Kate Severson was among VNP staff recently fired by Elon Musk.

file photo

REGIONAL- When President Donald Trump addressed Congress on Tuesday, former Voyageurs National Park Ranger Kate Severson was in attendance, representing hundreds of National Park Service employees who have been axed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Severson, a longtime conservationist and former manager for interpretation, outreach, and partnerships at the park, was a guest of Democratic Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith at the presidential address. Severson, who was hired late last summer and remained a probationary employee, was terminated along with more than 1,000 other National Park Service employees in one of Musk’s controversial employee purges.
According to Smith, the decision to fire all probationary federal employees—including those working in national parks—has left places like Voyageurs severely understaffed.
“Park rangers like Kate work tirelessly to keep us safe in some of Minnesota’s most wild and extreme areas, including Voyageurs National Park,” Smith said in a statement. “Elon Musk indiscriminately fired masses of federal workers that serve essential roles to keep our communities safe, including Kate, all to pay for tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations.”
Severson has spent more than a decade working in conservation, serving as a park ranger in Texas and Colorado before taking on her role at Voyageurs. Her job involved leading the park’s curriculum-based education program, facilitating ranger-led programs, developing exhibits and ensuring positive visitor center experiences, maintaining the park website and social media, and public relations.
Severson was quoted in the release as saying that the recent cuts will have a noticeable impact on national parks across the country.
“As Americans, we all take great pride in these treasured places that are so rich in beauty and history—despite the fact that they are understaffed and underfunded,” Severson said. “This recent loss and betrayal of our newest cohort of Park Service employees weakens our ability to protect these parks and preserve them for our children.”
She added that she doesn’t believe the cuts were truly about saving money.
“I do not for one second believe these cuts were made to save the taxpayers money,” she said. “Parks have well-documented benefits to the economy. Instead, these cuts were designed to make government agencies vulnerable, strip away the protections and services in place for the public good, and open the way for those looking to exploit our resources.”
Smith said that the loss of park employees means fewer staff to maintain trails, clean facilities, and manage visitor safety – issues that could make parks less accessible and enjoyable for the public.
“The story that Kate and Voyageurs National Park represent is one of absolute chaos for Americans since Donald Trump has taken office,” Smith said. “He unilaterally appointed Elon Musk to one of the most powerful positions in the government without oversight. I’m glad she has the opportunity to share her story, and I’m grateful to have her by my side at this address to Congress.”
For now, Severson said she hopes to shed light on what’s happening behind the scenes at America’s national parks and push for a return to full staffing and support.
“This isn’t just about jobs,” she said. “It’s about keeping our parks open, safe, and protected for generations to come.”
Protest at VNP
Last Saturday, 42 demonstrators gathered at the VNP Rainy Lake Visitor Center boat launch to join thousands of other protesters across the country at 433 National Park Service sites to demonstrate against the Trump administration’s ongoing decimation of the national parks’ workforce.
While the crowd at VNP was far smaller that those at Joshua Tree National Park in California, where an estimated 400 attended, or at Rocky Mountain National Park, where protesters lined the entrance road for half a mile, they were no less enthusiastic in trying to raise awareness about the mass firing of new park staff, planned reductions in federal service positions, and the removal of protections for public lands.
According to Jesse Gates, who works as an education specialist for the park’s nonprofit partner Voyageurs Conservancy, demonstrators traveled from Bemidji, Duluth, and as far away as Minneapolis to join the protest at VNP. Starting at noon, they held signs and American flags, engaging with passing vehicles and discussing the potential consequences of losing park employees. Conversations centered on preventing further staff cuts, protecting parks from pollution linked to proposed resource extractions, and addressing how federal actions could directly impact International Falls.
Jeff Hardwig, a retired physician from International Falls, emphasized the importance of protecting the park and its employees at the protest.
“This small gateway town sits on the edge of Voyageurs National Park. It’s a national treasure that must be preserved for current and future generations. Park employees are valued members of our community, and their loss affects us all,” Hardwig said. “This park belongs to the people, not the billionaires who would exploit it for personal profit. Billionaires don’t need help from us but fired workers and the parks do need protection from those who prioritize tax breaks for the wealthy over environmental stewardship. Fire billionaires, not workers.”
Beyond environmental concerns, protesters also voiced worries about how proposed Medicaid budget cuts could strain local charitable resources, such as food pantries, and how recent foreign policy decisions were affecting cross-border relations with Canadian family members, neighbors, and businesses.