Yosemite park workers protest layoffs by hanging distress flag
- Yosemite National Park staff hung a 30 by 50 ft upside-down American flag on El Capitan as a protest against layoffs.
- The demonstration was timed with the annual Firefall event, attracting many visitors to the park.
- The action aimed to highlight the significant cuts to federal staff and the adverse consequences on public lands.
In February 2025, Yosemite National Park in the United States witnessed a significant protest by its staff members. The demonstration involved a large upside-down American flag, which was displayed around 3,000 feet above the valley floor on El Capitan, the park's famous granite rock formation. This act of defiance was in response to the Trump administration's sweeping layoffs affecting thousands of federal employees, with 11 full-time staff at Yosemite receiving termination notices on February 14. As part of a broader national trend, approximately 1,000 staff across the National Park Service faced similar dismissals as new federal policies took effect. The protest event coincided with the annual Firefall spectacle, drawing thousands of visitors to the park. Gavin Carpenter, a Yosemite maintenance mechanic involved in the protest, stated the importance of raising awareness about federal staff reductions and their impact on public lands. The action served not only as a cry for help from the park employees but also as a message highlighting the ongoing struggles facing national parks due to budget cuts and staffing shortages. Yosemite National Park staff expressed concerns about the sustainability of their work environment, emphasizing that the cuts undermined essential maintenance and visitor services. In a statement, the National Park Service acknowledged the significance of the protest, noting that it was an exercise of free speech aimed at drawing attention to the ongoing threats to public lands across the nation. Historically, the upside-down flag has symbolized distress, and its use in this context highlighted the urgency of the situation being faced by park employees. Reactions from park visitors varied, with some supporting the display as a means of promoting environmental awareness, while others misinterpreted it politically. Overall, the protest at Yosemite National Park amplified crucial issues related to federal employment cuts and the future of America’s national treasures, encouraging further dialogue about the preservation of public lands and the workforce that supports them.