DEER RIVER — Alyssa Roberts was meant to work in the woods.
Roberts has worked with the U.S. Forest Service's Deer River office as a biological science technician on the wildlife surveying and monitoring team since 2016.
"To go out there and find these rare beings of our forest that are so special to this part of the world and protect them and keep the forest healthy — I don't get to do that anymore," she said of her job in an interview on the KAXE Morning Show.
Roberts joined the ranks of about 2,000 probationary employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture fired because of President Donald Trump's administration's efforts to shrink the federal government workforce.
She's become used to the complex employment system of the Forest Service, which often starts with short-term contracts stretching over years. The hope for many is to get a permanent job with benefits.
"It's common in natural resources," she said. "It's a long career path of a lot of seasonal jobs, a lot of job hopping. They tell you that right away in school, when you start school for this type of thing. We're not in it for the money, that's for sure."
Due to federal funds being frozen, she said she hasn't received her last few paychecks.
An uncertain future
In the summer of 2024, Roberts was on the path to a full-time position. Then she was notified of funding problems in October. Her contract was extended, but with November's election, Roberts guessed the Trump administration probably wouldn't improve her situation.
She job hunted amid the executive orders from the White House in January and was offered a position as a bat biologist with a private firm.
KAXE News requested more information on the impacts on Chippewa National Forest employees and was told forest-specific numbers were not available. Instead, the USDA sent a statement saying newly appointed Secretary Brooke Rollins “fully supports the President’s directive to improve government, eliminate inefficiencies, and strengthen USDA’s many services to the American people.”
"It’s unfortunate that the Biden administration hired thousands of people with no plan in place to pay them long term," the statement further reads. "Secretary Rollins is committed to preserving essential safety positions and will ensure that critical services remain uninterrupted.”
The USDA reported none of the 2,000 employees released included firefighters and that critical health and safety positions are exempted from a hiring freeze.
For those who have lost jobs, the road ahead is unclear. With barely a week since the terminations, many are not only struggling but are concerned about whether they will receive unemployment.
According to Roberts, the termination email from the federal government stated the American public didn't find it in their best interest to keep people in their positions and could be interpreted as a performance-based termination.
"Hardworking American people and their families are being squashed because of what they do and their career choice and what they believe in," she said. "That's not what I thought this country was about."
Potential environmental impact
Roberts is concerned about the future of the land, forests and water of Northern Minnesota.
She's concerned about less regulation, needless take of forests without accounting for the future of the habitat of endangered species like the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee and fewer opportunities for recreation.
"We'll see less forest and recreation in the forest," she said. "People are going to notice."
Roberts is also concerned about the U.S. Forest Service's relationship with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Years of work together to manage forests could now be lost, she said.
Emotional toll
Roberts wasn't as blindsided as her coworkers were by the layoffs, but it still wasn't expected.
"I wasn't ready," she said. "I knew I was going to move on, but I still had, you know, a couple of years."
Roberts described the difficult position of her committed coworkers, including 10 others fired over the weekend of Feb. 14.
"She loves her job," Roberts said of her 71-year-old coworker. "It's what gets her up in the morning. This is how us natural resources folks operate. This is how we wake up every morning."
The loss of her vocation with the U.S. Forest Service has taken a toll on Roberts and her coworkers.
"I've skied so many miles since Friday trying to take care of myself," she said, describing other times of sitting in her truck and crying.
Workers are supporting each other through the crisis, and Roberts said her phone is blowing up with messages.
"Government touches more people than you realize. You think now they're going to realize it," she said. "But it makes a difference to make noise. Reach out to representatives to tell them how you feel."
Do you have a personal story to share about federal funding cuts in Northern Minnesota? Let us know!
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