The cuts targeted federal employees across all departments with “probationary status” because they have been hired in the past year. Probationary workers are easier to fire because they lack the ...

President Trump's hiring freeze forced national parks to rescind more than 2,000 seasonal and permanent positions.

bear management and other projects. Visitors could encounter unkempt trails, unclean bathrooms and fewer park rangers. Great Smoky Mountains National Park has relied on 200 permanent employees and ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park relies on 200 permanent ... trail and facility maintenance; bear management; and other projects. National parks, including the Smokies, have seen record ...

T he Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to one of the largest black bear populations in the Eastern United States. With over 1,500 bears living in the park, it presents excellent ...