Federal Workforce

Signs held by attendees of a rally in Glenwood Springs on March 13 read, "Keep public lands in public hands," "Honk if you love public lands," and "Re-hire our public land managers."

Maeve Conran

This week on Regional Roundup, we cover a rally supporting fired federal workers, reflect on public lands, discuss Ramadan with a Utah resident, and more.

Supporters of federal public lands gathered at Forest Service offices in Glenwood Springs on Thursday, March 13, 2025.

As a judge orders reinstatement of federal workers, Westerners worry about instability on public land

Caroline Llanes

About a hundred people came out to U.S. Forest Service offices in Glenwood Springs on Thursday, just hours after a judge ordered that federal probationary workers be reinstated. They held signs, waved at honking cars, and worried about the impacts to public lands in the community.

Allison Stegner did much of her work for the USGS in southeastern Utah.

Fired federal researcher on the cost of federal job cuts on public lands

Caroline Llanes

Allison Stegner, a former USGS researcher, discusses her experience in the civil service, and the important role fired federal workers play for land management agencies, and what the administration is losing with massive job cuts.

Arizona AG joins lawsuit urging Trump administration to halt federal firings

A Martínez

Democratic attorneys general in 19 states sued the Trump administration over its mass firing of federal workers. NPR's A Martinez talks with one of the plaintiffs, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.

The White River National Forest, one of the most-visited national forests in the country, is headquartered in Glenwood Springs. The U.S. Forest Service saw thousands of jobs cut across the country, including close to 100 in Colorado, according to Sen. Bennet. (D-Colo.).

Lawmakers, advocates warn of consequences of land management agency job cuts

Caroline Llanes

Lawmakers and advocates in the West are sounding the alarm on the impacts of federal jobs cuts in land management agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. They say services like firefighting, recreation management, and access to permits for extraction will be affected.