Protesters say protecting public lands vital to the Flathead Valley

On the front of a handout given out to children at Depot Park on Saturday was a pledge.  

“As a Junior Resistor, I promise to protect park rangers by contacting my representatives and sharing what I learned today with family and friends,” the pledge reads. On the other side of the handout, there is an example of how to write a letter to elected representatives.  

At a table set up in the downtown Whitefish park, there was also a drop bag stuffed with letters to elected representatives from people of all ages.  

Over on the nearby viaduct, about 75 people garnished signs and flags as part of nationwide efforts by Resistance Rangers, a group of nearly 1,000 off-duty or former federal lands workers who organized following mass firings in February. 

Demonstrators held up signs calling for the protection of public lands just after 3:30 p.m. as a steady stream of cars flowed over the viaduct following a powder day on Big Mountain.

“We are Montana, we are public lands,” one sign read. “We want parks,” and “Keep public lands in public hands,” read others.   

A handful of signs took a broader political aim. “Warning, bear frequenting, keep DOGE on leash,” one says.  

Resistance Rangers estimated that upwards of 170 such rallies were staged at national parks, preserves and monuments across the U.S. in March.  A protect public lands rally was held at Apgar in Glacier National Park on March 1.  

Terri Hayden, who traveled to Whitefish from Bigfork for the protest, pointed out that protesters were standing in the heart of the Crown of the Continent, the 10 million acres in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Alberta and British Columbia recognized as a world-class ecosystem.  

“And we need to protect the lands for the benefit of this area, and for the benefit of the tourists and businesses too,” Hayden said.  

Farther down the viaduct, Mike Glain stood alone holding a large sign that read “GOP, don’t take public lands.” 

“People have to be wary of the idea of turning federal lands over to the state,” Glain said. “The state could then sell lands — that’s how you lose your public lands. One wildfire could bankrupt the state.”  

“The idea that the state could better manage the lands is a red herring,” Glain said. “Some people’s own party is conspiring to give away the place they want to take their [kids] to. They should wake up before it’s too late.” 

The U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board issued a ruling to temporarily reinstate nearly 6,000 Forest Service and National Park workers on March 11 following mass firings in February. A federal judge had ruled that the mass firings were illegal and that workers must be reinstated.  

“This court-ordered reinstatement is a welcome relief and getting these employees back to work as quickly as possible is critical,” said Theresa Pierno, president and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association, in a public statement.  

With reinstation, Glacier National Park is running on a tight timeline to go through the same hiring processes over again — a task that typically begins the August prior and runs through the spring — for over 300 essential seasonal employees.  

For longtime Park employees, the deadline for some positions to accept a buyout offer is March 26. Offers include a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, which broadens requirements to retire, and a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment Authority, which offers a buyout incentive up to $25,000.  

"Pressuring staff to leave will devastate the Park Service’s ability to keep our national parks running and safeguard our precious historic and natural treasure,” Pierno said. 

THE RALLY in Whitefish on Saturday was about more than the firing-hiring process, several protesters said.  

A woman who preferred to stay anonymous said she does seasonal work in Glacier National Park in both the summer and contractually in the winter and that she just confirmed her seasonal position for the summer this week.  

“The immediate firing of these people has been corrected, but we’re just waiting for the next shot to drop,” she said.  

“It’s a weird situation in which seasonals are safer than anybody else,” she said. “The Park can’t open and run without seasonals — the effects of laying off permanent employees might be more gradual.” 

She also said she has a lot “less to lose” than federal employees who have young kids or live in government housing.  

The National Parks Conservation Association has pointed out that park staff losing jobs means a loss for gateway communities, and the Park Service stands to lose the wealth of expertise and institutional knowledge of longtime employees.   

Another protester, Sarah Deacon, said her son works for the Park Service in Yellowstone. Deacon said that his job is secure, but that in general, she “doesn’t think gutting federal employment is the way to solve financial problems.”   

Protester JJ Dynneson said by not protecting public lands here it hurts the whole Flathead Valley.  

“I believe that the government works for the people and public lands are our lands,” Dynneson said. “And we should protect them and protect the people who work towards that.”  

    Edie and Angus Libaire from Whitefish write letters to representatives in support of parks at Depot Park Saturday afternoon. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Protect public land protesters on the viaduct in Whitefish Saturday afternoon. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Mark Glain stands on the far end of the viaduct in Whitefish during a protect public lands protest on March 22. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)