BOULDER, Colo. — A crowd hundreds strong gathered near the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association campus in Boulder on Monday to protest cuts made to the agency last week as part of the Trump administration’s effort to downsize the federal government.
Many of the demonstrators at the corner of Rayleigh and Broadway – a stone’s throw from the offices of NOAA Boulder, NWS Boulder/Denver and other environmental agencies – came bearing signs. Airtracker7’s camera captured signs reading “Save NOAA,” “NOAA saves lives,” “Stand up for science” and others.
It was announced last week that hundreds of weather forecasters and other NOAA employees would be impacted by the latest round of layoffs by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a NOAA spokesperson told Denver7.
Randy Hungate, a farmer ecologist, was among those protesting on Monday.
"The American people should not be surprised," Hungate said. "I feared for what would be coming in because I was familiar with Project 2025 and everything that is happening now."
Denver7 spoke with a former NOAA employee who was among those laid off last week. She wanted her identity to remain hidden due to fear of retribution.
"I felt like I was truly doing a lot for the American people. I love serving the American people and I'm sad to be leaving," she said.
She said she believed her firing was illegal because it wasn't related to misconduct or performance.
Now, she's unsure if she will get unemployment benefits.
She said seeing the protesters outside the NOAA office was incredible.
"Honestly, coming in here, it almost made me cry.," she said. "It's insane how many people support us. Just to see how many people love NOAA and support science and trust science."
The NOAA research center in boulder is named after former colorado congressman David Skaggs, who helped get funding to build it.
He says the large crowd sends a clear message.
"It sends a message that people are very unhappy with what's going on in the country," Skaggs said.
A NOAA spokesperson reports about 800 employees are based in the Boulder office.
However, the agency has not disclosed the number of layoffs due to their policy of not discussing internal personnel matters.
Some officials have said the cuts to NOAA could lead to needless deaths and a big hit to the U.S. economy.
- As part of our continuing coverage of federal job cuts, Denver7 evening meteorologist Danielle Grant explained what role NOAA and NWS data plays in forecasting for TV and beyond. Hear her analysis in the video player below:
The Boulder campus houses roughly 800 NOAA employees, including federal workers, contractors and others, but it was not clear whether any of them were included in the layoffs.
Monday’s protest was organized by former Colorado Congressman David Skaggs, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 1999 and is the namesake of a research center at the NOAA Boulder offices.
“Have no illusion that citizen protests alone will turn things around,” Skaggs wrote in a Feb. 26 post on social media. “However, speaking out can bolster the efforts of those in elected office who are opposing the incremental destruction of the democracy.”
It's the latest in a string of protests in Colorado against the actions and policies of the Trump administration during his first five weeks in office. Denver7 was there as thousands flocked to the capitol – most recently on Presidents Day – to protest the administration's early moves. Demonstrators also gathered in Estes Park last month to speak out against the firing of National Park Service workers, including park rangers at Rocky Mountain National Park.
