Earlier this month, the Department of the Interior submitted court documents outlining its plans to lay off just over 2,000 employees nation-wide amid the ongoing government shutdown. While these firings have been put on hold, for now, they could strip New Mexico of already scarce wildfire research resources. According to the court filings, the proposed layoffs will impact many different sectors under the Interior – including a sizable 57% reduction of staff at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Fort Collins Science Center, which does scientific research for a slew of natural resource agencies. That would leave the center with just 30 people overall. While most of its staff are based in Colorado, the center has a small but mighty research presence in New Mexico. “The New Mexico Landscapes Field Station was this institution of incredible forest ecology research in New Mexico, doing some of the most groundbreaking, fascinating forest research,” Andreas Wion said.