Uncertainty Regarding Fired Federal Crew Members
As many of you have seen and supported, Sitka Trail Works launched a Save A Crew Campaign to rehire displaced federal Forest Service Employees who were fired in February. We’ve been blown away by the community support for public lands and terminated workers. In just one month, over 280 people have donated to the effort to keep a trail crew in Sitka.
Due to recent oversight board rulings, there is some confusion on where the funds raised from our campaign will be going, so we wanted to provide an update with what we know.
The termination of federal employees is facing legal challenges. A federal review board determined that the Office of Personnel Management lacked the authority to directly fire probationary employees. The USDA is being forced to temporarily reinstate the terminated employees but has only committed to returning those employees to work for 45 days. Meanwhile, the Administration and USDA are still threatening widespread reductions in staffing, which could affect the crew or the support staff on the Ranger District’s recreation team that plan projects and keep the crew working smoothly. No one is confident that the crew will be fully reinstated and able to function as normal this season, given the ongoing cuts to funding, the threat of layoffs, and the general uncertainty at the agency. With this in mind, our goal remains the same, to serve our community by preserving access to public lands as best we can. All funds raised will help us adapt to changes and ensure Sitka has a local crew to respond to maintenance needs across the community. We hope that the USFS crew is fully reinstated and able to work, but fear that ongoing threats to the agency have already undermined their efficacy for this season. We will use the contributed funds to hire any USFS crew members looking for work or hire other locals to keep trails open regardless of USFS capacity.
With your tremendous support, we’ve already hired one terminated Forest Service worker. Other impacted crew members are still forming their plans for the year. Regardless of their decisions, thanks to your contributions, Sitka Trail Works will be able to hire a local crew to fill some of the gaps created by the Forest Service cuts. It is inspiring to see people show up to defend access in the Tongass National Forest and our local public lands. We are rapidly preparing for the summer season and already tackling volunteer projects on local trails. So far this season, over 60 volunteers have helped clear brush on the Sawmill Creek Pathway and replenish gravel on Yaw Drive Cross Trail Connector! You can sign up to receive updates on future volunteer events here.
If you know others who might want to support this cause, please keep sharing our fundraiser! You can share the link here: tinyurl.com/SaveACrew
Thank you again to the hundreds of people who have supported and please feel free to let us know if you have more questions on the campaign. We are committed to transparency and ensuring your dollars are put to work!
Contact ben(at)sitkatrailworks.org with further questions.
