YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Snow rings the famous stone arch leading to the North Entrance for Yellowstone National Park right now, but before long, springtime visitors will be driving up and looking for services.
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There was concern that layoffs at the small and already strapped National Park Service would erode visitor services this year. That’s because 1,000 permanent park staff nationwide are being laid off. Also, all seasonal hiring for this year was put on hold. That hold was released, but originally only 5,000 workers were authorized, down from 6,300 in 2024. Now, that has changed again, with 7,700 seasonal workers approved for 2025.
“Well that's very encouraging,” said Dale Sexton, the co-owner of Dan Bailey’s sporting goods store in Livingston. But he still has concerns.
Sexton added, “ I mean we were taken aback the fact that the prospect, that perhaps there was gonna be very limited seasonal stuff in Yellowstone this summer and that's, that's alarming, to say the least.”
Someone not as concerned is Montana U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke (R-First District). He said during the News Nation podcast for The Hill, “I like what DOGE is doing. Let’s shake it up because business as usual is not working in the great outdoors.”
Sexton on the other hand is worried about how the layoff of permanent staff will affect parks. He said, “When we start talking about economics then you know those powers that be they tend to—'Oh jobs, money, unfortunately that's where we have to go.' And you know, for me personally it's more about the resource, but obviously I'm invested for, business doesn't do well that affects us economically, it affects my staff.”
Also affected is Richard Midgette, a former IT worker at Yellowstone who was laid off less than two months into his job. With a shaky voice he detailed what getting that notice was like: “And so I had to go on on that Friday, on Valentine's Day with that expectation I'd be fired and I would I'd lose my health insurance, I'd lose my income.”
He has a chronic condition and is worried he will no longer be able to afford a prescription he needs. Midgette has to hold out for about three months. He said he expects to return to a job he had with Yellowstone concessioner, Xanterra. But that job won’t start until the beginning of the summer season.
Asked if getting a private sector job isn’t exactly what those advocating the federal layoffs want people to do, Midgette said, “It’s missing the point because a lot of people that hold these jobs aren't doing it to have money, and you can make more money in the private sector, especially in technology—are you kidding me?”
Senior U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) said in a statement, “As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, I have seen firsthand the issues facing our public lands and I’m always looking for ways to address these issues. I’ll continue to work with USDA and the DOI to make sure we have personnel in place to protect our lands and our outdoor way of life.”
While Washington works out hiring and firing for federal workers, Midgette said the uncertainty about the future is hurting morale in Yellowstone: “It’s not a happy place to be for a lot of people right now and it's supposed to be that kind of dream job, dream location that doesn't pay well but you're doing a great service to the American people.”
In Livingston, a group of businesses are meeting and working on a plan to re-constitute the Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition. The group successfully opposed mining near the border of the park in the past. Sexton said it’s time for those who depend on the park for their livelihoods to step up again. He added, “Mountains can be moved when they need to be.”
