Impacted by DOGE action in Colorado and want to talk? Here’s how to contact us.
The Trump administration has fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions as part of its broad-based effort to downsize government.
The firings, which weren’t publicly announced but were confirmed by Democratic senators and House members, come amid what has been a chaotic rollout of a program to eliminate thousands of federal jobs, according to The Associated Press and other reports.
The plan is led by billionaire Elon Musk and the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a Trump administration effort to slash federal spending. Adding to the confusion, the park service now says it is reinstating about 5,000 seasonal jobs that were initially rescinded last month as part of a spending freeze ordered by President Donald Trump.
Seasonal workers are routinely added during the warm-weather months to serve more than 325 million visitors who descend on the nation’s 428 parks, historic sites and other attractions each year. Read more here.
Some federal workers who help manage millions of acres of public lands in Colorado have lost jobs. The Gazette is working to learn more about the effects on the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, along with civilian employees connected with the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, the Defense Health Agency and elsewhere.
Help us report on DOGE and job cuts
The Gazette wants to hear from people affected by recent Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) activities at federal agencies. You can contact our reporters by email:
Mary Shinn, mary.shinn@gazettedev.gazette.com: Focused on Department of Defense, VA, DHA and other defense-related employment and services.
Savannah Eller, savannah.eller@gazettedev.gazette.com: Focused on U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service along with people who can speak to potential wildland firefighting and mitigation efforts.
Mackenzie Bodell, mackenzie.bodell@gazettedev.gazette.com: Focused on U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service along with people who can speak to potential wildland firefighting and mitigation efforts.