logging,” Wheeler said.
What’s Next for Conservation Efforts?
Less than 5% of the original old-growth coast redwood forests remain, due to centuries of extensive logging. Before leaving office, the Biden administration abandoned its proposed National Old-Growth Amendment, a move met with mixed emotions.
Wheeler believes the decision may have been strategic, as any new protections could have been overturned by Congress under the Congressional Review Act.
“We’ve survived bad times before. We survived Reagan, Bush, and Trump’s first term,” Wheeler said. “But this second Trump term is more ruthless, and the threat is greater. It’s all hands on deck. EPIC will continue using environmental laws and lawsuits to fight back, but we may also see renewed civil disobedience, blockades, and tree-sits—just like in the past.”
To learn more about EPIC’s efforts to protect old-growth forests, visit wildcalifornia.org.
KMUD News will continue to report on these developments.
