EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)– The federal government has laid off approximately 1,000 National Park Service employees nationwide as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to cut down cost initiatives, impacting parks across the country — including Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico — where reports suggest at least 12 rangers were let go.
Former park employees say the move could have lasting effects on park maintenance, visitor safety, and local tourism economies.
Josh Barnes, a former probationary recreation fees technician at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, said that on Feb. 14, he received a layoff notice from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), just four months after moving to New Mexico to keep pursuing his dream job.
“It’s really difficult to describe the anguish you see on people’s faces when they’re told they have to walk away from the job they love,” Barnes said.
Barnes is not the only one. Justin Dyer relocated in October 2024 from New Jersey to New Mexico to work for the National Park Service. After spending thousands to relocate for the job, he was also terminated by the OPM.
“I feel kind of tossed to the side,” Dyer said.
According to a National Park Service report, in 2023, a total of 394,000 visitors to Carlsbad Caverns contributed $29.1 million to the local community, supported 359 jobs, and had a cumulative benefit of $31.9 million.
With these layoffs, analysts and former rangers say this will create a ripple effect beyond the park itself.
“If parks can’t accommodate visitors, especially during peak seasons like spring break, it will hurt businesses that depend on tourism,” Dr. Richard Pineda, a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, said.
Max Bray, a former visual information specialist with the park, also relocated from Minnesota after applying to nearly 25 jobs. He said this was his dream. His duties consisted of running the social media and park websites.
“We had just raised prices for these tours because they’re such a moneymaker for the town,” Bray said. “Carlsbad tourism brought in about $32 million last year, and now we have no staff to run the tours.”
In addition to financial concerns, former employees warn that staff reductions will put added pressure on remaining workers, potentially leading to burnout and safety risks.
“The only way they can function with fewer staff is by overloading the ones who remain,” Dyer said. “It’s an exhausting amount of work, and it will lead to burnout. If that happens, the Park Service itself will suffer, as the remaining employees will be added to more tasks.”
The federal government has defended the cuts as part of a broader effort to reduce government spending, but analysts question whether eliminating jobs will yield significant savings in the long run.
“Like all federal cuts, simply reducing workforce numbers may save some money, but it doesn’t address the complexities of running these operations,” Pineda said.
With spring break around the corner, former rangers worry about the park and visitors not having the full national park experience.
We reached out to Carlsbad Caverns for comment and was directed to the National Park Service’s Washington Office. As of the publication of this story, the agency had not responded.
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