The Honorable Jessica Bowron
Acting Director
National Park Service
SENT VIA EMAIL
Dear Acting NPS Director Bowron,
As the CEOs of our respective non-profit organizations, the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and the Association of National Park Rangers, we have been closely following the recent decision to terminate probationary employees from the NPS.
Our organizations currently have over 4000 members, including current NPS employees, retirees and volunteers. They have expressed deep concern for these employees and for the impacts on park programs and visitors that would result from these terminations.
We are aware that the terminations of probationary employees was found to be illegal, both by the Office of Special Counsel/Merit Systems Protection Board and by U.S. District Judge William Alsup. However, these decisions did not include a requirement to reinstate those fired and the decision to do that is apparently let up to the agencies.
We appeal to you, in the strongest terms, to initate actions to reinstate all of those employees who were the victims of the illegal firing. Not only would this be the fair thing to do for the employees themselves, but it would eliminate the impacts to park visitors and NPS programs that would result from these firings. It would also help restore public confidence in the NPS’s responsibilities to properly manage and care for the national park system.
Please do the right thing for the terminated employees and for the National Park Service.
Respectfully,
|
Phil Francis |
Rick Mossman |
