On Sunday, March, 22, 2025, around 150 folx, several from the Central Valley, gathered in Yosemite Valley for a Rally & Learn, an event organized nationally by the @resistancerangers and in Yosemite by a local group of organizers.
Resistance Rangers are off duty, fired, and/or retired National Park Service (NPS) employees. The group is composed of 800 individuals from across the nation.
“Our mission is to empower the public to take action, reminding our legislators and leadership that parks are for all people and are NOT for sale. We stand firmly against the exploitation of these lands by private interests, and aim to prevent the dismantling of both public lands and the agencies that protect them.”-Resistance Rangers
Photos by Mars Santos.
The Trump administration fired about 1,000 National Park Service employees, who serve various roles. This is part of Trump's effort to reduce "government waste." This has sparked fears that Trump aims to open our national parks to corporate exploitation. According to the White House, Trump recently signed an executive order that, "cuts red tape in order to streamline timber production and identifies measures to boost timber sales from public lands."
Amid Yosemite’s natural splendor, advocates rallied together, chanting:
“What do we want?!”
“Public lands!”
“Where do we want them?!”
“Public hands!”
“Yosemite’s whaaaaat?!’”
“Not for sale!”
On March 13th, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the 1,000 fired National Park employees. A big win for National Park advocates. Despite this victory, there are many challenges ahead as the Trump administration will continue to seek ways to undermine our National Parks. Many are ready to continue the fight to ensure that our Nation’s treasures are around for future generations to enjoy.
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