Washington State to Layoff Park Rangers

In the state of Washington there is a fair amount of parkland to be maintained, and millions of visitors enjoy the unspoiled wilderness. When something goes wrong whether its is campers who have gotten drunk and are acting unsafely or simply found themselves in the middle of nowhere without the means to make it back to the gates, it is a park ranger who comes to make it right. While in the pantheon of the parks systems they may not have the most power or prestige they are the boots on the ground workers who make things happen, or prevent them from happening as the case may be.

In order to help keep themselves fiscally solvent the state Parks and Recreation Commission is getting ready to let go of some of the rangers. This is really not a shock as just about every government agency on every level has been getting rid of staff in order to make ends meet in these lean times.

What is surprising is the response that they are getting from lawmakers of all people. This week the state Parks and Recreation Commission was sent a letter from a bipartisan group of lawmakers that implored them to hold off on sending out layoff notices to their employees, at least until after the state legislature reconvenes in the New Year. That was the lawmakers could help the organization to keep more jobs on the books and more boots on the ground.

The ranger layoff, which has been called massive by some, is slated to remove almost half of the currently employed rangers form the department. Currently, the department employs 189 full time, year round park rangers. While some of these layoffs are simply a clean break, other workers have been issued an offer of seasonal employment by the department. While that may be better than being out of a job full time, it is little comfort if you need to pay your bills and feed your family full time.

What few people realize is that a park ranger is not just a person in a jeep. He or she is a fully commissioned member of the law enforcement community with a wide range of duties to take care of.  The fear is that in this case, as with any law enforcement layoff scenario, the changes will become permanent.

As one member of the state legislature, Rep. Mike Armstrong, told a reporter for the Seattle Times, “If we take half of the park rangers away, we’re never going to get those people back. These people are very qualified for what they do.”

While member of the legislature urged decision makers to hold off the park authorities pointed out that holding onto the staffers on the payroll will cost the organization about $750,000 each month and therefore they are unlikely to be able to wait for the legislature to come to a decision.

If nothing changes the final layoff notices are expected to go out next Wednesday, after the holiday.