Seasonal Employment Reinstated, Expanded At National Parks

“Great development,” as Trump admin caves to public pressure

According to a manager at a major national park, the outcry around job losses in the National Park Service has forced the administration to reverse the cancellation of seasonal hires, and may actually be expanding the number of potential jobs available under the program.

To recap, a “hiring freeze” imposed by President Trump as part of his day one executive orders was supposed to exclude seasonal park service roles. NPS hires 6,000 to 7,500 seasonal employees each summer, scaling to meet the demand of peak seasonal visitation and summer maintenance. But despite the exclusion, NPS contractors who’d already been hired began receiving emails cancelling their contracts in late January.

It’s difficult to fully convey the importance of seasonal jobs at NPS, especially given the fun perception around working at a national park in the summer. But in rea…