The Cuyahoga Valley National Park lost a biologist, maintenance worker, engineer and planner to federally mandated job cuts last week, and park officials remain concerned about the longterm effect the cutbacks will have.
The layoffs at CVNP were among about 1,000 cuts to probationary employees at the National Park Service. All four of the potions cut were essential to the CVNP operations, said Deb Yandala, the president and CEO of the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
"These were outstanding performers, at least in our case. It's just that they had not worked for the agency all that long," Yandala said. "They're mid-career people, several of them. They had just come to Cuyahoga Valley National Park from other careers, and they got their dream job with the National Park Service."
The biologist worked on research efforts around the protection and preservation of natural resources, Yandala said. The engineer was hired to manage infrastructure issues at the park, from roads and bridges to wetland protection.
CVNP was set to enter the implementation phase of the Brandywine Golf Course project this year, Yandala said, which will restore nearly 200 acres of public, natural habitat.
But the recent layoffs will affect park maintenance, restoration and environmental protection at the park, she said, and will slow the golf course project.
"There are several streams on that property that were buried by the folks that owned the golf course decades ago, and we'd like to daylight those streams and get them back into being naturally flowing streams," Yandala said. "Losing that expertise around that project alone is really difficult."
The planner also worked on the Cuyahoga Valley water trail that would develop plans for kayak launch and landing points along the Cuyahoga River, Yandala said. This project timeline may also be affected by the job cuts, she said.
"With these layoffs, you're not only losing really talented people, you're losing the positions," Yandala said. "These are all very key positions, and we are really sad about losing them"
The state of CVNP's budget
Before the layoffs, CVNP and other national parks were already underfunded and understaffed even as visitation increased, Yandala said.
"The federal budget has squeezed national parks to the point where they've really been bare bones in their budgets," she said. "We've had this challenge of more visitation and fewer staff to serve the needs of our visitors."
CVNP visitation began to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, Yandala. Visits in 2020 increased 23% from the year prior, according to the park.
Now, CVNP is preparing for the busy season that will begin in mid-April and last through November.
The park plans to hire 40 seasonal employees to assist with trail maintenance, restroom cleaning services and visitor center operations, but some of the funding that will to cover the cost of these workers is still frozen, Yandala said.
"We're not optimistic that the Park Service will be able to hire as many seasonals as we've had in the past," she said.
Park maintenance and operations will likely be affected by the federal action, Yandala said, but CVNP remains committed to free, public access to the park.
"We worry if there are increased cutbacks, how that will impact people's experience in the park," Yandala said. "Conservancy will work really hard to continue to advocate for the park and also provide the kind of programming and the kind of open opportunities ... so that people can have this place of physical health, mental health, and safety."
Calls for public support
For members of the public concerned about protection of and access to the CVNP and other National Parks, Yandala said the best thing to do is contact congressional officials.
"Let them know that national parks matter and that they care about their national parks," she said.
Yandala also recommends volunteering to support the national parks directly.
"And they can get involved in the friends groups of national parks like the Conservancy," she said. "Help us make a difference in our national parks."
