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Local conservationists and retired Forest Service staff urge council to press federal leaders to halt workforce cuts
Summary
Multiple speakers, including retired federal employees, urged the council to pass a resolution urging state and federal officials to restore recently terminated U.S. Forest Service staff and ensure the agency can spend previously appropriated funds; council members said they would prepare resolutions.
Several local conservationists and former U.S. Forest Service employees told the Leavenworth City Council on March 11 that proposed federal workforce reductions and restrictions on spending appropriated funds will harm forest-health projects, wildfire preparedness and recreation management in the region.
Speakers and concerns: Pete Tega, Suzanne Cable (retired forest-level program manager), and Bruce (retired fire-management superintendent) described ongoing collaborative projects—forest health, fuels reduction, trail and recreation management—and warned that proposed federal reductions to personnel and spending authority would reduce local fire-prevention capacity, delay planned projects and hamper the region’s ability to respond to wildfire this season.
Requests to council: Speakers asked the council to pass a resolution urging the governor, the congressional delegation and federal leadership to ensure terminated federal employees are reinstated where appropriations and program needs exist and to press that efficiency efforts must not undermine local hazard-reduction and resource-management capacity. They also noted that contractors and NRCS partners in the region are unable to be paid on completed work because of restrictions on spending authority.
Council response: Mayor Will Paul said staff are already aware and that the city will prepare specific resolutions and engage the county and other local governments. Councilmembers indicated they would collaborate with neighboring jurisdictions and the county to amplify requests to federal leaders.
Context: Presenters said agencies have a small window to influence reduction-in-force plans and that local elected officials can help press federal and congressional leaders to ensure appropriated funds are not blocked and that local capacity to deliver forest-health and fuels projects remains intact.
Next steps: Councilmembers said the city will prepare resolution language and coordinate with the county and other regional governments and stakeholders for a coordinated message.
