BRATTLEBORO — Lease terminations on a number of properties in Massachusetts rented by the federal government could have severe impacts on efforts to protect and restore the environment around the Northeast and on regional economic development.
"The economic development world has been stood on its head," said Adam Grinold, executive director of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, "to include all of the partners that economic developers work with."
Grinold said the BDCC, the certified regional development corporation that supports small businesses in this corner of Vermont, relies on federal funding and the expertise of civil servants for its operations, and that includes assistance when applying for brownfields grants to clean up and reuse old industrial sites.
Grinold said the BDCC is watching how developments unfold and is in contact with funders, but the BDCC representatives are struggling to find someone to talk to in the agencies they have relied on.
"We're seeing it on the ground," he said. "Our people we normally communicate with are gone. Those people are gone."
And to make matters worse, said Grinold, "They didn't bother to tell the 200 grant recipients their grant manager has been fired."
"The shortsightedness of this is shocking," said Rebecca Todd, executive director of the Connecticut River Conservancy, which has advocated for and helped protect the watershed of the Connecticut River since 1952.
Todd, who had just returned from a workshop on how to best facilitate fish passage past dams hosted by the regional office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said there are innumerable ways federal staff supports conservation and reclamation efforts in the Northeast.
"They help with aquatic invasive species, migratory fish, restoration, dam removal, culvert replacements, tree plantings," said Todd, characterizing their work as "heavy lifting."
"They help with cyanobacterium monitoring. They help us with design and engineering and technical support and they help us with funding."
As part of the General Service Administration's plan to shutter two million square feet of Department of Interior offices across the country, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offices in Hadley and Chelsea and the U.S. Geological Survey Offices in Northborough are slated for closure.
"If the entire supervisory staff for Fish and Wildlife Service no longer has a place to work ... then how, how does this work?" asked Todd, who said these are people they have worked with for, in some cases, decades. "It's hard to see them in such a state where they hear one thing one day and the next day it's something else. They don't know if they're going to have jobs tomorrow or where they're going to be working."
"The U.S. Geological Survey remains committed to its congressional mandate as the science arm of the Department of the Interior," responded a spokesman with the USGS. "We are working with the General Services Administration to ensure facilities or alternative options will be available for the continued delivery of USGS services as we embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management."
Laury Marshal, acting acting chief of public affairs for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, offered a response similar to that from the USGS.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service remains steadfast in its commitment to serving communities, tribes and conservation partners while upholding federal responsibilities with efficiency and accountability," wrote Marshal in an email. "Under President Trump’s leadership, we are prioritizing strategic reforms to maximize resources, cut waste and enhance operational effectiveness across our facilities."
Marshal wrote that Fish and Wildlife is "actively working with GSA to ensure that every facility and asset is utilized effectively and where necessary, identifying alternative solutions that strengthen our mission."
"These efforts reflect our broader commitment to streamlining government operations while ensuring that conservation efforts remain strong, effective and impactful," wrote Marshal. "This process is ongoing, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available."
David Deen, a former river steward for the CRC and a current member of the Connecticut River Migratory Fish Cooperative, said the office in Hadley is key to continuing the four-state effort to restore the migratory routes of fish such as salmon and shad.
"They provide in-the-field science research, organize the volunteer effort for fish passage at the Holyoke Dam, and provide administrative support for the Migratory Fish Cooperative," said Deen.
In a letter to the director of the regional office in Hadley, Deen and others in the cooperative expressed their "deep concern" regarding a reduction-in-force memo calling for large-scale layoffs in the federal government. The letter was a reminder of the statutory obligations of the Department of Interior to provide support through the Fish and Wildlife Services.
"We remain committed to our long-standing partnership with the federal government on behalf of the nation’s public trust resources and will work to ensure that you have the resources to continue meeting your mission," states the letter, which was signed by Deen, Andrew Fisk of American Rivers, Scott Decker, a program supervisor with the N.H. Department of Fish and Game, and Tom Chrosniak, president of the Connecticut River Salmon Association.
"Like many of our counterparts in state government, we are monitoring federal executive orders, funding freezes, staff reductions, and related court actions," wrote Stephanie Brackin, spokeswoman for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. "At this time, it is unclear which programs may see permanent changes, including the impact of the possible closures of the regional USFWS and USGS offices in Massachusetts. As outlined by Governor Scott, we plan to stay focused on fulfilling our responsibilities while we continue to track and assess the situation."
While the Fish and Wildlife Service works with organizations on the ground, it's those organizations that work directly with landowners, farmers, cities and towns, and citizen-led conservation efforts.
"It's possible to do all this without federal help," said Todd, "it just takes a lot more effort and a lot more money."
And Grinold said without federal help it's impossible for organizations like the BDCC to offer the economic opportunities available in more densely populated areas.
"We need to work harder to make what systems exist function properly," he said. "That requires, in Vermont, a significant amount of federal investment in order to provide our communities with the resources and the programs that other parts of America enjoy."
Without that funding, said Grinold, "systems break."
"And when systems break, people are impacted."