Rosalee Reese stood for the Rio Grande County Commissioners on Wednesday morning and told her story. She has just been escaped from her job with Rio Grande National Forest as part of the mass migrations that happen across the federal government and now has an impact on cities such as Monte Vista, where Reese, her husband and soon children live.
She worked as Rio Grande National Forest’s Fisheries biologist for the past two years, managed fisheries and wildlife habitat, helped restore Watershed Health and work at Wildfire Resiliency Projects. Last summer, her work with colleague Connor was born of moving Bever from the Dalbund to National Forest in this Alamosa Citizen article.
“This was a dream job for me, something I have worked throughout my career for,” she told the three county commissioners and a room with members of the community who attended the regular meeting in the middle of the week.
“I have moved around the country countless times to take seasonal and temporary jobs to build my resume to be competitive in the federal service, not only because I passionately interested in our natural resources and protects them for future generations, but also because this system promises security and a long -term career for these people who commit to it.”
She knew there was little that the commissioners could do to help her situation, but her message was one of the attention of society and local elected boards of the consequences of a federal government strategy that is not suitable to go through but is on a whim.
“I have five years of successful service as an official with nothing but positive evaluations of performance,” said Reese, “and I was still cut as a sampler status employee, even though I have the previous service.”
A USDA spokesman in an e-mail to Alamosa Citizen said 2,000 probationary time, non-dressing employees nationwide was released from the US Forest Service; A collapse after region was not available.
People who work for the federal government in the valley believe that Rio Grande National Forest Service has seen everywhere from 17 to 20 employees reductions, depending on whether you count those who accepted the US Office of Personnel Administration fork in the road purchase or who were then fired after taking the wrong fork on the road.
A spokesman for the US National Park Service confirmed 1,000 permits in this agency, although it indicated an expectation of some seasonal hires and could not comment on operations in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
FEDERAL AGENCY DEPARTMENTS
We continue to follow the federal employment freezing as it affects the San Luis valley. If you are known about these questions, contact Alamosa Citizen. We are working to document the federal layoffs at the local level, and the effect of a reduced federal workforce in the San Luis Valley has on local communities and local lives.
The valley has 3.1 million Acres public countries with the US forest service as the largest landowner and the great sand Dunes National Park & Preserve as its biggest tourist draw for more than 500,000 visitors a year.
“Our public land, state and federal, are incredibly important to our society, both for tourism and for those of us who live here,” said Laura Conchelos, who also spoke to the county commissioners about the effects of the federal redundancies.
“I think about the number of people coming to the sand dunes, our national forest, our BLM and our refugees for hiking, bicycle, motorcycle, UTV, fish, snowmobile, etc. Every year most of the public land agencies already operate in less than sufficient budgets. Now imagine how random to cut staff will affect the management of these countries, ”she said.
Reese said she and her husband moved to San Luis Valley five years ago after he accepted a position with us fish and wildlife. He now works for the state, and last year the couple bought a home in Monte Vista, where they planned to create a life.
“This year, 36 years old, I finally thought we were in a safe enough position for us to have a family and my baby should be in two months and I just lost my insurance, my maternity leave, my income, all my benefits,” she said in her public comments to the county commissioners. “We didn’t take it easy to start a family. We had a very well thought out, careful plan, and made sure we had two good jobs and made sure we had a safe home to provide our son. “
For the time being, the dream is gone, torn apart by a devastating ball that demolishes the federal bureaucracy and the life of officials who did it for the love of the job and the public.
“This firing was based on none of what I have contributed to in the last two years, and I just want to raise awareness that this will not only have an impact on our society,” said Reese, “but society around the nation and how important the natural resources are here for life’s life and well -being.”
In her final appeal to the county commissioners, she said, “And thank you, I ask you to speak against these mass friezes. Thanks. “
Editor’s Note: This story has been edited to correct previously reported information about Wildlife Refuge.