American flag hung upside down from El Capitan at Yosemite National Park after employees fired

A bold display of protest was spotted at an iconic landmark in Yosemite National Park after about a dozen employees were fired by the Trump administration.

Photos taken by a former employee show an American flag hung upside down on the park's infamous El Capitan, a 3,000-foot wall of sheer granite and possibly the world's most fabled rock face.

Professional photographer Brittany Colt, who once worked in a gallery at Yosemite, happened to be at the park on Saturday morning working on another project when she captured a photo of the flag.

She said she doesn't know the protesters who hung it, but she has spoken to Yosemite employees about the recent layoffs.

"Several employees have shared their fears with me," Colt said. "They are scared that the parks will get closed down because they cannot operate the parks without people cleaning the restrooms, without having emergency services there. There is a lot at stake here."

The flag has since been removed, but many are hoping the workers that were laid off will be reinstated.

The Trump administration last week 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.

Facing outcry, the administration plans to restore at least 50 jobs across the parks. The park service also said in a new memo it will hire more seasonal workers than normal. The park service has about 20,000 employees.

At least a dozen of those who lost their jobs worked at Yosemite.

Many worry the cuts will affect the experience of visitors and the welfare of wildlife that thrive in the popular vacation destination located in California's Sierra Nevada.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.