Oregon
‘Wild West:’ Oregon’s public lands face uncertain future amid federal job cuts
Fired federal employee says ‘qualified and necessary’ workers lost jobs
Kim Smith, a former archeologist with the USDA, believes she and others were fired illegally, that President Trump did not follow federal regulations.
Gina Porzio was preparing for her fourth season as a ranger on the Rogue River when she got the email.
“It just said my job had been rescinded,” she said, becoming one of the thousands of federal employees cut last week in an effort by the Trump administration to slash government spending. “It was a shock to all of us.”
Porzio has been a guide on Oregon’s most famous river since she was 16 years old and loved her job with the Bureau of Land Management keeping rafters and hikers safe.
“My job is helping the public — and it’s a little bit of everything,” said Porzio, who lives in Grants Pass. “We do medical evacuations when people are injured. We pull boats off the rocks when people are stuck. We work in wildfire and transport firefighters to places they can’t reach. We clear the Rogue River Trail so people can hike it, we clear garbage from campsites, check permits, clean toilets — it’s a million different things.”
In past years, the BLM’s Rogue River program had about eight to 10 employees to patrol the river and issue permits. Now, there’s just one person left, Porzio said, to manage one of the most popular rafting trips in the world.
“If nothing changes, it’s going to be the Wild West,” she said. “I don’t see how we could even have a river program with so few people.”
Porzio’s story is not unique. Federal job cuts across the state could have a major impact on how Oregonians and visitors work and play on public lands.
Federal job cuts hit every part of Oregon’s outdoors
If there’s one word to describe this coming recreation season in Oregon it would be “uncertainty.”
The federal government owns about 53% of Oregon’s land — more than 32 million acres — and much of its forest, mountains and desert is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, BLM and, to a much smaller extent, the National Park Service.
The number of people working at those agencies will be far smaller in 2025.
Even before President Trump took office, the Forest Service announced in autumn of 2024 that it was not hiring seasonal non-fire employees in 2025 as it had in the past.
“We understand that this will reverberate across all national forests,” said Kristin Carver, public affairs specialist for the Forest Service Pacific Northwest last October. “A few examples of their valuable work include helping in maintaining trails, campgrounds, and other recreational facilities among many other duties.”
In other words, it was already going to be a short-staffed year on public lands.
But this month, federal job cuts sliced even deeper, eliminating 2,000 jobs in the Forest Service, around 800 at BLM and another 1,000 at national parks. Even more employees took voluntary buy outs, but it’s not clear how many.
Trump administration says it’s ‘eliminating inefficiencies’
U.S. Department of Agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said she “fully supports the President’s directive to improve government, eliminate inefficiencies, and strengthen USDA’s many services to the American people,” said a statement. The Forest Service is part of USDA.
“We have a solemn responsibility to be good stewards of the American people’s hard-earned taxpayer dollars and to ensure that every dollar spent goes to serve the people, not the bureaucracy,” she added.
The USDA said the decision to release 2,000 probationary and non-firefighting employees was unfortunate but that Rollins was committed to “preserving essential safety positions and will ensure that critical services remain uninterrupted.”
“To be clear, none of these individuals were operational firefighters,” the statement said. “Released employees were probationary in status, many of whom were compensated by temporary (Inflation Reduction Act) funding. It’s unfortunate that the Biden administration hired thousands of people with no plan in place to pay them long term.”
A probationary employee means the individual was a recent hire or long-serving employee who was moved or promoted into a new position.
Detroit district of the Willamette National Forest ‘is devastated’
Those in the field say the cuts go far deeper than “eliminating inefficiencies.”
Local information is hard to come by, but at the 1.6 million-acre Willamette National Forest, east of Salem, at least 33 positions were cut and almost the entire recreation program was axed. The Willamette includes some of Oregon’s most popular backcountry and large swaths of forest still being restored from the 2020 Labor Day Fires.
Brady Kleihauer, a wilderness ranger for the Detroit district of Willamette National Forest, was one of those eliminated. He worked on a trail crew, wildfire crews and gathered data on wildlife and botany.
“The district is devastated,” Kleihauer said.
Umpqua National Forest, also popular for recreation and rebuilding from the 2020 wildfires, lost at least 16 employees.
It’s unclear how many employees were lost at other national forests across Oregon, but it’s been described as “significant” in numerous locations.
Ochoco National Forest, Crooked River National Grassland ‘had entire programs cut’
Given the lack of seasonal workers and cuts, current and former employees say it’s unclear whether campgrounds will open, trails will be cleared or permits will be issued for firewood, mushroom harvest, Christmas tree harvest and wilderness access.
“We had entire programs cut — our recreation and public service is completely gone,” said Isabella Isaksen, former public information officer for central Oregon’s Ochoco National Forest and the Crooked River National Grassland.
Isaksen said current employees are so short-staffed that it’s difficult to complete legal timber sales, finish grazing permits or craft any sort of recreation program. Other employees described a state of shock and a lack of direction from Washington D.C.
“(The people still working) continually tell me how concerned they are because the work they are being asked to do is not possible,” Isaksen said.
Isaksen, a U.S. Army veteran and U.S. Olympian, also echoed the fear that the cuts would leave the Forest Service unprepared for wildfire season.
“Our 2024 fire season was the worst in central Oregon history,” she said. “And while fire might not have been a primary duty, all of us worked on fire in some capacity. We wrapped buildings, helped create defensible space around critical infrastructure and felled hazard trees. Some of us fought on the line. We were already understaffed last year, so we’re very concerned about this year.”
Terminations that cite performence ‘wrong’
The abrupt terminations also struck a raw nerve because they were conducted under false pretenses.
Megan Hanson was a biological science technician in soils for Deschutes National Forest, working to ensure the long-term health of the forest and ecosystem. When the pandemic hit, she moved into environmental sciences and thought she was launching a new career with the Forest Service.
Then came the email. It stated, along with others, that “the agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest,” the letter said.
“It’s wrong,” she said. “Our deputy district ranger wrote that we had excellent performance.”
“I thought my job was secure and was told to expect to come back to work,” Hanson said. “I feel betrayed, not by the Forest Service, but by the current administration.”
What will federal job cuts on public lands in Oregon mean on the ground?
Unless something changes, there will be far fewer people and resources working in Oregon’s public lands this summer. And there aren’t a lot of clear answers about what that will actually mean on the ground.
In other states, the impact of the job losses is already becoming apparent — multiple national parks have scaled back on days and hours when they’re open. Whether that happens at Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park or the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve remains to be seen.
Much of Oregon’s outdoors is somewhat less developed, a mixture of campgrounds and trails on national forest land.
Private concessionaires do run many campgrounds and facilities, and nonprofits have taken up much of the work in maintaining trails. Volunteers also are likely to take a greater role. But the agencies still fund, train, and establish contracts with those groups.
The Siskiyou Mountain Club, which manages a vast network of trails in southern Oregon and northern California, had a $320,000 agreement for work in California’s Marble Mountain Wilderness canceled. They lost another $50,000 for work on the Pacific Crest Trail.
With few people and limited resources, some worry public lands will be shut down.
“My fear is that they just close the gates,” said Andy Stahl, executive director for Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics. “The Forest Service has shown that when they think a place is too dangerous, they just close it. They could cite liability concerns, decide they don’t have the resources and just lock it up.”
A case for less management of public lands
In the absence of rangers, Oregon’s public lands could simply become a more Wild West experience. If there are no rangers to enforce permit systems for wilderness areas and rivers, do they still exist?
Stahl said a lighter touch to management might not be the end of the world.
“Sixty years ago these types of jobs didn’t exist and people just floated down rivers or hiked trails full of deadfall at their own risk,” Stahl said. “What we’ve created in recent years is really a nanny state. People talk a lot about rewilding. Well, rewilding doesn’t take a lot of employees. You just kind of walk away. I still remember a time when the Forest Service barely paid attention to recreation. They were only really concerned with logging.”
Isaksen said the Wild West on Oregon’s public lands may not work well for the land and wildlife. The record number of people visiting the outdoors has already brought trash, chaos and overflowing parking to popular locations across the West.
“There has been such an increase in recreation use, especially in places like the Deschutes National Forest, that if there’s no stewardship things will very quickly and dramatically degrade,” Isaksen said. “If we want to look at history, the Wild West also meant the near extinction of wildlife and major forest degradation.”
Overall, Stahl noted this could be a major inflection point for public lands. At the agencies, there is no clear idea yet of how this summer is actually going to work.
Members of Oregon’s congressional delegation denounce cuts
Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley issued statements denouncing the cuts.
Merkley said in a statement that staffing shortages at beloved outdoor destinations “bring threats of shuttered visitor centers, dangerously slow emergency response times, dirty facilities, and even park closures.”
“More must be done to protect a full set of seasonal positions and permanent employees who are essential to maintaining and preserving our public lands for folks to enjoy for generations,” Merkley said.
Wyden added: “After a year when Oregon experienced a record amount of acreage burned in wildfires, it’s asinine for Donald Trump and Elon Musk to slash the capacity to prepare for those blazes and to battle these infernos in our state and throughout the West,” Wyden said. Add
“Cutting jobs and freezing the hiring of seasonal firefighters after Congress approved those public lands investments is unconstitutional and puts lives and livelihoods in Oregon at unconscionable risk,”Wyden said.
In a series of sometimes raucous town hall meetings, U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, Oregon’s lone Congressional Republican, said he supported the cuts, according to reporting from the La Grande Observer. “I’m perfectly happy with our president doing his best to exercise his legal power,” Bentz said at the town hall.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 18 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors and BlueSky at oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) has accused Portland General Electric (PGE) of circumventing Oregon’s new POWER Act, which mandates that data centers cover their own energy costs.
CUB claims PGE’s proposed cost-sharing framework unfairly burdens residential customers with a significant portion of the expenses associated with data center growth.
The consumer advocacy group was established in 1984, as a utility watchdog over Oregon’s three investor-owned electric utilities, PGE, Pacific Power and Idaho Power.
PAST COVERAGE | Oregon House passes bill making large data centers pay for power grid costs
According to CUB, PGE’s plan would charge residential customers 34-45% of the costs for new power supply and transmission, despite data centers being the primary drivers of increased energy demand.
CUB argues that this approach contradicts the intent of the POWER Act, which aims to prevent Oregon families from subsidizing data centers.
PGE, however, defends its proposal. The company mentioned a new tool called the Peak Growth Modifier as a means to ensure that those driving peak demand growth bear the associated costs.
“The electric grid and generating resources are built to make sure customers are reliably served at moments when usage is at its highest point – this is peak demand,” PGE said. “The principle is simple: customer groups driving peak-demand growth should pay for the infrastructure needed to serve that growth.”
The Oregon Public Utility Commission is currently reviewing PGE’s plan, with a decision expected by April 2026.
The POWER Act, signed by Gov. Kotek, instructed the commission to create a new industrial customer class for those using over 20 megawatts of energy, primarily data centers.
The bill also included provisions for infrastructure cost-sharing mechanisms, customer protections, and long-term contracts for data centers.
What’s the buzz around data centers?
Data centers are facilities that house and run large computer systems. They have been expanding at a fast pace to power the fast-growing AI economy across the country.
They usually contain several computer servers, data storage devices, network equipment and other devices that allow for storing, managing, processing and transmitting data.
SEE ALSO | Exploring AI data centers’ impact on U.S. resources
Currently, residential customers account for 40% of total electricity consumption, while data centers represent only 6% in Oregon.
However, data centers are expected to grow to approximately 20% of total consumption by 2030.
Oregon currently has 138 data centers, according to Data Center Map’s database.
Data centers use a lot of electricity, especially those specifically built to support generative AI.
A new Pew Research Center analysis of federal and international data shows U.S. data centers used 183 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, about 4% of all electricity used nationwide, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
That’s roughly equal to the entire annual electricity use of Pakistan.
According to Pew and the IEA, a typical AI-optimized hyperscale center uses as much electricity as 100,000 homes a year. Newer mega-facilities could use 20 times more once they go online.
In major hubs, especially Northern Virginia, clusters of these centers now consume more than a quarter of the state’s total electricity supply, the Electric Power Research Institute reports.
Carnegie Mellon University estimates U.S. electricity bills could rise 8% by 2030 just from data centers and crypto mining alone, with even steeper hikes in the most data-center-dense regions.
Data centers in the U.S. also consumed 17 billion gallons of fresh, drinking water in 2023, mainly to cool energy-intensive AI chips.
By 2028, hyperscale centers alone could be consuming 16 to 33 billion gallons annually — roughly the yearly use of a mid-sized U.S. city.
The Associated Press and Emma Withrow of The National Desk contributed to this report.
The Oregon Ducks host a college football playoff game on December 20 for the first time in program history.
Big deal? Yes. Huge undertaking? Not so much.
The No. 5 Ducks hosting No. 12 James Madison in the College Football Playoff isn’t exactly a situation of “been there, done that,” but planning and executing such an event has not created panic within the Ducks’ athletic department.
In many ways, hosting the game is no different from the seven other home games Oregon hosts in most seasons, except for a few tweaks required by the CFP.
Through extensive planning that began last year, Oregon expects to make a seamless shift to hosting the event, with perhaps the only source of trepidation being the weather forecast, which as of Sunday appeared favorable.
“It’s for the most part, business as usual, like any other game,” said Aaron Wasson, Oregon senior associate athletic director, equipment operations and championships.
Planning started in 2024
Oregon received a jump start on learning the requirements for hosting a first-round playoff game last year.
Programs were required to provide the CFP with information, documents and images of facilities and infrastructure to demonstrate preparedness to host a major event. The CFP sent a how-to planning manual to many of the top programs in October 2024, the first year of the expanded 12-team format.
“We started preparing as soon as the CFP announced that as a first-round host, you could host on campus,” Wasson said.
Oregon completed its planning due diligence just in case the Ducks hosted a playoff game last year. The Ducks avoided doing so by defeating Penn State 45-37 in the Big Ten Championship game to earn a first-round bye.
“We went through the entire exercise all the way up until when we won the Big Ten Championship,” Wasson said. “We had to prepare like we were going to host.”
That initial exploratory preparation set the stage for an easy transition into playoff mode this year.
“We certainly had a pretty clear sense of what to expect,” said Jimmy Stanton, UO senior associate athletic director.
The top four seeds in the playoff earn a first-round bye. Teams seeded No. 5 through No. 8 host a first-round game.
Oregon’s probability of hosting ticked up Oct. 11 after the Ducks lost 30-20 to Big Ten Conference rival Indiana, creating a strong possibility that the Ducks would not qualify for the conference title game.
Numerous meetings were held during the season to smooth out communication ahead of Oregon becoming a host site.
“We’ve had a significant number of meetings throughout the fall, internally, as well as with other potential hosts and the CFP,” Wasson said. “Just ensuring everyone is on the same page.”
Each host university receives $3 million to cover expenses other than the opposing team’s travel. Then it’s on them to make the events happen.
Oklahoma, Mississippi and Texas A&M also host first-round games.
Setting up game day experience
A key requirement for hosting is the ability to support a major broadcast, which requires a heightened level of infrastructure and technology. Oregon, which has hosted every major network that broadcasts college football games, is well ahead of the game in that area.
This season alone, ESPN’s College Gameday visited Oregon twice before games broadcast by other networks.
“From an operational and logistical standpoint, we’re certainly wired up for a major broadcast,” Stanton said.
The playoff game will air on TNT, truTV, and be streamed on HBO Max.
For the most part, Stanton said, Oregon’s game will feel like an Oregon home game, save for a few exceptions. A few enhancements will be announced in the coming days, he adds.
All sponsorships and signage installed by Oregon must be removed from the stadium.
“It’s a CFP game from that standpoint,” Stanton said.
The field will feature the CFP logo, but both end zones will still include “OREGON.”
In-game activities can remain the same, but cannot include sponsor attachment.
So, expect to hear Mat Kearney’s “Coming Home (Oregon)” and fans getting softer and softer singing “Shout” before cranking up the volume for the crescendo.
“There are a few CFP elements that people will notice,” Wasson said. “Mostly video board game presentation-type pieces like any other postseason championship.”
The CFP controls ticket pricing and keeps revenue from ticket sales. Ticket prices on Tickemaster range from $154 to $661 per seat.
Oregon banks the revenue generated from concessions and parking.
James Madison received 3,500 tickets to sell to fans eager to see the Dukes participate in their first CFP game. That’s the same amount opposing teams receive during the regular season. As of Friday, thousands of tickets remained available on Ticketmaster, including many being sold on the secondary market.
“We’ll have a great crowd like we always do,” Stanton said.
Because the Dukes plan to arrive in Eugene a couple of days before the game, Oregon must provide them with an indoor and outdoor practice space. JMU will have access to the indoor Moshofsky Center, Autzen and an undisclosed offsite venue, kept secret to prevent fans from watching the workout.
Perhaps the most significant shift is that teams must be off the field 30 minutes before kickoff following warmups, rather than the usual 22 minutes — a requirement for all playoff games.
Mild conditions expected
FBS schools hosting football games in late December is new and carries the risk of challenging weather.
But it appears Oregon will avoid such a problem. Forecasts call for a 60% chance of rain with a high of 48 degrees. Wasson said he was crossing his fingers and hoping for the best, but noted that Oregon did put in place a snow plan just in case.
“Looking at the long-range forecast here in eight days, it looks like – knock on wood – we’re going to be okay,” Wasson said.
It’s a stark contrast to three of last year’s first-round playoff games played at Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Snow hit all three sites in the days leading up to the games and temperatures dipped into the high 20s and low 30s.
Minimal local impact
Eugene and Springfield will enjoy an extra weekend of football-generated revenue. According to eugenecascadescoast.org, a game weekend generates between $6-$8 million.
But hosting an eighth football game isn’t expected to create additional headaches.
“UO athletics really take the lead in this and we just kind of offer support and they haven’t indicated to us that they expected anything different,” said Marion Barnes, Eugene public affairs manager for public works.
One potential difference, Barnes noted, is that the playoff game could attract more fans from out of town than a regular-season game.
Those making the trip will face higher hotel rates, as is common on other game weekends. For example, rooms at the Courtyard by Marriott in Eugene/Springfield that go for $171 per night this weekend will run $495 per night during game weekend.
As for hotel operations that weekend, Courtyard manager Eman Berumen said he expected the weekend to go like any other football weekend.
“For the university, it’s a big deal, it’s a playoff game and all that, but for us, it’s just another game weekend,” Berumen said.
Randi Olsen, general manager of the Hop Valley Brewing Company in Springfield, said she expects a booming weekend in line with those seen with major programs visiting Eugene, such as No. 1 Indiana earlier this season.
Most game days generate roughly double the regular business enjoyed, Olsen said, especially those that attract visiting fans staying in nearby hotels.
Hoosiers fans, she said, began rolling in on Thursday and kept business brisk through the weekend. She hopes for the same during playoff weekend, although she would have preferred Notre Dame to be UO’s opponent.
“It’s okay,” she said with a laugh. “It’s still a playoff game.”
More could come Oregon’s way through the years.
Oregon’s program could be in the playoff mix numerous times over the years, making hosting future first-round games very likely.
The athletics department welcomes the opportunity to host next week, despite a few additional weeks of event preparation.
“We absolutely are looking forward to it,” Wasson said. “It’s exciting. There’s a lot of excitement around the complex right now, around the community. So, it is a little bit of extra work but we’re embracing it, and we’re looking forward to it.
No. 12 James Madison (12-1) at No. 5 Oregon (11-1)
- When: Saturday, Dec. 20
- Time: 4:30 p.m. PT
- Where: Autzen Stadium
- TV: TNT/HBO Max
It is pretty easy to get distracted at this time of the year in college football. Some teams have bowl games upcoming, while other are preparing for the College Football Playoff, but everyone is getting ready for the holidays and the festive events and traditions that come along with them.
The Oregon Ducks will face those same challenges like every other team — only they have the added pressure of knowing both of their coordinators will be gone immediately after the season ends. Will Stein, who runs the Ducks’ offense, accepted a job to become the next head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, and although he’s vowed to remain with the team during the playoff run, he still has one foot in and one foot out.
He still has obligations to the Wildcats — like building out a staff — and he got a jump on it earlier today when Tony Washington Jr. was hired as the defensive end and outside linebackers coach. Washington is a former Oregon player who has spent time on the Ducks’ staff.
The well-traveled coach is making his way up from Ohio State, where he worked as an assistant on the defensive line. Washington Jr. has spent time at a number of other top-tier schools as well, including here at Oregon, so he has acquired knowledge from some of the best and brightest coaches in the country.
Stein has done a fantastic job bringing a group of young, inexperienced players together at important skill positions with the Ducks and he is off to a great start with his staff in Kentucky. It’s going to sting to lose him at the conclusion of the playoffs, but I’m sure everyone in the building would express their happiness and pride in him winning the job.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Judge grants bond to Utah soccer coach arrested by ICE
Visitors spent over $1B in Chittenden County in record VT tourism year
Virginia voters nominate candidates in Fairfax, Prince William ahead of January special election – WTOP News
LIVE UPDATES: Washington flooding, road closures, evacuations
Insider: Wisconsin Man Charged With Possession Of Virtual Child Pornography
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Video: Nick Reiner Talked Openly About His Addiction Struggles
Trump admin defends White House ballroom as national security matter
Venezuelan opposition leader Machado injured on covert Nobel Prize trip
Peace plans ready to be presented to Russia in days, says Zelenskyy
Video: Brown Student Has Survived Two School Shootings
-
Alaska1 week agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Washington1 week agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa1 week agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire
-
Iowa1 day agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Iowa3 days agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Miami, FL1 week agoUrban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
-
Cleveland, OH1 week agoMan shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS
-
World1 week ago
Chiefs’ offensive line woes deepen as Wanya Morris exits with knee injury against Texans
