Interior, South Dakota

As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump characterized the federal government as “bloated” and filled with “unnecessary” workers, including many who “never showed up.”

Lydia Jones spent three years laying the groundwork for a career as a National Park Ranger. “When you first start out,” she told a reporter for the PBS NewsHour, “you have to work as what’s called a seasonal employee.” For her, that meant six-month stints at three different national parks. “So you’re kind of constantly moving around,” Jones explained. “You’re typically away from family, friends, loved ones, and it can be quite hard. But a lot of people, including myself, are willing to make those sacrifices… mostly because we truly care about our jobs and truly believe in providing that service to the American people.”

After falling in love with Badlands National Park, Jones landed a permanent position there and moved to South Dakota with her partner. Then, on Valentine’s Day 2025, her supervisor informed Jones that she was one of more than a thousand probationary Park Service employees being terminated, effective immediately. “I was heartbroken,” Jones said, adding that “it was something I was planning on potentially making a lifelong career.”

Jones had been hired to work at the Badlands visitor center answering questions and running educational programs. In preparation for that job, she had trained to become an Emergency Medical Technician, in order to equip herself for search-and-rescue duty. “And that was something that I chose kind of on my own to pursue,” she said, “because being in such a rural area with a lack of first responders and an increase in visitation and increase in incidents, I thought that there was a need for more EMTs in the park.”

Asked about joining a lawsuit to contest her dismissal, Jones said she hadn’t decided, but “I would absolutely love to go back to my job,” she said. “I would go back in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity to.”

Date Posted: 5/4/25