More than a half dozen workers at national wildlife refuges across Florida — including in St. Marks just south of Tallahassee — were fired in recent weeks as part of President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency’s mass axing of the federal workforce.

Two of the employees worked at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, a major wildlife haven and ecological tourism draw that spans 43 miles of natural coastline between Wakulla, Jefferson and Taylor counties and helps buffer the area from hurricanes.

Three others were fired at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, which protects 226 square miles of ecosystems in the Everglades, while another two were terminated at the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, which was created to protect the threatened Florida manatee.

The employees are among an estimated 250 who have exited the wildlife refuge system nationwide since Trump began his second term in late January and put billionaire Elon Musk in charge of handing out pink slips.

Robin Will, a former park ranger at the St. Marks wildlife refuge, situated along the Apalachee Bay about 20 miles south of Tallahassee, said both of the recently fired employees were targeted because they were still within their probationary years.

One of the St. Marks workers was hired to do education and interpretation programs for the public. Another was in charge of the entrance fee program, established years ago to fund wetland acquisition, with a percentage going back to each refuge for programs. Will said she’s unsure whether more terminations are coming.

“I don’t know what’s planned,” said Will, who worked at the refuge for more than 40 years before retiring in 2021. “We’re hoping there are no more firings, because we’re down to a skeleton crew from when I was there.”

Of the 250 who have left nationwide, half were fired around Valentine’s Day, said Desirée Sorenson-Groves, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Refuge Association in Washington. The other half opted to resign after getting “fork in the road” emails from DOGE in late January. Friday marked the last day for them.

Across the country, another 210 employees are expected to retire this month, according to the Washington, D.C.-based refuge association. The firings and retirements would bring the refuge system’s workforce down from 2,353 as of last September to around 1,895 — a nearly 20% plunge.

The latest round of cuts could see visitor services and hunting and education programs slashed along with a reduction in law enforcement and a corresponding increase in poaching, Sorenson-Groves said. Fewer employees will be available to oversee prescribed burns and operate heavy equipment needed to maintain wildlife habitats.

“It’s almost this silent train wreck, and it’s also in slow motion,” she said. “A lot of this stuff could take a while, while some you will see things immediate. I’m sure that there will be some refuges that have to close.”

DOGE 'not trying to do this with a scalpel'

The mass firings follow 15 years of severe budget and staffing reductions that saw refuges across the country shed nearly a third of its workforce, according to the refuge association.

Founded in 1903 by President Teddy Roosevelt and overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the refuge system consists of more than 570 refuges across 50 states and five U.S. territories, conserving 96 million land acres and 760 million marine acres.

The refuges got $527 million in in funding the 2024 fiscal year, about $24 million more than they did roughly 15 years ago. But because of inflation, the association said more than $200 million would need to be appropriated annually just to equal FY 2010 funding levels.

“The lack of prioritization of the refuge system spans congresses and administrations,” said Sorenson-Grove. “But this is different. This is a different level. They’re not trying to do this with a scalpel. This is whack it off. Now you just have cut at all costs."

Beverly Carr, a volunteer for the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, started a GoFundMe last month to help the employees who were fired there. Nearly $16,000 had been raised as of Friday, just shy of its goal. She said they were “very essential” for daily operations and volunteer and educational programs.

“My goal is to raise enough money to cover some expenses for these two until they can either get rehired or find another place of employment,” Carr wrote. “Please donate what you can to help our own who never expected this especially in the manatee season when everyone is struggling to cover the essential needs of scheduling.”

Laury Marshall, acting chief of public affairs for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, declined to say how many total workers in Florida have left recently because of firings or retirements. In an email, she said the agency does not comment on personnel matters but instead offered a general comment.

“The USFWS reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the American public and the fish, wildlife and natural resources we manage. We are working closely with the Office of Personnel Management to ensure we are prioritizing fiscal responsibility for the American people.”

Wildlife refuges 'a natural benefit'

Will said the refuge had about 23 positions when she was still serving as a park ranger but that the number has likely dropped into the teens. The pandemic took a major toll five years ago, shutting the refuge down for months.

“Even after the pandemic was over, I would say St. Marks never really reopened (fully) because their staffing was down,” she said. “We lost people. They went to other agencies, retired.”

She said the refuge, famed for the historic St. Marks Lighthouse, has nearly 18,000 acres of protected wilderness that can’t be developed and protects 32,000 acres along the Apalachee Bay for migratory birds to loaf and rest. More than 300,000 visitors come each year to hunt, fish, hike, bike and observe and photograph wildlife. It also helps mitigate impacts from big storms.

“Every time we get a hurricane or a huge storm that comes up, those marshes fill up with water like giant sponges, and they keep that water from coming into Wakulla County and destroying people's homes and roads,” Will said. “So they’re just a natural benefit.”

Sorenson-Grove said that while the terminations took a toll largely on younger employees at the wildlife refuges, the retirements are taking out older employees, amounting to a massive “brain drain.” Many of them are opting to sacrifice themselves to spare others they hope will rebuild the refuge system later.

“They love the refuge system so much,” she said, “they’re literally trying to figure out how do they save this system for future generations of Americans."

Contact Jeff Burlew at [email protected] or 850-599-2180 .