Glacier National Park officials say the upcoming summer season remains unclear amid federal budget cuts and mass terminations.

“I’m standing here as deputy superintendent saying I don’t know what’s going to happen in Glacier in two months,” said Pete Webster at a March 24 meeting with the Glacier National Park Volunteer Association. 

The informal state-of-the-park address was a rare and candid look at Glacier’s inner workings. Webster traded his green and gray uniform for blue jeans and leaned casually against the lectern as he fielded questions from the audience. He began with a warning that most would be met with the same response: I don’t know. 

“We’re never going to know what the summer is going to look like ‘til October,” he said. 

A 40-year employee of the National Park Service, Webster is well-versed in government shutdowns. He has weathered previous mass layoffs and transfers of power within the agency, but his voice often trailed off as he searched for the words to describe recent efforts undertaken by the Trump administration. 

“This is different,” he admitted.  

The best way to think about the current state of the park, advised Webster, was to remember the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. When Glacier National Park's gates closed almost exactly five years ago, there were few insights into when and how they would reopen. The park’s shuttering put staff into what former Superintendent Jeff Mow described as a “wait-and-see mode” ahead of the busy summer season.  

“We didn’t know anything and, really, we had no information to make a plan,” said Webster. “That’s where we’re at this year.” 

In the absence of an overarching plan, Webster said he is focusing on the well-being of his employees and helping them plan for any and all scenarios, including cuts to program budgets, workforce reductions and their own terminations.  

At full capacity, the park boasts about 120 full-time employees, but several roles were reportedly vacant when the federal government froze hiring in January. Since then, the park has lost another seven employees. 

Five employees opted into a deferred resignation program offered in early February. According to the Office of Personnel Management, those staff members are not expected to work though they remain on the National Park Service’s payroll through Sept. 30. 

According to a public statement from Congressman Ryan Zinke, two other employees were terminated as part of the so-called “Valentine’s Day Massacre,” in which the Office of Personnel Management sent form emails to thousands of federal workers in probationary status. A federal judge ordered the immediate reinstation of those positions earlier this month, but the Justice Department promptly filed a notice of appeal, making the future status of the employees unclear. 

On March 17, Department of Interior employees, including National Park Service workers, were offered early retirement and financial incentives to voluntarily leave their positions. The deadline for employees to opt in was March 26, but employees are not required to separate from the agency until May 31. 

“Folks are paying attention to that, and I don’t think anyone’s made a decision,” Webster said at the Monday meeting. 

He hypothesized that some employees may initially opt into the program in order to keep their options open and said the impact on Glacier’s staff likely won’t be obvious until the May 31 separation deadline has passed. 

Given the pace and scale of the Trump administration’s actions, more staffing cuts are possible, and Webster said he is urging his employees to make personal copies of pay stubs and other personnel files in case they are unexpectedly locked out of their government accounts. The continual threat of termination has an emotional component as well. 

“Morale? It’s all over the board,” said Webster. “We have folks that are content and folks that are desperately scared.” 

THERE ARE a few bright spots. In February, the Trump administration partially lifted a federal hiring freeze to allow the National Park Service to fill 7,700 temporary seasonal positions. 

Glacier typically begins hiring its summer workforce in August, nearly a full year ahead of time. A park official confirmed that Glacier rescinded “a large number” of seasonal job offers following the initial executive order but says the park is now “making great advances” to build up the summer workforce. 

According to Webster, job offers have been sent out for about 250 job positions. Of those, about 105 hires have completed pre-employment background checks. Glacier typically hires around 325 seasonal employees to help manage its influx of summer visitors. 

Public Affairs Officer Gina Icenoggle confirmed that plow crews are among the recent hires and said that she does not expect the park’s summer opening to be delayed. 

“I’m very confident that Going-to-the-Sun Road will open as usual,” she said. 

A slate of construction projects, including large-scale renovations in the Many Glacier area, are also proceeding on schedule.  

Despite the correlations Webster drew to 2020, the park is not anticipating any new closures or restrictions, though he did suggest that visitors build contingencies into their summer plans. His other piece of advice for dealing with an unprecedented summer season at Glacier National Park: “If you’re going through the entrance station, a little extra umph at the gate,” to show support for park staff. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at hsmalley@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4433.