The Green and Gray Retort, Vol. I, Edition 2
July 21, 2025
⛺ Welcome back for the second edition of the Green and Gray Retort, the official newsletter of the Resistance Rangers. Come for the real stories unfolding on our public lands; stay for the adorable animals, a healthy amount of snark, and heartwarming personal stories. We offer solidarity to staff and stakeholders alike in this time of great upheaval. We had so much fresh and/or devastating content that we had to split into two issues - expect issue 3 next week!
Opening video: Nick Offerman channels Ron Swanson to shine a light on the parks’ plight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7WvbSqbVBQ&feature=youtu.be
💥Upcoming Events:
RR is planning a coordinated response to forecasted Reductions In Force (RIF). More details to follow! In the meantime, we’re calling our local and national reps to chat about what these firings would mean for our communities and the future of public lands. You can also tell Doug Burgum that the supporters of the NPS say “No RIFing Rangers!” Please read our press release and call to action here.
🫂In Solidarity
Resistance Rangers would like to shine a light on tragedies affecting two jewels of the National Park Service. Separate and devastating wildfires continue to rage through the south rim of Colorado’s Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (BLCA) and the north rim of Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park (GRCA).
First appearing on July 10th, the “South Rim Fire” at BLCA quickly ignited into an inferno, forcing a total evacuation of the park and surrounding regions. Despite limited containment of the blaze, per this writing there have fortunately been no injuries. We await formal damage and safety assessments, which will be completed once the fire is 100% contained.
Unfortunately at the Grand Canyon, infrastructure has been destroyed, although (thankfully) employees have likewise been evacuated safely. On the North Rim of the canyon, two simultaneous wildfires ignited around 30 miles apart from each other, eviscerating the landscape and structures alike. Closest to the canyon, the Dragon Bravo Fire has caused the majority of the devastation. What started from a lightning strike on July 4th spread dramatically due to winds out of an unusual direction on July 11-12, ultimately consuming the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. The 1937 building, a National Historic Landmark, provided the only full-scale lodging on the North Rim.
While the loss of the historic hotel has made headlines, many homes for rangers stationed on the North Rim were also consumed by the blaze. For these staff members, anything they were not able to leave with upon evacuation was lost. It is not an exaggeration to say people’s lives have been upended. Our thoughts are with the firefighters at both locations as they bravely battle the flames, and the GRCA team as they begin the healing process from this tragedy.
⭐Success Story!
Trying to find silver linings in Trump’s Big Ugly Bill is not easy. Yet, we are called to highlight YOU, fellow Resisters, for the overwhelming support for saving our public lands. While the BBBill was in the Senate, a provision that called for sale of up to 3 million acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the US Forest Service (USFS) was removed from the bill following a large public outcry against the proposal and its main sponsor, Utah Senator Mike Lee (R). The proposal was purported to provide more access to affordable housing, but prior initiatives involving federal land sales show this is unlikely to be of significant aid in that issue, especially if large corporations get involved. This is something Sen. Lee even acknowledged, citing an inability to guarantee who the land would be sold to as part of his decision to withdraw sales from the bill.
While these sales were unlikely to directly impact the NPS, there is a slippery slope when it comes to selling public land for an administration’s projects, as the effects are largely irreversible.
Please join us in celebrating this major victory and applauding the efforts of the public and politicians who successfully lobbied to save our land, although we acknowledge this fight is far from over… In his statement about withdrawing his proposal from the Big Beautiful Bill, Sen. Lee stated his desire to consider federal land sales in the future. Additionally, the House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies (part of the Appropriations Committee) released their initial budget for fiscal year 2026, which would decrease funding to NPS by ~$213 million. This is a 6.4% decrease from FY 2025.
🍪 More than a Bake Sale
Politicians are so bad at protecting public lands, kids had to host a bake sale to do it themselves! The Resistance Rangers teamed up with the Colorado branch of the Mountain Mamas to host a tongue-in-cheek bake sale in Denver to fund public lands. The July 12th event featured cookies such as “Ranger Oatmeal Raisin”, “Chocolate Chip-In Funds for Parks”, and “No Cuts Macadamia Nut”. Young public lands enthusiasts and a former climate change ranger spoke about about the risks to our shared natural and cultural resources. Passersby received cookies lovingly packaged with facts about how funding cuts are impacting parks, and a QR code with an action alert. You can join in and reach out to your members of congress to tell them to fund public lands – it only takes about a minute! for more coverage, news station Denver7 reported on the bake sale.
💔Cast A-RIF’ed…Again
To be blunt, July 8th was not a good day if your wardrobe consists of ample amounts of green and gray. On that day, the Supreme Court stayed an injunction from a California District Court that had been preventing widespread federal layoffs, known as a Reduction-In-Force, or RIF. This allows the Trump administration to move forward with slashing the workforce for 19 government departments and agencies, including the National Park Service.
This is bad news, as layoffs could proceed now before courts have had the opportunity to rule on the legality of these RIFs (something the Supreme Court declined to do in their ruling). By law, the executive branch is required to gain the approval of Congress before engaging in sweeping changes to the federal workforce, something that this administration hasn’t bothered to do. As for personnel effects: the discourse has primarily been around those working at the regional level. “Parks may not be affected” is what we continue to hear; however, no official plans have been revealed. While leaving public-facing staff intact sounds like an okay plan, the brain drain of institutional administrative knowledge will be felt in years to come. Regional employees are critical to the success of our mission. They include experts who work across multiple parks, which allows parks both large and small to receive support from professionals like scientists, architects, and cultural specialists. They also house experts who work on systems that support the entire NPS. While the administration is trying to claim cutting regional staff won’t affect parks,the damage may very well be done to America’s Best Idea before the courts get the chance to rule on the case.
The Resistance Rangers have released two statements in response to these events that can be read here.
🎤On the Air!
We are hitting the airwaves, folks! Resistance Rangers are proud to launch our new podcast, Resistance Rangers on the Air. Our goals are big and our topics are varied! Want to get the latest scoop straight from the source? We have you covered! Whether you are coming for park stories, deep dives into history, explanations of the inner workings of the NPS, or just some good nature-related jokes, we have a little something for everyone in the works.
Listen and learn more here! The podcast team is super excited and has put a lot of work into making this a reality; expect one complete, hour-long episode a month with smaller drops sprinkled in between! Visit our website to listen! 🎧
📰Hot Off the Press:
One anonymous off-duty Resistance Ranger recently led a successful Tabletop Protest in her park’s first amendment area. On Sunday, July 6th, she used her day off of work to demonstrate how “legal peaceful protesting [can be used] as a tool to educate others.” In her words, “at my current park, they have a weekly legal protest next to the park sign, but I’m usually working late so it’s hard to attend. I am an Interpretation/Education Ranger, so I thought I could use my ‘particular set of skills’ on my days off to educate visitors about the plight of the National Park Service, the trauma federal workers are experiencing, and the threat to public lands.” She plans to continue the tabletop protest on a weekly basis on her off days, as well as support others who want to do the same. Read the full interview here!
🦸Time for Action!
👉 Take a look at our Good Trouble Toolkit, developed in direct opposition to the the Secretary’s Order 3431 requiring parks to post “Snitch Signs” which ask visitors to report all park content that “inappropriately disparages Americans past or living,” or that “emphasizes matters unrelated to the beauty, abundance, or grandeur of natural features.” This order extends to every piece of content within a park, including books and items for sale in park book stores and gift shops. The beloved Harper’s Ferry Center, which manages graphics for all park units, is now tasked with developing a method of censorship for waysides that have been deemed unacceptable by this administration.
🔥Words to Wallow With:
"Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society."
—John Lewis, legendary civil rights activist and congressman
🗞️A note on future issues:
Have a cool story you want highlighted here? Want to showcase that once-in-a-lifetime pic you captured at a park recently? Have some insight, reflection, or idea that you feel is worth sharing to the Resistance? What are you waiting for?! Reach out to us and we may just include your submission in future editions!
In solidarity - and for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations,
Resistance Rangers