Rally planned for support of national parks as GOP visits Glacier Wednesday
Chris Peterson | Hungry Horse News | UPDATED 1 year AGO
People rally for Glacier National Park in this photo earlier this year. They'll do it again this Wednesday in West Glacier, as the GOP Western Caucus visits. (Chris Peterson file photo)
Local organizers are preparing a rally in support of Glacier National Park and other national parks on Wednesday morning in West Glacier.
The rally is in conjunction with the Republican Western Caucus visiting Glacier and the Flathead Valley the same day, said organizer Suzanne Hildner.
"Conservationists want to use the opportunity to support the Park and to remind members of the Caucus that they need to reinstate park employees and funding cut by the Trump Administration. This is a positive, supportive rally to keep the pressure on Montana Sens. Steve Daines, Tim Sheehy, and Congressman Ryan Zinke. Please come, even for an hour if you can,” Hildner said in an email shared with the Hungry Horse News.
While Glacier is seeing staffing cuts and reductions in force in key positions, it’s also experiencing a surge in visitation.
Visitation for June was up 7.5% while park staffing, according to multiple sources, is down significantly.
Glacier is down seven rangers, including a permanent chief ranger (it does have an acting chief ranger), five firefighters and has about 289 seasonal employees this summer, which is down from its typical hiring of about 330 seasonal employees.
All told, about 25% of its permanent and permanent seasonal staff has been cut, sources say.
The Department of Government efficiency cuts have come to Glacier in a variety of ways. Some were early retirements, some were a deferred resignation, where an employee could resign now and get paid into September, and others appear to be reductions in force.
The problem with the early retirements is there’s a hiring freeze until October, so the positions have gone unfilled.
Hildner said the rally will be near the West Glacier Post Office. They did not want to have it inside the park, which would put an undue burden on staff that is already stretched thin.
It starts at 11 a.m.
People who join are asked to keep a positive message that supports Glacier and park employees, she said.