PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Cuts to the federal government have resulted in people who work on managing protected lands, like Everglades National Park, losing their jobs. Multiple interest groups are now warning the public about the potential impact.
The National Wildlife Refuge Association said 370 employees were removed from their positions at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.
The group told WPTV that at least six people were removed or fired from their positions at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge near Boynton Beach.
In a February Facebook post, Friends of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge said three employees were fired.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it doesn’t comment on personnel issues. However, when we asked about the alleged cuts, she sent a statement acknowledging it's "prioritizing fiscal responsibility."
"The USFWS reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the American public and the fish, wildlife and natural resources we manage," said Laury Marshall, the acting chief of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Public Affairs. "We are working closely with the Office of Personnel Management to ensure we are prioritizing fiscal responsibility for the American people."
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Mark Musaus, who said he used to manage the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, said the cuts come after years of their workforce being cut. He said these cuts will make it more difficult to protect over 140,000 acres of designated land.
"When you lose staff capacity," Musaus said, "it puts the staff under tremendous stress. The service employees are just passionate people. They're not in it for the money."
He said these employees protect visitors, manage the land and work to remove evasive species.
Matt Schwartz, who is the executive director for the South Florida Wildlands Association, described the role for these employees as like a gardener tending to a backyard — except the garden is 140,000 acres of land. He said reducing the number of employees will make the job harder to reduce invasive species, which could potentially destroy the area's biodiversity.
"Because they [invasive species] will choke out the refuge," Schwartz said. "If they are not being managed. They will literally grow over the vegetation that's there and make that vegetation unusable to the wildlife."
The association of national park rangers said 12 employees lost their jobs at Everglades National Park. The National Park Service acknowledged the staffing reductions and said it's working to mitigate the impact on seasonal workers.
