BAKER (NV) — Recent layoffs at Great Basin National Park have raised concerns within the small town of Baker. Located about 290 miles north of Las Vegas, it is the gateway community to our state’s only national park.
The park is known for its unique features including Nevada’s only glacier, some of the world’s oldest trees and a notable cave network. The park receives approximately 140,000 visitors per year and about 50,000 people visit Lehman Caves annually.
As of Feb. 14th, Great Basin has five fewer employees to run operations that oversee the park’s unique features than it did just over a week ago.
Two former rangers shared their experiences with me anonymously, describing their termination as shocking and painful. They reported the notice was via email— they had just one hour to vacate and would receive no severance.
“When I gave up my badge, it felt like I was ripping on a piece of my heart,” said one of the individuals, “[It’s] a state of shock, a state of disbelief, really, that this is what people wanted.”
I felt hurt. Yeah, working here, this is my first job in the Park Service, and it’s something that I dreamed about as a kid.
This comes as the White House — in partnership with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency — works to downsize a handful of federal agencies.
1,000 National Park Service probationary employees have been reportedly laid off at this point, although there are indications summer seasonal hiring is still on tap. For federal positions, new hires or the newly promoted typically have a 12-month probationary period.
The move left one former ranger with questions:
“Who is Elon Musk? Who is he to do this? Who does he answer to, where are his checks and balances? And what can we, and by we, I mean our representatives and we the people, what can we do to ensure that this is not an overreach, that it’s not unconstitutional?”
“We had an overall reduction of about 20 percent of staff. For the visitor services, that number was 50 percent and for custodial services, that was 50 percent. So the immediate impact is that we had to cancel a number of cave tours that weekend immediately following,” they continued.
“I just worry about that, the public safety angle. In general, there is no professional fire department out here. There is no professional ambulance service. It’s volunteer, and now the valley is left with one EMT who cannot operate the ambulance on their own,” said the former ranger.
One Baker business owner I spoke with said she’s concerned that the cuts will impact the broader community.
“This is really an amazing community of rangers. This is where they chose to live and chose to work, and now, through a stroke of a pen, they don’t have that,” said Liz Woolsey, who runs the Bristlecone General Store and Stargazer Inn.
Businesses that are here in Baker certainly rely on tourism and travelers, so we are unsure what that’s going to look like this season. So that’s an unknown and that’s unsettling when your business really relies on that.
Park advocates say the permanent staff cuts may force national parks to cut operating hours and could impact public safety and resource protection.
Mojave (Nev.) head football coach Wes Pacheco announced on Sunday morning that he’s stepping down from his position, according to a social media post.
Pacheco announced his resignation after six seasons at the helm of the Rattlers, putting together a 29-22 overall record from 2020-2025.
“I have officially stepped down as Head Coach of the Mojave Football Program,” Pacheco said in his social media post. “Thank you to Principal Cole for giving me the opoortunity make an impact on the lives of Mojave Student-Athletes. I am grateful and blessed to have labored through a 6-year journey of successes, failures, life lessons, character building and growth with the student-athletes myself and my coaching staff have served. I will forever love my Mojave Family, the Mojave Community and believe in the notion that SUCCESS can be attained by showcasing character, treating everyone with respect, and always have the courage to dream big and trust that “ATTACKING THE HARD WORK” & “HIGH MOTORING EVERYTHING” can yield SUCCESS that you want to achieve in life!”
During Pacheco’s half dozen seasons leading Mojave, his best record came in the 2024 season when the Rattlers finished with a 12-1 record. Located out of North Las Vegas, Mojave had to compete against the likes of national high school football powerhouse Bishop Gorman during the regular season.
Mojave ended the last season with a 4-6 record and as the state’s No. 23rd ranked team, according to the final 2025 Nevada High School Football Massey Rankings.
Mojave High School, located in North Las Vegas, NV, is a dynamic public high school that fosters academic excellence, personal growth, and community involvement. Home of the Rattlers, MHS offers a wide range of academic programs, athletics, and extracurricular activities. With a strong commitment to student success, Mojave emphasizes leadership, college and career readiness, and a supportive school culture that prepares students for life beyond graduation.
For Nevada high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Silver State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across Nevada.
A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.
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Las Vegas High’s baseball team claimed a 3-2 home win over Coronado on Friday.
Las Vegas (9-13-1) next hosts Rancho at 10 a.m. Saturday. Coronado (13-14) hosts Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
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