Frustrated with the US Forest Service
Posted: Sun May 24, 2026 7:12 pm
Today I encountered an irritated dirt biker upset about a closed road - the same way I m frustrated that my tax dollars fund $10,000 pentagon desks and unnecessary wars.
Since January 2025 working for the federal government has been a roller coaster. This administration has gutted our workforce - civil engineers and road maintenance crews, all of it. None of this is a surprise; the destruction of the federal workforce was laid out in Project 2025. Keeping trails and roads safe and clear was already difficult. Now it's nearly impossible. That is the point (or has been since 2016) - I believe the goal has been to make the USFS appear incompetent - reduced budgets, hiring freezes, increase timber targets, eliminated research and development stations - all to build a case for privatizing public lands. Please don't be mad at the USFS.
The USFS wants to steward the public lands and keep them public. I felt for that rider, but closed roads aren't the USFS fault- near-tropical December rains and large wildfires created the hazardous situation. The next time you're frustrated with something a land agency is or isn't doing please remember who holds the purse strings (hint: Russ Vought read about his thoughts on the federal workforce).
We all love the Methow and all it has to offer.
Since January 2025 working for the federal government has been a roller coaster. This administration has gutted our workforce - civil engineers and road maintenance crews, all of it. None of this is a surprise; the destruction of the federal workforce was laid out in Project 2025. Keeping trails and roads safe and clear was already difficult. Now it's nearly impossible. That is the point (or has been since 2016) - I believe the goal has been to make the USFS appear incompetent - reduced budgets, hiring freezes, increase timber targets, eliminated research and development stations - all to build a case for privatizing public lands. Please don't be mad at the USFS.
The USFS wants to steward the public lands and keep them public. I felt for that rider, but closed roads aren't the USFS fault- near-tropical December rains and large wildfires created the hazardous situation. The next time you're frustrated with something a land agency is or isn't doing please remember who holds the purse strings (hint: Russ Vought read about his thoughts on the federal workforce).
We all love the Methow and all it has to offer.