Articles Tagged: Park rangers

Iowa state park rangers and staff told to move out of state-owned housing now have until the end of 2023, according to budget proposal passed by the Iowa Senate and House this week.

Iowa state park rangers who had been told they had to move out of state-owned housing by Nov. 30, would get an eviction extension to at least 2024 under a budget approved Wednesday by the Iowa House.

The park rangers union called the eviction of rangers a potential violation of its contract with the state because living rent-free in state-owned housing falls under the category of supplemental pay and is a mandatory subject of collective bargaining.

After evicting park rangers from Iowa’s state parks, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said it will continue to require live-in staff at fish hatcheries because they have a “live product.”

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ housing policy adopted in 2007 shows a shift in the agency’s perceived value of live-in park rangers and other staff at Iowa state parks.

State parks generate $8.7 billion in consumer spending that supports 8,300 jobs and provides $649 million in state and local tax revenue. And yet, we can’t find the money to fix up rangers’ homes.

The majority of state park staff being asked to move out of state-owned houses said the parks will be less safe and the public will have fewer services with no live-in rangers, managers and technicians.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is evicting park rangers and other staff from state-owned houses in 23 state parks because the agency doesn’t want to pay up to $1 million on repairs.

In Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature, environmental groups look for niche issues that could get bipartisan support. These include soil health, digesters and state parks funding.