Trump’s ‘Valentine’s Day Massacre’ hits Nevada

Five park rangers who were considered “probationary employees” because they had not yet completed a full year at the park in Baker, a remote portion of unincorporated White Pine County with a few dozen residents, were laid off.

As part of a larger review of federal spending, thousands of federal employees were axed in what some are calling the “Valentine’s Day Massacre” of the agencies that manage the nation’s lands and waters.

“Taking off my badge felt like I was ripping out a piece of my heart,” said one of the rangers who lost employment. The ranger requested anonymity because of a fear of retribution in future hiring decisions.

It’s unclear the extent to which other Nevada-area agencies were affected, though the Review-Journal has open public records requests with most of them seeking a full list of terminated employees and details about severance.

The terminated ranger said the five employees stood strong when the Trump administration offered a buyout for probationary workers, though they all understood they would be laid off eventually.

‘Valentine’s Day Massacre’ reaches Nevada

Liz Woolsey, the owner of the nearby Bristlecone General Store and Stargazer Inn, said the news hit the community at what was supposed to be a pizza night on Valentine’s Day. The tone quickly shifted from fun to somber.

“My store is now ground zero for everybody coming in and commiserating, sharing, crying and giving,” she said. “They are the most passionate, fun and excellent people that want to be here, that love the park and the community.”

The park is already seeing impacts: Staff issued refunds for this Saturday’s Lehman Cave tours. As of Wednesday, attempts to book cave tours online showed no availability.

It’s a skeleton crew at the park of 77,000 acres that features some of the world’s oldest trees, bristlecone pines, and the wildly popular Lehman Caves. The entire staff totaled about 25, said Woolsey, whose husband served as the park’s superintendent from 2018 to 2023.

Four of the five who were fired live in federal park housing and have 60 days to vacate, Woolsey said. One of the rangers was just a month short of aging out of the probationary period.

Concern for safety, local economy

According to the ranger who spoke about being terminated, the emergency search and rescue unit is down to one staff member, which presents a disproportionate safety concern for such an isolated area.

“It’s scary to think of because we’re so remote out here that we have to wait for responses from other agencies,” the ranger said. “It could be hours, or it could be a day before people are able to get to you.”

Woolsey’s small business is dependent on outside tourism — a concerning fact as the future of park operations is uncertain.

“I rely on tourism, but we love the resource. We love the community,” Woolsey said. “It’s just outrageous.”

In a public LinkedIn post, park spokesman Travis Mason-Bushman expressed his dismay at the layoffs. He told the Review-Journal that the post was made in his personal time and should not be taken as an official statement from the park.

The National Park Service did not respond to a request for comment. When asked to comment, the White House deferred to the park service’s parent agency, the Interior Department, which also did not respond.

“These are people who lead tours, clean toilets, answer phones, design signs, and support search and rescue operations,” Mason-Bushman wrote in his post. “All to ‘save’ the government less money than Elon Musk’s jet costs in an hour.”

“Is this what the American people voted for?” he added.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is associated with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency — the Trump administration’s agency leading cuts in government spending aimed at lowering inflation.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.