Patagonia. Loyal Stewards. We spoke with fired public lands employees before they were reinstated. In honor of National Public Lands Day, we’re sharing their stories.

We spoke with fired public lands employees before they were reinstated. In honor of National Public Lands Day, we’re sharing their stories.

The federal government can try and take this position away from me—but they can't stop me from helping others.” —Maria Diaz, Conservation Educator, Tongass National Forest.

“We, the federal employees that steward these lands and waters, are not political pawns.”—Kenan Chan, Marine Scientist, Channel Islands National Park.

“Everything we do is in the public interest.”—Chelsea Andreozzi, Research Ecologist, US Forest Service.

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Editor’s Note: Maria, Kenan and Chelsea were terminated from their positions during mass layoffs in February and later reinstated by court order. Our interviews with them took place during the period between their termination and reinstatement.

Photos: (Top) Sitka locals Brendan Jones and Gary Hayes traverse an alpine ridgeline along the near Sitka. COLIN ARISMAN (Middle) Maria Diaz reports for park ranger duty at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. Tongass National Forest, Alaska. GUILLERMO DIAZ (Middle) A peek inside marine scientist Kenan Chan’s world of underwater kelp forests. Channel Islands National Park, California. KENAN CHAN (Middle) Kenan Chan at a peaceful protest in Ventura, California, opposing nationwide National Park Service and US Forest Service firings. TIM DAVIS (Middle) Chelsea Andreozzi’s dissertation research examined how bat species’ presence and movement patterns relate to climate and forest management. CHELSEA ANDREOZZI (Middle) Ahead of her time at the US Forest Service and as part of her PhD research, Chelsea Andreozzi climbs a redwood tree to check an acoustic monitor for tracking bat activity. Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, California. EMMA STEIGERWALD (Bottom) Tommy Caldwell, Aaron Mike and Len Necefer get a closer look at the mine shaft already built at Oak Flat, land that is sacred to the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Arizona. TARA KERZHNER

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