From a hiring freeze that could cripple parks during the upcoming busy season to a blanket invitation sent out to all federal employees to resign, NPS staffers have faced a volley of presidential edicts unusual for this early in a new administration and aimed at cutting their ranks.

Washington state is home to three national parks that rely on seasonal workers in the summer when there are hundreds of thousands of visitors.

About 2,000 permanent and seasonal jobs have been affected from a federal freeze. The freeze could also exacerbate a massive maintenance backlog that amounts to more than $23 billion as of 2023.

The National Park Service rescinded roughly 400 job offers for seasonal positions, prompting concerns that parks could be short-staffed during the summer.

A Trump administration hiring freeze is turning many experienced National Park, Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management seasonal workers to other industries.

At least 400 seasonal positions have been rescinded, but the number could be much higher as parks prepare for the busy season.

We are hopeful that the park's able to do what they need to do with hiring this year, but it is a major aspect,” Eaton said. Friends of Acadia and Downeast

The current hold on seasonal hiring by the National Park Service has some candidates looking elsewhere for work this summer.

The National Park Service is rescinding job offers across California and beyond during Trump's federal hiring freeze.