The buyouts and the Feb. 14 firing of probationary employees has cost the National Park Service at least 1,700 permanent staff members this month, roughly 9% of its workforce.

Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge had three people fired this month, reducing an already anemic staff to watch over 145,200 acres of Everglades marsh and bald cypress swamp. Michelle Hendricks,

National parks across the U.S. face service reductions and staffing shortages due to federal budget cuts, affecting more than 1,000 employees and potentially millions of visitors. According to the National Parks Conservation Association,