Though they represent a fraction of the federal workforce cuts advanced by the Trump administration this year, reducing staff at the Chesapeake Bay Watershed office would be a setback to the restoration, protection and enjoyment of this critical natural resource.
Common sense, appreciation for all the bay represents, and the fragile state of efforts to save the bay make it obvious that everyone — politicians of all stripes, state and federal agencies, scholars, environmental and other nonprofit groups, volunteers — should fight this latest assault on an essential program.
Efforts to reduce the pollution that was destroying the bay and to restore its health and productivity have been under way 1 and making a difference — for 40 years. But three or four years of bad decisions could undo much of the progress.
Among actions that would be charitably described as a bad decision is the depletion of staff at the National Park Service and other agencies that operate within the Interior Department, including those serving the Chesapeake Bay.
Even before the shutdown began Oct. 1, the administration had cut at least 4,000 NPS staff members through layoffs, buyouts and resignations. Estimates are the park system has lost a quarter of its fulltime employees. Then the government shut down, and about 9,000 more NPS employees were on unpaid leave while others were working without pay.
When unions representing federal employees filed suit to prevent firings during the shutdown, detailed information about the Trump administration’s plans to drastically cut the workforce came under public scrutiny.
Among them was a plan to eliminate six of 10 positions at the Chesapeake Bay Watershed office, a regional national park office in Annapolis, Maryland, that coordinates NPS work throughout the bay’s watershed, across six states and the District of Columbia. That was first reported by WHRO News.
The office’s Chesapeake Gateways program manages a network of trails and cultural and natural heritage sites and recreational opportunities around the bay. Among Hampton Roads sites in the network are Fort Monroe, the Mariners’ Museum, First Landing State Park, the Cape Henry Lighthouses and the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and Dismal Swamp Canal Trail.
The office also emphasizes the importance of cleaning and preserving the bay and works with those who want to get involved in conservation efforts. It has helped to coordinate clean-up efforts across the watershed.
While crippling the NPS’ Chesapeake Bay efforts would be painful, it’s far from the only unwise cut that came to light through legal wrangling during the shutdown. Damaging changes are planned across the United States. The administration intends to cut at least 2,000 more Interior Department workers, including hundreds more in the park service.
Our national parks are environmental treasures, often with historic and cultural importance. The park service preserves these relatively unspoiled lands for future generations while making it possible for those living today to enjoy them.
Rangers and other park employees do vital work protecting the lands and wildlife, as well as those who visit. The recent shutdown, with some parks open without adequate staff, made it clear that rangers are essential to keep the parks functioning.
The administration had blamed the shutdown for the planned firings in an effort to pressure Democrats to agree to reopen the government, but the legal filings made it clear that mass layoffs began before October and will continue now that the impasse is resolved.
It would be shortsighted and needlessly destructive for the current administration to continue dismantling the national park service, leaving the precious lands inadequately protected.
In our region, these cuts would make the work of restoring the Chesapeake Bay more difficult, at a critical time when the states in the watershed are revising their long-term goals.
Every member of Virginia’s congressional delegation, regardless of party, should be united in efforts to protect the Chesapeake Bay Watershed office. And they should rally their colleagues to protect the National Park System and its workers, who do so much to protect our invaluable national treasures.
