We denounce the Trump administration’s decision to fire 4,400+ federal public lands stewards at the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other agencies without cause. These decisions are cruel, disrupting the lives of our families, friends, and neighbors who have dedicated their lives in service of our country. These decisions are also reckless, leaving our public lands, environment, and natural resources exposed to exploitation and harm and dramatically weakening the capacity of federal agencies to respond to wildfire, drought, and other extreme events. The Trump administration’s actions–driven by the whims of an unelected billionaire reaping millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars each day for his private businesses–leaves our country less safe.
We say this in full recognition of the fact that we have often disagreed with these land management agencies, pressing them to manage public lands, the environment, and natural resources in services of the public good. But we have done so with the utmost respect and appreciation for their service and in light of a common value: That holding public lands in trust for all people is an essential element of our country’s strength, character, and resilience. They deserve far more than the arrogance, cruelty, and mindlessness exhibited by President Trump and Elon Musk–behavior that shows how out of touch they are with Westerners and the other people of this country. As found in the 2024 Conservation in the West Poll, 52% of Republicans, 72% of Independents, and 89% of Democrats prioritize conservation over energy production and a majority of Westerners oppose the removal of public lands protections.
“Federal public lands workers who have patriotically served the public interest and stewarded our most treasured, special places have been betrayed by a petty tyrant and unelected billionaire,” said Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, executive director of the Western Environmental Law Center. “Without our federal employees, we are less safe as a country and our public lands are exposed to misuse and abuse that is at grave risk of going unaccounted for and unchecked. We say to these dedicated civil servants now: We see you. We stand with you. And we–along with millions of Americans–support and appreciate you and the good work you have done and will do for this country. We hope that you will not be silent but will stand, loudly, for the public lands values we share.”
As an organization whose very mission is geared to holding federal agencies accountable to the law and people of this country, we also state, without reservation: The reckless actions taken by this administration have nothing to do with “government efficiency.” Instead, they reflect a long-range plan, put in motion decades ago. This is not about “government efficiency” when salaries of federal workers make up only a small fraction of the total federal budget. For decades, the anti-government forces of the right have sabotaged federal agencies by denying them the funding they need to function well. They then use this to advocate for further cuts or privatization. We have seen this with repeated, if failed, attempts to sell off public lands, as well as with attacks on Obamacare, the Veterans Affairs department, Social Security, the U.S. Postal Service, and now the Department of Education, USAID, Medicaid, and Medicare.
“The efforts now underway by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE flout the U.S. Constitution, undermine the rule of law, and sabotage the capacity of the federal government to serve the interests of the American people,” said Schlenker-Goodrich. “The Trump administration and DOGE are trying to privatize and radically subvert the government to serve billionaire and corporate interests. This is not speculation. It could not be more obvious.”
We leave you with a salient quote: “The silken rush of woodland waters and the scoured shapes of the desert—these and countless other treasures we owe to those farsighted enough to have preserved the public lands that make up our inheritance” — T. H. Watkins
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