Remember when DOGE fired 360-Montana U.S. Forest Services workers last month? It looks like they’re going back to work–at least temporarily. The Federal Merit Systems Protection Board directed the USDA to reinstate them immediately. The USDA, incidentally, is the largest Federal employers in our state.
These are the people who clear our trails, service our campgrounds and rental cabins, respond to wildfires, control noxious weeds, support timber sales, restore fisheries and study archaeological sites. Some of these people had just been promoted into their new positions, many had been with the Forest Service for years. Many of these people, serve as “fire militia”, which means they’re pressed into service when wildfires threaten their areas of operations.
