By Brett Peveto
With West Virginia’s tourism industry seeing dramatic growth in recent years, conservation groups are sounding the alarm about layoffs of federal land-management workers.
Reports indicate 3,400 U.S. Forest Service employees and 1,000 National Park Service workers have been fired nationwide, representing a 10% force reduction for the Forest Service and 5% at the Park Service.
Olivia Miller, program director for the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, said the cutbacks will affect the state’s economy.
“Public lands have an enormous economic impact in our state, bringing in around $9 billion annually and supporting about 91,000 jobs,” Miller pointed out. “Many communities are built around outdoor recreation and tourism.”
The Park Service reported West Virginia saw more than 2 million visitors to its national parks in 2023, with park visitors spending more than $120 million in the state.
In 2023, West Virginia saw a 17% increase in visitor spending in the state compared with a national increase around 1%. The state Department of Tourism forecasts continued visitor spending will create 21,000 jobs annually through 2030.
Advocates are pointing to the preexisting staffing problems at national forests including Monongahela, which is described as chronically understaffed. Miller noted understaffed national parks and forests will have a slower response to invasive species and sees the likelihood of an overall decline in the quality of visitor experiences.
“Trail maintenance will likely become harder,” Miller observed. “Cleaning up campsites and opening them up for people over the summer is going to become more and more difficult for these agencies to sustain.”
National parks nationwide saw more than 325 million visits in 2023, a 4% increase over the year prior.
