Frustration from DOGE cuts reached a fever pitch as protesters lined the Beaver Meadows entrance at Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday morning — the second in just 15 days.

An estimated 900 people assembled midmorning, some dressed in patriotic gear, chanting in unison and flying signs of discontent — all showing support for park workers who were caught in the crosshairs of federal budget cuts.

Thirty-year Estes Park resident Dorothy Gibbs was on the front line, holding a sign that read, “97 years old, still fighting for public lands!”

“My grandfather built the oldest remaining cabin, right beside the visitors center. His name was Charles F. Scott,” Gibbs said.

Mikayla Morrs, 27, a newly hired park worker from Colorado Springs, had her offer as an administrative support employee rescinded the same week she was to sign a lease on a new apartment.

“We have needed a new environmental movement for a while now,” she said.

One side of Morrs’ sign read, “Fired forestry tech, I permanently destroyed my body for: Wildfire mitigation, tree science, local lumber production, reforestation and more.”

The Associated Press has reported that the Trump administration has fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions as part of its broad-based effort to downsize government. Twelve employees at RMNP lost their jobs. Totals do not including rescinded offers.A man wearing a sasquatch costume was on hand again, helping to keep protesters out of the road. Another group played drums reminiscent of Native American rhythms.

Composer and park volunteer Robert Howard, an eight-year resident of Estes Park, moved to the area to live close to the park. Howard helps park visitors plan their day with what information he can provide, saying he often defers to park rangers to answer questions that he cannot.

“If there’s a question, who do we turn to? A ranger. I know them personally and know people who were fired, and my heart aches for them. The park isn’t overstaffed, it’s understaffed. Especially during the summer, and without these key personnel, things are going to be spread too thin, when the peak of 4 (million) or 5 million people come to visit us,” Howard said.

Howard went on to lament the notion that park employees were expendable, adding, “It’s also law enforcement, search and rescue, road-side assistance. They are trained professionals. It’s not a job for them, it’s a devotion, it’s a life calling to serve their parks, which provide preservation of this beautiful heritage we have. We must save them, and not weaken them,” said Howard.

Social media influencer and Denver-area resident Nelson Holland brainstormed with protesters and offered his support.

“I’m happy to be here, it’s my favorite place in the world,” Holland said. “I have a couple of park rangers I’m friends with. It’s just really sad. If there’s anything at all I can do, I’ll do it. If you use these lands, you know it’s not overstaffed. I’m genuinely worried about this summer.”

The protest eventually slowly dispersed without any arrests or disturbances.