The mass firing of probationary employees at federal agencies and other cuts by the Trump administration reached the epicenter of marine research for the Cape and Islands last week, leaving Vineyarders wondering about the potential ripple effects in the coming years.
Several scientists in Woods Hole were terminated Feb. 27, part of the Elon Musk-led layoffs by his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to former employees and other scientific leaders in the seaside community.
The firings, expected budget cuts and disbanding of diversity initiatives, both in Woods Hole and beyond, have cast a pall of fear and anger over the scientific community.
“The body of knowledge and expertise that these agencies hold, and the staff within them, is immense, whether it’s their laboratory that we are able to access or their field expertise,” said Emily Reddington, the executive director of the Great Pond Foundation here on the Island. “We couldn’t do our work to help protect the ponds without them.”
Layoffs hit both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which both have a large presence across Vineyard Sound in Woods Hole. The Trump administration and DOGE contend that far too many federal agencies are bloated and have wasteful spending, prompting layoffs, resignations, regulatory freezes and other purported cost-saving measures.
The extent of the firings locally isn’t clear, but nationally it was expected upwards of 800 NOAA employees had been terminated, shrinking an agency responsible for storm warnings, fisheries management and marine commerce.
The cuts would hit the Cape and Islands hard because of NOAA’s extensive work in coastal communities, said U.S. Rep. Bill Keating. Everything from the daily forecasts that Islanders rely on to oversight of fish exports could be affected, he said.
“We are losing science and expertise and the ability of people to work with our fishermen,” said Mr. Keating, the Island’s congressman. “You can’t put a price tag on it. It’s really going to set us back.”
Woods Hole is home to NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, which plays a large role in fisheries science across New England, and the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center.
Sarah Cierpich helped run NOAA’s fisheries observer program to ensure that fishermen don’t overfish. Based in Woods Hole, she had previously worked as a federal contractor in fisheries monitoring, watching over the New Bedford fishing fleet, where several Vineyard fishermen work.
On Thursday, she was home sick when her boss gave her a call, asking her to check her email. Ms. Cierpich opened her inbox to find an email from acting NOAA director Nancy Vinn, telling her she was fired.
The email was sent at 3:45 p.m., and Ms. Cierpich’s termination went into effect in just 75 minutes.
The director of the USGS coastal center in Woods Hole was also among the firings, according to members of the community. Ms. Cierpich said two staff members in NOAA’s fishing monitoring program had been lost and she estimated that about two dozen NOAA employees in the northeast had been laid off as well. She was working with other employees this week to get an exact figure.
“They came for all the probationary employees,” Ms. Cierpich said. “They didn’t look any further than what was your date of hire. It doesn’t matter what our performance was.”
Teri Frady, a spokesperson for the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, said the agency remains dedicated to its mission of providing timely information, research and resources that serve the public and ensure economic and environmental resilience. She declined to comment on the size of the layoffs.
“We aren’t commenting further on transition activities or what may or may not happen in the future,” Ms. Frady said. “Per long-standing practice, we are not discussing internal personnel and management matters.”
A USGS spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment this week.
Ms. Cierpich and her colleagues had previously received the email from DOGE requesting employees reply with five things they have done in the last week.
Since then, the threat of cuts have been looming over Woods Hole, which is home to several other scientific institutions that aren’t part of the federal government, but work with them and rely on federal grant money.
“It is very emotional for everyone,” said Ms. Cierpich. “I’ve seen more grown men cry in the last month than I have in my entire life.”
The Trump administration’s order to stop funding diversity, equity and inclusion have also hit Woods Hole. The Woods Hole Diversity Initiative, a coalition of the six federal and non-governmental science organizations in the village dedicated to making the scientific community more diverse, recently announced it would be going on hiatus.
“Regarding the future of the WHDI, several member organizations have had to step back, and as a result, we are pausing the group’s activities,” an email from the scientific organizations shared with the Gazette read. “We will continue to explore our options and hope to gain clarity on the potential for future initiatives across the Woods Hole community in the near future. The collaboration across these institutions has had a profound impact over the years, and we hope to resume this important work soon.”
A 10-week summer program in Woods Hole designed to help college students from underrepresented groups gain experience in the sciences will also not go forward this year.
Developed by the Diversity Initiative and started in 2009, the program, known as the Partnership Education Program (PEP), regularly brought 14 students to the village to participate in seminars, workshops, field trips and other career development.
Onjalé Scott Price has been the director of the program, and said that the decision to cancel the program this year was made without consulting faculty or staff. In the lead-up to the cancellation, Ms. Scott Price said federal funding had been withdrawn, but PEP was working with private fundraisers and looking at alternate plans to ensure this year’s program started as scheduled in May.
Ms. Scott Price said that disbanding of the Diversity Initiative and the cancellation of her program will make it harder for underrepresented communities to enter the sciences.
“We have these inequalities and barriers that have been put up,” she said. “The whole purpose of PEP was to right that wrong....We’re just going back to the way things used to be.”
With the cuts fresh in their minds, Woods Hole residents and scientists have planned a rally on Friday, part of a national Stand Up for Science movement.
Jim Newman, a marine engineer in Woods Hole, helped organize the gathering. John Holdren, a scientific advisor in the Obama administration and the former CEO of the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Woods Hole, is set to speak at the event.
Mr. Newman said the firings have taken their toll on Woods Hole, and have no real rhyme or reason.
“The people I talk to are scared and angry,” he said. “I think the whole approach by the federal government seems irrational and destructive.”
He hoped Friday’s event would get across the importance of science to the community.
“I believe that what science is about is positive for society and the nation, and seeing it decimated like this is heartbreaking,” he said.
Island researchers expect the cuts at NOAA, the National Weather Service and USGS will negatively affect their research as well. For instance, the hotline Islanders call when they come across a stranded whale, dolphin or seal is run by NOAA. USGS measures coastal erosion and rising sea levels, and has been tracking the push of saltwater into the Island’s aquifer.
Luanne Johnson, the director of the Vineyard-based conservation organization BiodiversityWorks, said the cuts were heartbreaking.
“These people are not excess fat that needs to be trimmed from the federal government,” she said. “These are very hard working people who have spent their lives building their skills.”
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