USFS Terminations
USFS Terminations
Correct me if I'm wrong, but in reading about USFS job terminations, it seemed that field staff took most of the blow. Is a % available ? Bronson
Re: USFS Terminations
The local district lost a very large amount of field going staff - all of the seasonal workers and new permanents still in probationary status. There is something like 4 people in the recreation department now left do the work of what 30 did last season (not sure of the exact numbers but you get the gist). These are the people that pick up trash, clean toilets, clear trails, etc.
Julie & Will, Twisp
Re: USFS Terminations
Which we will do now, if we want the campgrounds and trailheads to stay open and to keep the wildlife from eating the trash. We're not taking jobs away from them at some future date. We are saving our economy and recreational lands, now.
Pearl Cherrington
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biglakejudy
- Posts: 1792
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:08 am
Re: USFS Terminations
How about 'buddy' system? A non paid worker to help a paid worker? A helper so to speak? I took care of the swimming hole for several years just because. It started with asking for a garbage can and went beyond that. I would volunteer to be a shadow with someone.
Judy Brezina
Re: USFS Terminations
Good for you Judy......
When I came to the valley early
80s the forest service, mostly young summer workers, cleared all the trails and most years all trails were open and cleared by July. You could go into the MVCC where a weekly list was updated that gave "trail status". Some years later, trail maintenance was contracted out through the forest service and maybe a couple of crews doing the maintenance for the whole valley.
In the last few years, many would tell you the only work being done on the trails is by the Backcountry Horsemen. Some trails are not useable anymore. Most of us pick up and carry out any garbage we see.
When I came to the valley early
80s the forest service, mostly young summer workers, cleared all the trails and most years all trails were open and cleared by July. You could go into the MVCC where a weekly list was updated that gave "trail status". Some years later, trail maintenance was contracted out through the forest service and maybe a couple of crews doing the maintenance for the whole valley.
In the last few years, many would tell you the only work being done on the trails is by the Backcountry Horsemen. Some trails are not useable anymore. Most of us pick up and carry out any garbage we see.
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KathleenCastleberry
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2025 8:58 am
Re: USFS Terminations
Hi! Saw this post and just wanted to reply as a former Methow Valley RD employee. In October they cut most of the field staff leaving only 4 out of 25 people left to maintain trails, campgrounds, etc. A couple weeks ago, all field staff were terminated in addition to our wildlife biologists, botanist, timber employees, and more that I know I am forgetting. All that are left are those who have been in permanent positions with the district for multiple years which includes mostly supervisor positions. Dont know exactly what this summer will look like with our public lands in the valley but my suggestion would be to not go to blue lake and bring blue bags with you because the toilets are going to be horrendous...
Re: USFS Terminations
The toilets don't need to be horrendous. Methow Trails or the Collaborative must contract out to have the toilets pumped. It not, it should be done by private individual companies and paid for by grants or donations.
Don't dare lock the toilets, it would make it worse. Closing the popular trails down, like Blue Lake could become a possibility if the toilets become a health hazard. Of course people would possibly still hike on the trails. There is really no enforcement.
This would affect the amount of visitors to the Valley and that means less $ to sustain the businesses that cater to the visitors. That's alot. So organizations and individuals need to step up to the plate to take care of these places.
Town of Twisp and Methow Trails Collaborative are working on some of these things.
And we can remember the WTA-Washington Trails Association. They come here and do trail work. But they may have to concentrate on the West side more.
Once hiking season comes, my plan is to help out as much as possible.
Don't dare lock the toilets, it would make it worse. Closing the popular trails down, like Blue Lake could become a possibility if the toilets become a health hazard. Of course people would possibly still hike on the trails. There is really no enforcement.
This would affect the amount of visitors to the Valley and that means less $ to sustain the businesses that cater to the visitors. That's alot. So organizations and individuals need to step up to the plate to take care of these places.
Town of Twisp and Methow Trails Collaborative are working on some of these things.
And we can remember the WTA-Washington Trails Association. They come here and do trail work. But they may have to concentrate on the West side more.
Once hiking season comes, my plan is to help out as much as possible.
Pearl Cherrington
Re: USFS Terminations
I love and am so grateful for all the volunteer enthusiasm - that's going to be a real saving grace this season and maybe for the foreseeable future. But I have to throw my perspective from a number of years working for the district out there as well.
Yes, fewer trails stay open on a yearly basis than they used to - not because the FS wasn't putting the work in, but because a trail crew of up to a dozen people, plus the work of volunteer and nonprofit organizations simply couldn't keep up with the log load and erosion damage from well over half of the trail miles on this district being burned to one extent or another in the last couple decades. It takes an immense amount of labor, and so much of that is very remote. Without the pack support that has been mostly provided by the hardworking critters out at eight mile ranch (we now have no packers, and hardly the capacity to feed the animals), and without the guidance of professionals with decades of experience doing the work PROPERLY - the community is going to have an insurmountable task ahead of them.
What of the trailheads and campgrounds? Even as of the September decision to let go of the 1039 "temporary" employees, we don't have a water operator - Mike spent years learning how to operate those systems and days every week keeping them running, and it's unlikely they'll ever get started up now. At certain times of the year, those toilets need cleaning as much as three or four times a day to remain even marginally sanitary. We're all chomping at the bit to scrub diarrhea off of seats, floors, and walls for free, right? Pumping is only the half of it. Hazard trees? Even just last summer, we assessed many hundreds of 'em, and only were able to cut a fraction of those needed to make tent sites safe for your kids and expensive vehicles - good luck learning plant pathology and how to drop trees with 10 percent sound rind with no one to do the training.
We're also the ones out in the field often serving as first responders in emergency incidents, where knowledge of the terrain and access to FS repeaters has often saved someone's life. A huge chunk of the team that went to rescue those climbers on Goat Wall were FS staff - and two of the three who rappelled down to make initial contact, warm them up (and in my case stay overnight with them on that ledge in the snow) are no longer climbing rangers. We can do some of that work as volunteers, but we won't be out in the field at the ready, nor as well supported.
The remaining staff could also be facing a "reduction in force." There may be no one to shadow and learn from. No one to provide the garbage can. No one to buy the toilet paper and mop for you. No one to mark which parts of the thousands of trail miles are priorities for erosion control or drainage repairs.
The work that the community actually sees seems to be a very small fraction of the whole, and generally under-appreciated. Get ready for the junk show. Call your elected representatives ASAP, because they're already doing their best to roll over and play dead.
Yes, fewer trails stay open on a yearly basis than they used to - not because the FS wasn't putting the work in, but because a trail crew of up to a dozen people, plus the work of volunteer and nonprofit organizations simply couldn't keep up with the log load and erosion damage from well over half of the trail miles on this district being burned to one extent or another in the last couple decades. It takes an immense amount of labor, and so much of that is very remote. Without the pack support that has been mostly provided by the hardworking critters out at eight mile ranch (we now have no packers, and hardly the capacity to feed the animals), and without the guidance of professionals with decades of experience doing the work PROPERLY - the community is going to have an insurmountable task ahead of them.
What of the trailheads and campgrounds? Even as of the September decision to let go of the 1039 "temporary" employees, we don't have a water operator - Mike spent years learning how to operate those systems and days every week keeping them running, and it's unlikely they'll ever get started up now. At certain times of the year, those toilets need cleaning as much as three or four times a day to remain even marginally sanitary. We're all chomping at the bit to scrub diarrhea off of seats, floors, and walls for free, right? Pumping is only the half of it. Hazard trees? Even just last summer, we assessed many hundreds of 'em, and only were able to cut a fraction of those needed to make tent sites safe for your kids and expensive vehicles - good luck learning plant pathology and how to drop trees with 10 percent sound rind with no one to do the training.
We're also the ones out in the field often serving as first responders in emergency incidents, where knowledge of the terrain and access to FS repeaters has often saved someone's life. A huge chunk of the team that went to rescue those climbers on Goat Wall were FS staff - and two of the three who rappelled down to make initial contact, warm them up (and in my case stay overnight with them on that ledge in the snow) are no longer climbing rangers. We can do some of that work as volunteers, but we won't be out in the field at the ready, nor as well supported.
The remaining staff could also be facing a "reduction in force." There may be no one to shadow and learn from. No one to provide the garbage can. No one to buy the toilet paper and mop for you. No one to mark which parts of the thousands of trail miles are priorities for erosion control or drainage repairs.
The work that the community actually sees seems to be a very small fraction of the whole, and generally under-appreciated. Get ready for the junk show. Call your elected representatives ASAP, because they're already doing their best to roll over and play dead.
Re: USFS Terminations
I appreciate your perspective and outlining the details I didn't really think of. It is indeed overwhelming. But what then, are some solutions? We can call our representatives, sure.
I plan to do that today.
We still have to do...something!
I plan to do that today.
We still have to do...something!
Pearl Cherrington