Concerns rise in Colorado mountain towns as U.S. Forest Service freezes hiring of seasonal workers

The U.S. Forest Service has issued a nationwide hiring freeze for all non-fire seasonal employees; It’s a decision that could have ripple effects in Colorado mountain communities where large tracts of land are national forest.

One-fifth of Colorado consists of land owned by the U.S. Forest Service. In places like Summit County, where the White River National Forest makes up 85% of the county, the federal government manages much of the local land.

Traditionally, seasonal Forest Service crews have worked in the field in many of these communities, from maintaining roads to patrolling campgrounds, educating visitors, and conducting field work.

At a Breckenridge City Council meeting in October, councilman Jay Beckerman described the impact of the Forest Service hiring freeze this way: “We’re going to rely on our staff, we’re going to rely on volunteer organizations to do some of the work that was previously done by seasonal summer staff for the Forest Service.”

Many Western Slope governments say these seasonal Forest Service personnel are critical, and some communities have set aside local funds for years to support the federal agency’s seasonal hiring. But now community leaders are unsure whether the Forest Service plans to hire even seasonal positions supported by local dollars.

In Summit County, voters passed Ballot Measure 1A, known as the Strong Futures Initiative, in 2018, increasing the local mill tax to raise money for early childhood education, behavioral health, public infrastructure, recycling and wildfire mitigation.

In 2023, approximately $750,000 in taxpayer funds raised through the Strong Futures Initiative were directed to the U.S. Forest Service’s seasonal wildfire mitigation and education program in Summit County; Most of this money went directly to the federal agency to hire seasonal staff.

Tamara Pogue, Summit County commissioner, noted that the local Dillon Ranger District is the densest ranger district in the densest national forest in the country. Strong Future funds go to support 12 to 18 seasonal Forest Service employees each year, according to the county government. Pogue said it is his understanding that these local funds are paying full salaries for at least some of these seasonal positions.

“Summit County voters passed (Strong Futures Initiative) because the White River National Forest was too understaffed to perform these critical functions,” Pogue said. “We are literally paying them because the federal government is not doing their job.”

Hiring freeze at the US Forest Service

U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore Announced in September He said the federal agency will not hire any seasonal workers in fiscal year 2025, except for seasonal firefighting positions.

In a meeting with Forest Service employees, Moore explained that the hiring decision was made because the federal agency was planning for the “most conservative funding opportunity.” He said the Forest Service recently converted 1,300 to 1,400 seasonal positions into permanent seasonal positions, but acknowledged that the hiring freeze means the federal agency cannot do the same amount of work as it did in past years.

“We can’t do the same amount of work with fewer employees,” Moore said. “So in other words, we will do the best we can with what we have. “We will not try to do everything that is expected of us with fewer people.”

Forest Service currently using House Interiors Subcommittee funding levels Recommended to guide hiring decisions for Fiscal Year 2025. A spending bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives gave the federal agency nearly half a billion dollars less than it requested.

Meanwhile, the federal agency has exhausted the additional funding it received through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, Moore said. He said the rising cost of living also contributed to the budget crisis.

The U.S. Forest Service’s Washington, D.C. Office confirmed in an emailed statement that the hiring freeze is in effect in the Rocky Mountain Region, which covers Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and most of Wyoming and South Dakota.

“We understand that this will have a reverberating impact on all national forests,” the statement said.

Local funds are at risk

The Dillon Ranger District is hiring 44 seasonal employees in 2024, U.S. Forest Service regional press officer Donna Nemeth said in an email.

Regarding the Strong Futures Initiative, Nemeth said the two positions supported by the local fund will be hired next summer because they are considered “firestreak” employees. But the remaining positions, supported by local dollars, are “recreational technicians” who focus on fire prevention and education and are not currently being hired next summer, he said.

“The Dillon Ranger District is grateful to our invaluable partners like the Summit County government and we are exploring ways to continue fulfilling our commitments to the community,” Nemeth said. “We are focused on making sure we can pay our current employees in the short term.”

Pogue said Summit County government is hopeful the Forest Service will grant exemptions to seasonal employees funded by local taxpayers. stated that federal agency grants exemption to Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but it is unclear whether such grace would be extended to others.

“Locally, we have an incredible relationship with our field staff who live in our community,” Pogue said. “But there seems to be a disconnect in Washington’s understanding of how critical this work is to our society.”

Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said his department works closely with seasonal Forest Service employees who patrol campgrounds and other National Forest lands. FitzSimons said Summit County is “already suffering” because the Forest Service does not consistently post federal law enforcement locally.

“Not having our federal seasonal partners available would put more burden on us,” FitzSimons said. “We don’t have staff”

FitzSimons said seasonal staff affected by the hiring freeze are critical to the county’s fire prevention strategy. He said seasonal workers spend their summers patrolling National Forest lands, dismantling unapproved campsites and extinguishing unattended campfires that could lead to wildfires.

The Strong Futures Initiative funds, which are dedicated to supporting Forest Service seasonal workers, are intended to help reduce wildfire risk, Pogue said. He said there would be no budget impact for the Forest Service if Summit County funds the positions.

“While I greatly appreciate their commitment to actually fighting fires, we also want to be partners in prevention,” Pogue said. “When the fire starts, it’s too late. Why won’t we be allowed to continue doing this when Summit County taxpayers provide the money to hire these people?

Summit County is not alone in helping fund the U.S. Forest Service’s seasonal staff. In Eagle County, the county government, as well as the town of Vail and other local organizations, provide funding to the Forest Service for a Front Country Ranger Program that provides visitor services.

Marcia Gilles, Eagle County open space and natural resources manager who manages the county’s Front Country Ranger Program, said the Forest Service has asked the county to “consider flexibility in our agreement to find permanent pay.” Gilles said the county is not willing to pay permanent salaries to the Forest Service but said it would explore other options for the program.

Meanwhile, in Pitkin County, the county government, the town of Aspen and a local nonprofit are collectively contributing $125,000 annually for two full-time permanent seasonal positions and one summer seasonal position. Alycin Bektesh, Pitkin County communications director, said the county government has encouraged the Forest Service to continue the partnership in 2025 and is “hopeful the agreement will continue.”