Heavy snowfall and wet conditions in the Deschutes National Forest are impacting seasonal gate reopening, adding another challenge for an agency hit hard by federal funding cuts and a reduced workforce.

Many of the gated roads that provide access to areas of the Deschutes National Forest remain closed “to protect the roads, trails and other areas from resource damage,” according to Kaitlyn Webb, a spokesperson for the Forest Service.

Heavy snowfall and wet conditions during the winter, and a relatively cool spring, have left snow lingering in some lower altitude areas of the national forest. Peak snowpack this year, measured in early April, was 148% of normal.

“Some roads are still covered with snow, mud, or are saturated with water in higher elevations,” said Webb. “Opening the roads now could result in natural resource damage on roads and trails such as rutting.”

Federal funding cuts

As the Forest Service waits for better conditions to reopen areas of the Deschutes National Forest, the agency is also coping with staffing challenges amid federal funding cuts.

The Forest Service is one of many agencies targeted by the Elon Musk-backed Department of Government Efficiency for workforce cuts.

Hundreds of Forest Service staff have taken offers by the federal government to leave their positions. The Forest Service is also not hiring a seasonal workforce this year due to funding cuts. Those permanent employees who remain are concerned that large-scale layoffs are pending.

Trail maintenance and other projects have also been canceled or postponed. The Deschutes Trails Coalition lost a $200,000 grant to pay for trail maintenance this summer. The agency will be increasingly reliant on volunteer crews to keep trails accessible.

Another victim is the Cascade Lakes Welcome Station, an information and trip planning center on the edge of the Deschutes National Forest south of Bend. It opened last year after several years of closure, but will be closed again this year.

“The Forest has not staffed this site for several years due to decreased staffing,” said Webb. “Last year, volunteers and partners operated the welcome station on a limited schedule. At this time, we do not anticipate the welcome station will open this year.”

Gate closures

Closed gates that normally provide access to the national forest include those just past the parking lot at Phil’s Trail. Parts of Forest Roads 4612 and 4615 are still covered with snow, Webb said.

The gate near the parking lot — which leads to areas deeper into the national forest — is typically locked from Dec. 1 to March 31 each year to protect deer and elk winter range.

Gate access to Tumalo Falls also remains closed. Webb says hazard trees in the area are being assessed and the gates to the popular hiking area will reopen “as we feel comfortable with the conditions.”

The Cabin Butte Restoration Project has also resulted in closures near China Hat Road. Officials have shut that area for a large-scale fuels management project. The closure of that area led to the removal of more than 100 people living in homeless camps last week.

‘So much uncertainty’

Some former Forest Service employees are speaking out against cuts, saying the public will see their impacts this summer when they visit public lands.

“There’s complete dismantling (of the agency) happening and there is so much uncertainty,” said Liz Crandall, a former Deschutes National Forest field ranger who left the agency in February when probationary workers were fired.

“People are generally very, very scared of what’s to come because it’s seeming like they’re not being valued and these jobs are not seen as important … I am very worried about our public lands,” she added.

When it comes to getting gates opened, Crandall says the next few weeks will be a critical time for the Forest Service. She says the agency will be looking out for long-term campers looking for spots to occupy in the forest.

“There’s probably going to be some heavier enforcement on that,” she said. “But with all these cuts, they’re losing people that would otherwise help with that as well.”