I’ve observed this and discussed it for years, Decades even.
When a bureaucracy is challenged to make necessary cuts to budget, they will slash employment at the lowest ranks, and protect themselves at the management levels. Unlike an industrial company that has to produce something, government bureaucracies only have to protect their jobs. So, out go the Trail workers, and custodial workers, out go the maintenance, and out go the road maintenance as well. Each park used to have it’s own road workers, that relaid pavement, plowed passes, and an entire crew of maintenance workers that fixed broken things ,like plumbing, and electrical issues, all the usual upkeep. They also slashed back country workers, and forest fire teams, preferring to contract all of that at much higher expense. They started firing those people decades ago, but kept the higher paid chair sitters, and people who are “scientists” , but who never step foot in the back country.
Volunteers such as Camp Ground Hosts, were supposed to just check in people and note for the maintenance people issues such as broken or faulty items, and to note a need for custodial staff to clean the bathrooms. Exposure to, 1. Human waste (from feces to sputum, to urine, to exudates), and 2. Potentially toxic chemicals such as cleaners and other products (drain opener), are issues that are not covered adequately in Campground Host briefings, and without proper protective gear, presents exposure to older people , (who make up the vast majority of CGH volunteers), who have a lower resistance.
Making these fat-assed chair sitters, do some real work for a change, is proper and just. Thin the ranks of the management and upper levels of Park and other government agencies, and rehire the real workers.
