Downhill Skiing
Appreciate winter recreation in all its seasonal glory while the snow is still fresh. One way to do this is at The 27th Annual Bryce Canyon Winter Festival. This family-friendly weekend is chock full of winter fitness and fun.
We often get questions about what it takes to become a National Park Ranger. Here are some tips from our partners at the Association of National Park Rangers. We hope you find them helpful:
The National Park Service (NPS) employs people in all kinds of job titles (20,000 year-round and another 7,000 - 10,000 during the summer) even though the general public often thinks that everyone that works for the NPS is a "park ranger." Of these 30,000 employees, perhaps 7,000 are in positions that are titled park ranger. I'll concentrate on those for now, but folks interested in maintenance jobs, or administrative jobs, or research and science related jobs should know that those jobs are there too.
Park ranger jobs are divided into 2 groups. First, there are park rangers that primarily perform park interpretation. These employees work in the park visitors' center, lead guided walks and talks, give off-site programs at local schools, establish and/or modify the park's website, write site-specific brochures and other materials, and design visitor center displays or movies, etc. In short, this group of park rangers is the parks' primary link between the park resources and park visitors and neighbors. By explaining the national significance of the individual park and the resources it preserves, interpretive park rangers hope to establish or strengthen visitors' understanding and support for parks, the environment, history, etc.
The second group of park rangers are those that primarily perform park protection. These employees perform law enforcement, search and rescue, emergency medical services, fire management, etc. They are more likely to be working outside, in all kinds of weather conditions, and they might be doing this in all kinds of modes of transportation, i.e. on foot, on horseback, in vehicles, in boats, on skis, in small planes, etc. Like interpretive rangers, protection rangers have a great responsibility to be knowledgeable about the parks' resources and threats (from human behavior) to them. While they have many friendly, informational contacts with visitors, they also have visitor contacts that are sometimes confrontational and can be stressful.
For either type of ranger job, a bachelor's degree from a 4-year college or university with a heavy emphasis in the natural sciences or U.S. history is generally required to be competitive. Any public speaking experience one can gain is also very helpful. First aid training is available in most communities and having some level of certification in first aid and CPR is helpful. There is also free online training to anyone at the Eppley Institute for Parks & Public Lands at Indiana University. Such training helps one understand the NPS mission and culture and shows prospective hiring officials that you are truly interested in becoming an NPS employee.
Many folks that hope to be interpretive park rangers often start out working as park volunteers while they are in school or are in some other full-time career. These opportunities are available at all NPS sites including Lake Mead National Recreation Area just outside Las Vegas.
For protection rangers there are a few additional requirements. You must be at least 21 years old. You also must be a graduate of one of the NPS-approved Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Academies. A list of these schools and more information is available online. One can also pursue similar opportunities in your home community to gain experience that might make you more competitive. Become an ambulance attendant in your community, become a volunteer firefighter with your local fire department or your state forestry department, or become a member of your local community search and rescue squad.
Finally, the Association of National Park Rangers (ANPR) is a membership organization open to anyone. One does not have to be a park ranger or an NPS employee to become an ANPR member. There are networking and informational opportunities within ANPR that can help one be competitive for NPS jobs, and it is important to understand that it is not just what you know, but also who you know that will help one get their foot in the door with the NPS. ANPR also offers a publication for sale titled, "Live the Adventure: Join the National Park Service" that can be helpful in understanding the requirements for park ranger jobs.
For more information about ANPR visit their website.
San Isabel National Forest is located in central Colorado. The forest contains 19 of the state's 54 fourteeners, peaks over 14,000 feet high. Among the forest's most majestic mountains are 14,433 foot Mt. Elbert, Colorado's highest. Photography and wildlife-watching are popular activities. Big game species include elk, deer, bighorn ...
READ MORENew York's Catskill Mountains include one of the largest and most complex natural areas in the East - on par with the West's Yellowstone National Park. Round, forested mountains; narrow, winding valleys; rushing streams and rivers are features that attract many to the 600,000 acres of the Catskill ...
READ MOREEncompassing one-third of the total land area of New York State, the Adirondack Park is unique in the United States. Within its boundaries are vast forests and rolling farmlands, towns and villages, mountains and valleys, lakes, ponds and free-flowing rivers, private lands and public forest. The Adirondacks are known for ...
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The USGS administers the Golden Eagle Pass, and will have a complete list of where they are sold. You can go online and order one at www.parkpass.net, or get in touch with USGS ordering line directly at 888-275-8747, ext. 1, or email them at [email protected]
Enjoy your park travels, in Illinois and anywhere else you go!
Not sure when you're leaving. If you e-mail me your address, at [email protected], I will send you a complimentary copy of the Yosemite National Park Guide. Are there any others you would like?
Happy trails!
-Brigitte @ Morsel Munk