Since 1916, the National Park Service has tended the United States’ parks, monuments, and reserves. And in my personal experience, park rangers have always been incredibly helpful and knowledgable when I’ve encountered them out on the trails.
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However, 1,000 National Park Service employees were recently fired as part of billionaire Elon Musk and his DOGE bros’ plan to “eliminate government waste” under President Donald Trump’s administration. Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association, told AP that these cuts “are pushing an already overwhelmed Park Service to its breaking point. And the consequences will be felt in our parks for years.”
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On TikTok, several fired National Park Service employees are sharing videos that highlight all the important work they did for the public, like this video from @chaotic_harmony_irl that has been viewed over 4 million times.
Her post (and others like it) really go to show just how much park rangers do that the general public might not be aware of.
They keep park visitors safe.
They educate us about the natural world.
And they do important research into things like water safety.
Plus, they know where all the best hikes are.
Another user, @mountainmikayla, shared a similar video starting with “You didn’t hate us when…” Her video has been viewed over 2 million times.
She highlighted other important duties, like searching for lost hikers.
Protecting visitors from potentially dangerous wildlife encounters.
Studying the trees and gathering data when they get sick.
Sharing their love for nature with the next generation.
And keeping the roads clear so visitors can finally cross that special spot off their bucket lists.
In the comments, people thanked the rangers for all that they have done for the parks and the people who visit them:
And shared fond memories of their own interactions with park rangers:
Including times when rangers literally saved their lives:
And fellow fired rangers commiserated:
Finally, this comment really says it all:
