Sophia Draznin-Nagy, 28, has built trails on public land for the last four years, the last two of them in Jackson Hole.
She opened an email on Valentine’s Day telling her she was out of a job, one of at least 2,000 forest service employees to do so across the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Not only did I lose my career through this termination but I also lost my housing, I lost my health insurance and I lost my community,” Draznin-Nagy said.
Without her subsidized housing, she said she will be forced to move from her employee housing in east Jackson and likely from the town entirely.
The cuts validate the fear and uncertainty federal workers have felt from the Trump administration and a deluge of executive actions aimed at streamlining the workforce.
Draznin-Nagy is one of what appear to be dozens in Teton County fired from their positions as the Trump Administration slashes government workers.
Several sources have told KHOL that dozens of federal firings are expected in Teton County. Responding to a request for the exact number of layoffs on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the U.S. Department of Agriculture did not clarify. In an email response, a department spokesperson said the move is to “optimize government operations, eliminate inefficiencies and better serve American Farmers.”
Other news organizations have also been unable to find that number.
Several sources within or closely connected to the Forest Service told KHOL that over 30 probationary employees were let go from the Bridger-Teton National Forest staff.
According to the local paper, when fully staffed in summer, there are about 220 people in the Bridger-Teton boundaries, about 100 of whom are based in Jackson Hole.
That’s about half of Teton County’s summer federal employee count, according to the state’s Department of Workforce Services. Those numbers fluctuate throughout the year.
Draznin-Nagy said all probationary employees in the Jackson Ranger District had been let go and seasonals who had planned on returning were not rehired due to a federal hiring freeze.
Draznin-Nagy received a letter that said her firing was based on her “performance.”
“You have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest,” the letter, obtained by KHOL, said.
However, she also provided three internal performance reviews showing she received a promotion to full-time seasonal employee. The reviews noted she “demonstrates a commitment and personal responsibility to strive for excellence.”
She says her colleagues received similar letters and had previous performance reviews that they exceeded standards.
The Teton County Board of County Commissioners voted Feb. 18 to send a letter asking Wyoming’s congressional delegation to work with the Trump Administration to preserve the “public safety and economic prosperity” of the region.
If her job of maintaining over 800 miles of trails, like clearing fallen trees, isn’t done she says trail access could be more difficult this summer.
“I’m just really thinking about what’s next for our public lands and what is next for access to those public lands,” Draznin-Nagy said.
