SF Gate: 'Irreversible damage': 400 Fish and Wildlife firings could lead to extinctions in Joshua Tree
On Feb. 14, the Donald Trump administration fired at least 2,300 staff members at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Four hundred of those positions belonged to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the only federal agency tasked primarily with protecting and conserving native flora, fauna and habitat.
After a federal judge ordered that the workers be reinstated, an unknown number were placed on paid leave. On Monday, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to halt the judge’s order; meanwhile, the cuts remain deep and the future uncertain. Experts expect the loss of hundreds of Fish and Wildlife employees to have both immediate and long-term impacts on threatened species in wild places across the Southwest, including Joshua Tree National Park.
Kelly Herbinson, wildlife biologist and executive director of the nonprofit Mojave Desert Land Trust, says colleagues at Fish and Wildlife confirmed the agency’s loss of 400 staff members last month. And even more terminations could be on the horizon, she said.