🎢If you haven’t been following what’s happening at the President’s House in Philadelphia, it’s been a roller coaster. 🧵

History just won in federal court. A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore the slavery exhibits at the President’s House in Philadelphia after the DOI forced the park to dismantle the panels recognizing the nine enslaved Africans held there by George Washington.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the February 14, 2025, illegal terminations of probationary employees across the federal government. A year ago, dedicated civil service employees were purged from their "dream jobs" - but they refused to be silenced.

ACTION REQUESTED: Please help by calling to support the Boundary Waters.

It used to be a dream job. In many ways, it still is. This is what it’s really like to work in America’s national parks in the present climate.

Have you noticed censorship at a national park? You can now report it on our website! The banner across the top takes you to an encrypted form for safe, anonymous reporting. www.resistancerangers.org

How I feel about the National Park Service

We’ve been here before. We’ve seen our government round up and imprison citizens based on racial profiling. We’ve seen them murder peaceful people in cold blood. We’ve seen them create groups of people that are deemed “lesser than.”

On Friday, January 23rd, park staff at Independence National Historical Park were instructed to remove signs about slavery from the President's House. These exhibits were the first slavery memorial of its kind on federal property in the United States.

“Dear Trump Administration: You can fire us, you can defund our national parks, you can tell us that we’re not valid and that we shouldn’t exist and we will keep turning your fear and hate into love and community and we will win because we always do.” - Dr. SJ Joslin

Being a park ranger in 2026 has already been tough (it's been 21 days, not that we're counting). It's been a year of daily challenges from the Trump administration, with them creating just about as hostile a workplace environment as they can.

After 15 years of the NPS honoring Martin Luther King Jr. with a fee-free day, this year, that is no longer the case. In yet another attack against celebrating our country’s beautiful & inspiring diversity, this admin is using the NPS to further marginalize our communities & censor our history.

Um, excuse me, I thought I was buying an America the Beautiful Pass??? 🤡

It's another year, Park Protectors. Let's do this 💪

Today we remember Betty Reid Soskin, lovingly known as the National Park Service's oldest ranger. We proudly honored her in 2018 for her work ensuring sites like Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front NHP represent all our nation’s stories. RIP, Ranger Betty. www.npca.org/articles/480...

Once again Senator Lee thinks he can sneak in attacks to our public lands and we won’t notice. And once again, he’s wrong. We’re here, we’re watching, and we’re not letting up.

Great coverage by @kqednews.kqed.org of the "dubiously legal" moves to manipulate NPS staff performance review, as well as planned wage cuts of up to $3.5/hour for Yosemite maintenance employees. The hits keep coming.

Sorry, ~the public~ this is a pretty niche ranger post. Though if you like tea 🫖 and are curious what the administration is up to these days, including potentially illegal actions disguised as bureaucratic 🏛️paper 📋 pushing, we welcome you to read on.

1/6 There's a lot to unpack in the new President's Management Agenda, Russ Vought's blueprint for shrinking agencies and sidelining expertise. But one section felt especially nauseating, so we'll start there: the part about "ending censorship." Let's break it down. 👇

That’s Trumped up. Gift shop sales raise funds for parks. They’re typically not staffed by federal workers. CC: @altlofc.altgov.info, @resistancerangers.altgov.info, @altnehgov.altgov.info, @altfws.altgov.info

We know you’ve seen the designs for the 2026 America the Beautiful pass, aka the “national parks pass.” Gross, right? 🤢 Know what’s even more gross? Asking rangers to determine who is “American enough” to pay the lower cost to enter the parks.

If you're on Instagram, the Center for Plants & Culture posted a series on national parks being built on indigenous land and the myth of uninhabited virgin wilderness. "Uninhabited wilderness had to be created before it could be preserved" - Mark David Spence. www.instagram.com/p/DRhw2ebj-FE/

You may be looking at us and asking yourself what WE'RE thankful for this year. Fair question, given *waves arms at everything going on* It's been a tough year. The walls have been closing in as federal employees & public land lovers cling to the cliff side. This was not the journey we wanted.

Some park news released this week which we're still processing: including new park pass designs featuring the president, and cost increases for foreign visitors. For more info: www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/11/upda... And from the NYT: archive.ph/Abfp9

First they push 24% of rangers out the door, and tell us we can’t hire anyone to backfill those positions. Then, they tell us to fill those positions with seasonal (temporary) rangers—the positions in the NPS with the least protections.

📢🦬 Since “the most transparent” administration axed the 2025 FEVS, @ourpublicservice.bsky.social has stepped up to fill the void. Fellow feds, please take the survey and share with your colleagues. Our opinions matter!

🦬 “Interior largely rolled out its consolidation effort on paper only and without overhauling operations in any practical way.” …Pay us money so nothing changes. Can confirm this is true — when I lost my local IT Specialist I asked what the biggest change was and they replied, “My email address.”

Last spring, ~5,700 employees of DOI bureaus—including ~1,700 NPS staff were forcibly & unexpectedly moved to the “DOI Office of the Secretary,” almost an entire new agency. This huge illegal reorganization was done without congressional approval and included HR, IT, comms & contracts staff.

Welp, reporting back for duty at the ranger station (if the pants still fit). Things have been odd & hard these last 43 days: some rangers working w/ pay, some w/o pay, and some w/ no work & no pay. We’re happy to have folks earning a paycheck and getting SNAP benefits again. #FedStrong

Happy Veterans Day to all vets past & present. Special thanks to one of many #NPS veterans, but the only Indigenous Director (so far!) of the Park Service in its 109 year history. Serving under Director Sams meant so much to so many of us. He sent us a message today which we'd like to share w/ you.

🇺🇸 This #Veterans Day, honor our vets by sharing the facts. For many veterans, service doesn’t end when they come home. Veterans make up nearly 1 in 4 federal employees, and 15% of the National Park Service. The federal government is the largest employer of veterans in the country. #VeteransDay #NPS

🦬 It may be day 38 of the Republican Shutdown, but DOI personnel actions have been frozen since MAY 2nd! No one has received a ladder promotion or been converted to competitive service since *May* Not only are people not getting paid, they’re not getting paid what they’re rightfully due.

Saturday reading suggestion: an essay on the gutting of the #NPS from Trail Crew Stories, a project to share the stories, methods, writings, and art of the community of trail workers. www.trailcrewstories.com/stories/the-... #trailcrew

Thanks to union lawsuits, additional plans to fire rangers are on pause during the #shutdown. "These proposed layoffs have never been about fiscal responsibility- they are calculated cruelty against the workers who keep our shared national public lands preserved and welcoming" @sierraclub.org rep

Longest. Shutdown. Ever. Cool, another “unprecedented” headline for the scrapbook. Here's a breakdown of what's happening, and what the #shutdown is costing us. #SupportFedWorkers #LongestShutdown #CallYourReps #ProtectPublicLands

We appreciate all the new follows - thank you for being here! Resistance Rangers formed after the Valentine’s Day Massacre, when hundreds of #NPS staff were fired without warning. We’ve been busy fighting back ever since, and are glad to join the #AltGov family: check out some of what we’ve done:

Bet you didn't know we've got a podcast 😉 This week on Resistance Rangers 🎤 On the Air, we’re talking all things public lands, hunting, and fishing with Aaron Murphy of American Hunters & Anglers. Hear more about how we fight to keep public land accessible. #publiclands #podcast #hunters #anglers

UPDATE: The administration is trying to FIRE federal workers who protect YOUR public lands, and they’re trying to push it through during the government shutdown. Federal labor unions are suing the government, and a federal judge agrees this is likely illegal. #NationalParks #RIF #shutdown

The DOI continues to try to fire rangers - even during the government shutdown. Documents filed yesterday lay out a plan to fire 2,000 more Dept of Interior employees. #StopFiringRangers

Saturday's #NoKings protests were incredible. Across the country we gathered 🫶🏼 on mountain trails & riverfronts, took over entire streets and places we love, to say what should never be forgotten: Public lands are for the people. Thanks to all of you who showed up! Share your pics below ⬇️

Despite a court order to pause layoff efforts during the shutdown, the Dept of Interior is actively preparing to fire thousands of employees on Monday. Show up in support of fed-up park rangers at a #NoKings protest near you on Saturday! #StopFiringRangers

Participating in a #NoKings event this Saturday? Bring parks to your local protest! We've got flyers, postcards for you. Print 'em up and hand em 'out. drive.google.com/drive/mobile... #saveOURparks

What do national parks and democracy have in common? They're both built on a powerful idea: the best of America belongs to the people.

"By facing this history, we honor the original stewards of the land. We honor the Indigenous Peoples who never stopped fighting for their homelands. That's the story behind America's Best Idea. And it's a story we all need to be telling."

🫠It’s day 11 of the government shutdown, and there have been reports of human impacts & resource damage across parks. You love the parks! We get it, we really do - but the best way to support parks is to leave them alone right now.

Every #ShutDown is a chance to gut NPS staffing and privatize public lands. Lay-offs are still in the works. Call Congress and demand they not go through a Reduction in Force on the Dept of Interior or Park Service! We're partnering with @5calls.org to #RehireRangers: 5calls.org/issue/public...

With a government shutdown ahead, and very little information beyond partisan finger pointing, we're not sure what happens tomorrow or how long it will last. In past shutdowns where parks have been kept open, there have been less rangers around to protect the resources (and stock tp in bathrooms).

The NPS lost about a 1/4 of its permanent staff to mass firings, buyouts, early retirements, and resignations so far this year. This is the official resistance account: we preserve & protect public lands; we are America’s history keepers & storytellers. Join us on this uphill trail. #protectourparks

September 30th marks the end of an era as our Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) colleagues officially separate from the National Park Service. To those who faced this difficult choice under pressure: you deserved so much better. forms.gle/3gdxRdzndr5C...

How do YOU celebrate National Public Lands Day? We recommend: hiking, birdwatching, picking up some trash, and…. resistance😈 We partnered with 5 calls to get the word out: bit.ly/42hCtke