Federal layoffs finally hit close to home

Some U.S. Forest Service employees in the Daniel Boone National Forest have recently been terminated. Trail maintenance, visitor services, facilities upkeep, volunteer coordination and other services have all been affected by it, and could take another hit too.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it had made the difficult decision to terminate 2,000 non-firefighting forest service staff nationally, in an effort to ensure that every dollar spent goes to serve the people, not the bureaucracy.

This affects the Daniel Boone National Forest that consists of  700,000 acres of rolling Eastern Kentucky forest, including Red River Gorge area. 

Prior to the layoffs, the Forestry Service said it employed 126 non-firefighting staff in the Daniel Boone National Forest.  

An executive order in February commanded federal agencies to promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force, meaning more cuts on the horizon.

The U.S. Forest Service has not confirmed the exact number of layoffs or impacted roles in the Daniel Boone National Forest. 

The terminations read as such, "The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest." These notices were give to employees. Some were given these notices despite their successful performance reviews.

Laura Gregory is the watershed program director for KWA, and works frequently in the Red River watershed. A project she was working on in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service — aiming to reduce septic overflows into the Red River — has stalled, she said, amid uncertainty about funding and support for the work.

"The forest was already understaffed for an area — the Red River Gorge — that is just loved to death," Gregory said. "Losing staff means losing a lot of what we love about the Red River Gorge that we take for granted ... It’s very concerning."

Adding to the confusion, the federal Merit Systems Protection Board issued a stay on Wednesday, ordering the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the forest service, to temporarily reinstate thousand of terminated employees while the firings are under investigation. It's unclear how many terminated employees in the Daniel Boone will be asked to return to work as a result of the order.