Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
- President Donald Trump's executive order led to over 10,000 federal job cuts.
- Utah's federal land agencies face challenges, prompting state exploration of co-management options.
- Rep. Steve Eliason's resolution seeks solutions for neglected recreation areas like Little Sahara.
SALT LAKE CITY — The aftermath of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump is sending seismic repercussions in federal agencies across the country, and no state has been spared.
More than 10,000 federal workers across multiple agencies have lost jobs as part "large-scale reductions" in the government workforce, with perhaps many more on the way.
"It is the policy of my Administration to dramatically reduce the size of the Federal Government, while increasing its accountability to the American people. This order commences a reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary. Reducing the size of the Federal Government will minimize Government waste and abuse, reduce inflation, and promote American freedom and innovation," according to an executive order Trump issued Feb. 11.
It is likely just at the start of job cuts, as Trump and his White House aide Elon Musk look to trim a bloated federal budget in the hole for more than $36 trillion.
Employees in their first year of their federal job were the focus of termination given their lack of ability to appeal the action.
About 75,000 workers took voluntary buyouts.
According to reporting by Reuters, the Forest Service cut 3,400 employees — about 10% of its staff — the National Park Service cut 1,000 workers, and the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service cut 400 employees.
"Secretary Rollins fully supports the president's directive to improve government, eliminate inefficiencies, and strengthen USDA's many services to the American people. We have a solemn responsibility to be good stewards of the American people's hard-earned taxpayer dollars and to ensure that every dollar spent goes to serve the people, not the bureaucracy," the agency's press office said.
It went on to add that as part of the effort the USDA released about 2,000 probationary, non-firefighting employees from the Forest Service.
The office emphasized: "To be clear, none of these individuals were operational firefighters. Released employees were probationary in status, many of whom were compensated by temporary IRA funding. It's unfortunate that the Biden administration hired thousands of people with no plan in place to pay them long term. Secretary (Brooke) Rollins is committed to preserving essential safety positions and will ensure that critical services remain uninterrupted."
The staff cuts come at a time when the Forest Service was already mired with personnel challenges. Last year, the agency requested $8.9 billion for its 2025 budget, a $500 million increase over what it received in 2024.
When the agency realized it wouldn't get the funding, last September it announced that the agency would pause hiring for all non-fire seasonal positions for the following year, a decision that cut about 2,400 jobs from its roster. At the time, trail workers told Backpacker's Nathan Pipenberg that the changes would leave their teams unable to function, in some cases, cutting crews down to just a single permanent supervisor.
A Utah answer to help overburdened federal land agencies?
Even before there was any rumblings of federal layoffs affecting federally-managed lands, Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, was part of a group looking at recreation areas that have fallen into disrepair or mismanagement for a possible transfer to the state, co-management or some other options.
Those areas include Antelope Flats at Flaming Gorge, the Sunset Campground accessible by a two-track road that stretches from Centerville to Farmington Canyon and the Little Sahara Recreation Area in Juab County.
Eliason introduced HCR12, a resolution to look for solutions at Little Saraha.
"We're not naming a new state park here. We're just exploring what that could look like," he told members of the Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Committee, which passed his resolution.
Antelope Flats is only about a third open, although it offers close to 150 campsites and has a marina. Forest Service employees have been constrained with maintenance and instead of fixing a paved road into the campground, it was torn up, Eliason said.
Daggett County already provides support services to the area such as law enforcement and other assistance, he added.
Bountiful City Council member Kate Bradshaw said she grew up enjoying what is called Skyline Drive and the Sunset campground, but it, too, has fallen off the federal government's radar for upkeep. That area is also under exploration for a possible state park or some co-management option.
Government getting in the way of itself
"There used to be a Forest Service campground up there called the Sunset Campground. It was active and vibrant when I was growing up in Bountiful. It has since been closed by the Forest Service. Each of the three cities, Bountiful, Centerville and Farmington, you know, are very engaged in trail work. This is one of the few motorized access points in Davis County for motorized recreation on Forest Service land," Bradshaw said.
"But we have a little bit of a struggle in finding ways to partner with the Forest Service, not because of the local people we deal with (they're) great. I want to make sure that's clear, but the bureaucracy of dealing with the Forest Service sometimes stems our ability to properly engage with them, particularly on some law enforcement angles. These are key access points to our Forest Service area."
She said there have been issues with unattended campfires and illegal dumping.
"I arranged a cleanup of the area near Bountiful last year, only to get in trouble for organizing a cleanup by the Forest Service."
Eliason's resolution, HCR12, also asks the state to work with the Bureau of Land Management to address concerns at Little Sahara and come up with a management fix by making it a state park.
