After DOGE staff cuts, Idaho’s renowned forest plans to cut summer office hours
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Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman
BOISE (Idaho Statesman) – One of Idaho’s most popular national forests plans to temporarily shutter two of its ranger stations before reopening them on a limited schedule during the busy summer season. The cuts come three months after President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, slashed jobs at the U.S. Forest Service.
Officials with the Sawtooth National Forest, which covers more than 2 million acres of Central Idaho forest and mountains, said in a news release Friday that the Sawtooth National Recreation Area headquarters in Ketchum and the Stanley ranger station will temporarily close until June 16. From June 16 to Labor Day, both offices will operate three days per week, though hours have not yet been set.
Forest officials said office schedules will be available online once they’re finalized.
Both offices serve the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, a 750,000-acre protected scenic area within the forest that falls under forest management. The SNRA is one of Idaho’s marquee recreation destinations.
Two other offices on the forest will also operate on limited schedules. The Fairfield Ranger District office will be open on Mondays and Fridays, and the Minidoka Ranger District office will be open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The forest headquarters in Jerome and the Ketchum Ranger District office in Sun Valley will remain open Monday through Friday.
Acting Forest Supervisor Shawn Robnett said in the news release that the office closures will allow rangers “some flexibility with their available staff to continue to carry out all aspects of our mission — caring for the land while serving people.”
Officials said anyone with questions or concerns outside of office hours should call and leave a phone message, and employees will respond as quickly as possible.
The news release said the adjustment “comes as forest leadership works to provide the best service possible with the staffing and resources we have.”
Musk’s DOGE fired 3,400 Forest Service workers earlier this year, USA Today reported, including employees at Idaho’s seven national forests. Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, have repeatedly declined to clarify how many workers were fired from Idaho jobs at the agency.
In February, the Idaho Statesman spoke with some Sawtooth National Forest employees who were fired as part of DOGE’s cuts of probationary employees. At the time, they voiced concern that the cutbacks could make it difficult for the already understaffed forest to provide information to the public.