As of Nov. 11, the federal government had been shut down for over 42 consecutive days. While some employees in various agencies remained at work with or without pay, many were furloughed or otherwise suspended via reduction in force orders.
These limitations strained public lands management throughout the country. Colorado, as the state with the third-highest number of federal public lands employees in the nation, was especially impacted. According to the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the tourism industry contributes $28.5 billion to Colorado’s economy and supports over 188,000 jobs.
Consequences are high in the Roaring Fork Valley, given how much of the region falls within the White River National Forest and other wilderness areas. In 2019, a Forest Service report indicated over 12 million recreation visits per year to the White River National Forest, with a corresponding economic impact of $1.59 billion. The six-year-old report estimated over 22,230 jobs directly connected to this national forest area.
The Sopris Sun reached out to several local governments and nonprofits for comment on how the federal shutdown and layoffs affected their work and local public lands. “Our public lands and our public land managers are a crucial part of the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond,” said Shelly Braudis, natural resource manager with the City of Aspen. “Without management of these lands, deferred maintenance projects don’t get completed, public requests aren’t responded to, routine maintenance like toilet cleaning and trail clearing aren’t done and so much more.”
Michael Gorman, Wilderness Workshop’s campaign director, expressed similar sentiments. “Public lands staff are critical for managing recreation and visitor experiences, protecting wildlife and interacting with the public,” Gorman said. “The shutdown has impacted work on wilderness, recreation and conservation, while retaining staff and work focused on fossil fuel extraction and timber production.”
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (RFOV) Executive Director Becca Schild shared that the shutdown indefinitely delayed the trail work nonprofit’s annual planning. “RFOV’s 2026 project selection process and planning has been delayed because we haven’t been able to meet with our federal land managers to discuss their priorities and the logistics of our collaboration,” she explained. “I would imagine that this planning is delayed for other partners as well.”
Jami McMannes, communications and outreach specialist for Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, spoke to cascading capacity strains. “There’s a clear void in the services provided by our federal partners. Positions have been cut, and when staff resign, those roles remain unfilled,” she said. “We’re proud to have close, collaborative relationships with our federal land partners, but the recent administrative changes have strained their capacity to maintain the same level of engagement. As a result, our public lands are feeling the pressure from increased visitation and reduced maintenance and oversight, and so are the people who care for them.”
McMannes shared about how Pitkin County has been responding to the circumstances. “We’re focusing on how to make limited time, funding and resources go further. This means strengthening our partnerships with local organizations to amplify responsible recreation messaging, post updated information at trailheads and portals, staff recreation areas and coordinate volunteer clean-up and conservation efforts,” she explained. Many local stakeholders had already started coordinating in late spring and early summer to navigate these challenges through the newly formed Roaring Fork Public Lands and Water Forum.
“This summer and fall, we shared information at Highlands about the reduced services at Maroon Bells, like the limited water, ranger presence and restrooms,” McMannes said. “The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office also deployed a backcountry community response officer into high-use public lands to help with education and visitor safety when federal rangers were unavailable.” McMannes shared that the backcountry community response officer engaged with more than 3,800 people this summer and fall on public lands in Pitkin County.
Braudis emphasized that citizen-level engagement is needed given reduced agency capacity. “Small actions make a big difference when agencies are stretched thin,” she said.
“Be the eyes and ears on the ground. Report trail damage, illegal activity or safety concerns. Reduced staffing means fewer people to notice problems. Your report might be the only one land managers receive.”
Gorman voiced concerns about long-term damage to scientific work and ecosystem management. “Critical scientific research, data and monitoring — on wildfire, forest health, invasive species, water supplies, soil health, wildlife and more — has been disrupted,” he said. “This is concerning because we know this is part of a longer-term goal of the current administration which has been pushing to sell off public lands while gutting agency staff and funding and the policies meant to protect lands for future generations.”
He also stated that Wilderness Workshop is grateful for federal employees despite the circumstances. “We appreciate our local Forest Service and [Bureau of Land Management] staff and all they do for our public lands. We recognize the strain that’s being put on these folks from the government shutdown, the indiscriminate firings and the gutting of agency resources.” He added, “Next time you see a federal worker, be sure to tell them ‘thank you.’”