Demonstrators at Sleeping Bear Dunes and nationwide stand up for National Park Service workers
Photo by Lauren Hills DeHaan
From staff reports
Photos by Sue Jennings
Bitter cold winds and temperatures in the teens didn’t stop them. Neither did the catatonic state of the federal government as the Trump administration and oligarch-in-chief Elon Musk take a wrecking ball to the national workforce.
Yesterday, March 1, more than 60 local demonstrators gathered at noon at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore headquarters in Empire to rally on behalf of their fired National Park workers and to protest the federal spending freeze that will delay the hiring of more than 100 seasonal employees who are integral to opening our National Lakeshore to 1.6 million visitors this summer. They marched through snow and wind from the Visitor’s Center to the Empire public beach and back.
Nationwide, thousands rallied at National Parks across the United States at high noon, holding similar signs sporting messages including: “Standing up for National parks and public land,” “Stop DOGE, protect our Parks,” “Save our public lands,” “We value federal workers,” and “We lost our jobs but will not lose our spirit.”
Among those demonstrating in Empire was Sue Jennings, a retired Sleeping Bear Dunes ranger who worked for the National Park Service for more than 30 years.
“Our National Parks are America’s best idea,” said Jennings. “They protect our most significant natural areas. From desert to tundra, glaciers to reefs, volcanoes, canyons, prairies, seashores, and lakeshores, these are repositories for science and solace — our nation’s history, our achievements and persistent drive for justice from Selma to Stonewall, Independence to Women’s Rights, The Underground Railroad to Golden Spike, Manzanar to Chaco Canyon, Booker T Washington and Rosie The Riveter.
“Thousands of employees have been fired, jobs on hold, or frozen, jeopardizing the careful stewardship that these dedicated and knowledgeable public servants give. We are not only losing the vast institutional knowledge and expertise of these passionate workers, but will lose the very resources public lands protect. Our nation’s parks provide unique opportunities for solace, science, education, a sense of history and place, enjoyment of the sights, sounds and beauty of nature, along with exceptional recreational experiences.”
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