I worked for the U.S. Forest Service as a permanent seasonal employee last year studying critical trout and salmon habitat in forests throughout the western U.S. I loved my job. I loved the people that I worked with. Despite the long hours, heavy gear carried over difficult terrain and the challenging conditions, I looked forward to every day of work because I knew that what I did mattered for the long-term health of the public lands that I hold dear. 

This week, many of my friends and former coworkers found out that their jobs had been terminated, two months from the start of the field season. This is the case for thousands of people who rely on federal jobs for their livelihoods and who now have no prospect for employment. Many of my friends were relying on being able to return to work and will now suffer as a result of these sweeping layoffs. I earned about $15,000 from my six months of seasonal employment, which makes the fact that our work is being called useless and wasteful by an unelected official in the highest office of government sting even worse. 

Sen. Cynthia Lummis said last week that Wyomingites are “thrilled to see President Trump and Elon Musk get to work rooting out waste, fraud and abuse within our government.” Is this how Lummis views her constituents? As a waste of money? Is this truly how our elected officials view the vital role that our federal employees play in conserving 30 million acres of public land in Wyoming? 

To those who are gleeful that the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is “draining the swamp,” know that the supposedly corrupt bureaucrats being removed from their jobs include people willing to earn just $15 an hour because they love the often exhausting work of caring for public land. Know that the long-term impacts on our landscapes will be devastating. There will be little capacity for trail maintenance, few rangers to ensure that our national parks are properly managed, no support for wildland firefighters who often rely on non-fire personnel for aid, and certainly none of the research and habitat management efforts that are crucial to the mission of public lands.

These job cuts are going to hurt our neighbors, our communities and the ability of remaining civil servants to accomplish the tasks given to them by the American taxpayers. This is true not just in agencies like the Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation and Department of the Interior, but across all federal agencies. Ask yourself if it’s worth it to send thousands of talented individuals spiraling into unemployment and send our country closer to economic collapse. 

The people who are losing their jobs now are the future of this country. They are biologists, wildlife specialists and people who put in the work to ensure that your public lands are healthy for future generations. Not only that, but seasonal employees are the lifeblood of many small communities throughout the West. Without the economic impact of seasonal federal workers and revenue from tourism, communities across the state of Wyoming could suffer the consequences. 

Our state and federal representatives claim that slashing and burning large portions of the federal government will somehow be good for Wyoming. Speaking on behalf of thousands of people now out of work, I can say with certainty that won’t be the case.