OP-ED
by Patricia Grabow
In a recent interview, the Senior Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, Michelle Uberuaga said that the federal hiring freeze, even for seasonal worker has hit Yellowstone hard. She said that this is the time we would be hiring staff and without those people there is going to be a serious impact on Yellowstone and thus Livingston and Park County.
Like other federal workers, those in Yellowstone got “the memo” offering a job buy-out or an uncertain future. As with other national parks across the county there have been employee shortages in Yellowstone for decades and now this.
And the timing could not be worse—this is hiring time. Yellowstone hires between 300 to 350 workers starting last September. The hiring process is long for a national park. There are background checks and because of federal rules, it is an extensive process.
But there is hope. If the freeze is limited and we start back up where we left off, back in September, then there is still time to hire people for the summer season. If the records are scratched and we are starting back from zero, then there is not going to be enough time.
Uberuaga also said the impact on the gateway communities to Yellowstone will be especially hard hit. She cited the University of Monana Institute for Tourism and Recreation where they found that Park County alone has a $500 million tourist economy and that economy is dependent on Yellowstone.
Non-residents of Montana spent $5.46 billion dollars in the state in 2023. The tourism institute research group estimated that 4.4% of the money taken in by Montana is spent on outdoor recreation—that is the most spent in any state.
“It is a way of life,” said Uberuaga.
People are not doing it for the money. We don’t call it Yellowstone. We call it the Park. It’s our backyard and it is deeply personal to people who spend their lives committing their careers to Yellowstone, to potentially have it end and not in a good way.