A Nationwide Movement to Protect National Parks and Public Lands
Introduction: A Wave of Protests Across the Country
On a crisp Saturday morning, hundreds of Americans gathered at national parks stretching from the sun-kissed deserts of California to the lush forests of Maine. These gatherings were not merely casual meetups or sightseeing trips but acts of defiance and solidarity. The catalyst for this nationwide movement? The Trump administration’s controversial decision to fire at least 1,000 National Park Service employees in February, a move that sparked outrage and mobilized a grassroots resistance. The protests were organized by a group called the Resistance Rangers, a collective of around 700 off-duty rangers, many of whom had been directly affected by the firings. Their mission? To stand against what they viewed as a broader assault on public lands, including job cuts, resource extraction, and potential threats to national monuments.
By the afternoon, demonstrations had taken place at no fewer than 145 of the country’s 433 national park sites, according to Nick Graver, a 30-year-old graduate student who played a key role in organizing the protest at Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. The protests were not limited to iconic destinations like Yosemite, Acadia, and Yellowstone but also included lesser-known sites such as Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa. The National Park Service, while acknowledging the protesters’ right to express their views, emphasized its commitment to maintaining the safety of both participants and park resources.
The Resistance Rangers: A Fight for Public Lands
At the heart of the protests was the Resistance Rangers, a group of current and former National Park Service employees who sought to bring national attention to what they perceived as an existential threat to public lands. The group’s primary concerns extended beyond the recent firings, which disproportionately affected federal employees with less than a year of service. They also drew attention to the administration’s push for resource extraction on public lands and a proposed policy that could strip the president of the power to designate national monuments. For many in the group, these moves represented a fundamental shift in how the government views and manages its natural and cultural treasures.
Nick Graver, who helped organize the Joshua Tree protest, encapsulated the group’s concerns, stating that the firings were part of a larger pattern of disregard for public lands and the people who dedicated their lives to protecting them. “What’s happening right now is wrong,” echoed Deborah Anderson, a 52-year-old protester who has lived near Joshua Tree for decades. “I get if people want to make the government more efficient, but how they’re doing it—these are illegal firings.”
Protests at Iconic and Obscure Parks Alike
The protests were as diverse as the parks themselves, with demonstrators gathering at both iconic landmarks and lesser-known sites. At Yosemite National Park in Northern California, tensions ran particularly high, with employees unfurling upside-down American flags at iconic sites like Yosemite Falls and El Capitan. The upside-down flag, a symbolic gesture of distress, reflected the deep sense of unease among park employees and supporters. In Maine’s Acadia National Park, protesters braved the chilly spring air to voice their opposition, while in Virginia’s Great Falls Park, demonstrators lined the pathways, holding signs and engaging with visitors.
One of the lesser-known sites to see a protest was Effigy Mounds National Monument in northeastern Iowa, where about 150 people gathered to express their support for public lands. The monument, situated along the Mississippi River, is known for its ancient Native American earthworks and holds significant cultural and historical value. Among the demonstrators was Brian Gibbs, a 41-year-old former park employee who had been fired in February. For Gibbs, the monument was more than just a workplace—it was a place of profound personal significance, where he had shared countless memories with his family.
Personal Stories: The Human Cost of the Firings
Brian Gibbs’ story was one of many that highlighted the human impact of the recent firings. A passionate advocate for conservation and education, Gibbs had worked as an education technician at Effigy Mounds, leading guided hikes, visiting school classrooms, and designing programs like a winter bird walk. He had been in the process of developing a guided snowshoe tour of a section of the park with a dense collection of Native American mounds when he was abruptly let go on Valentine’s Day. The loss of his job was not just a professional setback but a personal blow, given the deep connection he felt to the land.
Gibbs’ connection to Effigy Mounds went back to his childhood, when his father would take him camping there. As an adult, he had proposed to his wife in the same area, and later, he and his family had taken their 4-year-old son on his first hiking trip there. “It never crossed my mind that they would become a target” of a presidential administration, Gibbs reflected, his voice tinged with disbelief. The transformation of the monument into a protest site was, for him, a “volcanic moment”—a powerful reminder of the fragility of the lands he loved and the importance of standing up to protect them.
Symbolic Acts of Resistance: Flags, Signs, and Stories
The protests were not just about numbers; they were about symbols, stories, and the collective expression of a shared value system. At Yosemite, the upside-down American flags waving across iconic sites like Yosemite Falls and El Capitan served as a stark visual reminder of the protesters’ sense of distress and betrayal. Similarly, at Effigy Mounds, demonstrators carried signs featuring the Lorax, the Dr. Seuss character who “speaks for the trees,” and Smokey Bear, the beloved icon of wildfire prevention. These symbols were not mere decorations; they were powerful reminders of the enduring importance of conservation and the need to protect the nation’s natural heritage.
The stories of individuals like Brian Gibbs and Deborah Anderson added a human dimension to the protests, illustrating the real-world consequences of policy decisions that might otherwise seem abstract. Their voices, along with those of hundreds of others, underscored the idea that public lands are not just landscapes to be managed or resources to be extracted but living, breathing places that hold deep cultural, emotional, and historical significance for millions of Americans.
Conclusion: A Call to Action for the Future of Public Lands
As the day drew to a close, the protesters at Joshua Tree, Yosemite, Effigy Mounds, and other parks across the country had made their voices heard. But the demonstrations were not an ending; they were a beginning. The Resistance Rangers and their allies had succeeded in drawing attention to the threats facing public lands, but the fight was far from over. As the Trump administration continued to advance policies that prioritize resource extraction over conservation, the stakes remained high. For the protesters, the challenge now was to sustain the momentum of their movement, to keep the conversation alive, and to ensure that the nation’s public lands remained a shared inheritance for future generations. The protests on that Saturday in March were a powerful reminder of the enduring importance of these lands—and the passion of those who are willing to fight for them.
