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Protestors rail against cuts to Hoover park & museum
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · March 05, 2025
With signs like “Keep your DOGE on a Leash” and “Protect Park Rangers,” about a dozen protestors encouraged resistance to federal cost-cutting measures Saturday.
With temperatures a few degrees below freezing, the protestors stood along Parkside Drive and received support from motorists honking horns and waving.
Resident Nate Steele used social media posts to draw attention to the nationwide Stand Up for National Parks & Public Lands event organized in opposition to things like federal hiring freezes, terminations of probationary employees, and proposed budget cuts.
“I want to show much support for the National Park Service, for park rangers, for park maintenance workers, and just to support the public lands and everything that represents,” he said.
Steele worked as a park maintenance volunteer for the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.
“I really enjoyed my time here and I learned a lot about the park service ... and how valuable it is,” he said.
Steele said his primary concern is losing park staff who help maintain its roughly 180 acres enjoyed by visitors as well as the potential effect on the local economy.
“If the Visitor Center has to shut down or if the buildings are not open or if there were not park rangers available to do tours, that would effect the number of kids on school trips (and) anyone coming down the interstate who wants to visit our community,” he said.
Steele said his concern also extends to the Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, which is part of the National Archives and Records Department.
The Trump administration recently terminated NARA Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan, who held the position since May 2023, with Marco Rubio.
Rubio is the new Secretary of State and was appointed to NARA as the interim archivist. He appointed James Byron as his senior advisor until a new archivist is in place.
“As their funding goes away, that’s going to affect the staffing they can have, the hours they can be open and that affects the whole park,” Steele said. “Both the Historic Site and the museum kind of operate together as one entity, so they need to support each other.”
He appreciated the volume of motorists honking and waving their support.
“I’m really glad to see the support from people coming here for this gathering,” he said, “ and all the people driving by to honk.”
Steele said the park draws a lot of visitors and that benefits the community.
“That’s why a lot of people know where West Branch is,” he said. “(The park) plays a really big part of our identity. And I want to show my support for it.”
Steele said he appreciated the people who responded to the social media posts.
“I could be the only one out here, so I’m glad other people came to join,” he said.
He hopes those who see the protest signs to appreciate “the value of a federal worker and the part they play in keeping our country running.”
Steele said that respect should extend from those working in an office to mowing park grounds to leading tours.
“I think all federal workers play a very important part to keep our country running,” he said.
Steele said he hopes people will appreciate the value of federal workers.
“You hear so much about how federal workers are lazy and federal workers are just sitting around trying to collect a dollar and get a paycheck — that’s really not the case,” he said. “I’ve worked for the federal government and I’ve worked in the private sector and everybody goes to work and tries to do a good job and tries to give what they can toward their mission.”
When the group gathered at the Village Green, across from the Visitor Center, they were approached by Park Ranger Seth Goodspeed to clarify where they could protest.
A nationwide “Protect Our Parks” protest, also called “433.433.1,” sought to see an equal amount of demonstrators at all 433 national park sites on one day. A spreadsheet created by organizers saw the Hoover Site added Saturday morning.
Another protest was planned for Effigy Mounds National Monument, the only other national park in Iowa.
433.433.1 stated three goals to protect public lands: “from budget cuts, from staffing cuts, from drilling.”
While 433.433.1 asked protestors to hang inverted flags, the West Branch group flew an American flag right-side-up. The group also flew a blue flag with a picture of planet earth.
Both the Hoover Park and museum may lose at least one employee, but that is unclear as the American Federation of Government Employees and other public unions recently sued the Trump administration over terminations.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California, last week got a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration.
Judge William Alsup ruled that the Office of Personal Management does not have the authority to fire federal workers. Rather, each federal department must carry out those terminations if it chooses to do so.
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