NPS, BOR employees discuss layoffs

It was definitely not the email he was hoping for.

Like many over the last few weeks, Riley Rackliffe received notice on Feb. 14 that he was being terminated from his job with the National Park Service as a result of the federal cuts recommended by DOGE.

“It was pretty devastating but we had a little bit of anticipation because I knew I was a probationary employee and there had been rumors of layoffs but I was hoping to avoid that,” he said.

A week prior, he and other government employees received the “Fork in the Road” email in which they were offered eight months’ severance if they agreed to resign within a few days. That was a path he chose not to take.

Many of those who have been laid off fall under the probationary category, meaning they have been on the job for less than a year. That was the case for Rackliffe, who was three weeks shy of his probationary period expiring.

He took a position in March of last year as an aquatic ecologist for Lake Mead National Recreation Area, where among other things, he studied bacterial levels in swimming areas, pathogens, parasites and algae blooms throughout LMNRA. Just prior to taking the job at Lake Mead, Rackliffe, who holds a doctorate, had been teaching at Purdue University.

“I knew I could be cut if I was the person they really didn’t want,” he said. “They’re supposed to give a cause but that’s pretty broadly defined.”

While it may have been far in the back of his mind that he may not be hired full-time following that probationary period, Rackliffe said it wasn’t something he thought about.

“I thought to myself, ‘I’d have to mess up pretty bad,’ to trigger that or something else would have to happen” he said, noting he had been presented two awards for his work and scored a 4.75 out of 5 during an employee evaluation. “They fired me because they could.”

What is DOGE?

According to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, the day of his inauguration, “This Executive Order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”

The DOGE team, led by Elon Musk, has facilitated the elimination of tens of thousands of government jobs in an attempt to obtain the above goal of Trump and his administration.

In an email to the Boulder City Review, the White House’s Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields wrote, “President Trump returned to Washington with a mandate from the American people to bring unprecedented change in our federal government to uproot waste, fraud and abuse. This isn’t easy to do in a broken system entrenched in bureaucracy and bloat, but it’s a task long overdue.

“The personal financial situation of every American is top of mind for the President, which is why he’s working to cut regulations, restore jobs, lower taxes and make government more efficient.”

As to the reasoning of Rackliffe’s termination, the email he received states, “The Department determined that you have failed to demonstrate fitness or qualifications for continued employment because your subject matter knowledge, skills, and abilities do not meet the Department’s current needs, and it is necessary and appropriate to terminate, during the probationary period, your appointment to the position of Ecologist (Aquatic), at Boulder City, Nevada, within the National Park Service. As written above, (the) decision becomes effective immediately on the date of this Memorandum.”

Rackliffe, who is married with two small children, said he applied for the job at Lake Mead because as far back as he can remember, he had wanted to be a park ranger. In fact, he went as one for Halloween when he was 10.

“It was as close to fulfilling a dream as I could get,” he said of being a ranger with the focus on science. Having grown up in Utah, getting back out West just made his decision to move from Indiana even easier.

The day after being fired, Rackliffe, 36, began sending out his resume. Because of a hiring freeze within the government, he doesn’t plan to apply for any other park service positions, at least not at this time. But his dream of continuing as a park ranger is still there.

“I still believe in the park service,” he said. “The park service didn’t discard me; it was higher up than that.”

BOR cuts

Like Rackliffe, Bureau of Reclamation probationary employee Jenna McLeod received an email informing her of her termination. She received it Feb. 21 but it was her boss who gave her the news.

“She said she had unfortunate news and that she had a letter stating that my position had been terminated,” she said. “It was based on my status and not necessarily my position. It was something I kind of expected but obviously, didn’t want to have happen. I was very emotional. I wasn’t outraged or mad at anyone specific, I was just sad.”

McLeod, 33, was originally hired by the BOR in 2021 through the Student Pathways trainee program but in September of last year filled an open, full-time position as a program support assistant. She said her position was administrative in nature or the “glue of the office.” Her main responsibilities dealt with travel arrangements and purchases. McLeod went to college specifically for this position.

“Right now, it’s just one day at a time,” the 2008 BCHS grad said. “There are moments I feel like I’m going to be sick. But this is my reality and I can’t change it. I have talked to others and they’re all scared.”

For now, McLeod is waiting to hear about possible continued health insurance coverage and unemployment. In the meantime, she plans to start applying for jobs in the private sector. She’s hopeful that her position at the BOR may become open in the future.

“I would reapply in a heartbeat,” McLeod said. “I’m not mad at them. I’d love to rejoin them in any way possible. This is my home.”