Current Position: Regional Park Ranger Supervisor for the Urban Parks North Region, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
How long have you been with Massachusetts State Parks and in what capacity?
Just over 7 years, in a Park Ranger capacity the entire time (Seasonal Ranger, then full-time "Ranger I", then "Ranger II", now "Ranger III”).
How did you become involved in working as a park ranger?
I had graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.S. in Natural Resource Economics, and was looking for a job in the outdoors/environmental field. This was one of dozens of jobs that I applied for, and was lucky enough to be offered an interview for a seasonal Ranger position.
Describe a typical day at your job.
(If there is no such thing as a typical day, then please tell us about your primary responsibilities and duties.)
One drawback of being promoted to a supervisory position is that my job is now mostly administrative work. A typical day might consist of some combination of the following:
- Unlock gates at DCR parking areas.
- Check and respond to e-mails and phone messages (possibly sent by Ranger staff, other DCR staff, volunteer groups, concerned park visitors, other law enforcement agencies, or by my boss). The types of messages I get may be in regards to any of various issues in the parks, a request for an interpretive/educational program for a school or non-profit group, registration for a previously-advertised program, a request for assistance on a project of some sort, an update on supplies, equipment, or vehicle maintenance, etc.
- Delegate duties to Ranger staff based on messages.
- Meet with my boss to inform him of any pressing issues, receive directives, etc.
- Fill out and submit staff payroll.
- Review and/or submit reports of recent incidents in the parks or on DCR roadways.
- Submit a request for installation of regulatory signage.
- Order equipment/supplies.
- Develop a brochure for programs offered in the upcoming season.
- Attend a staff meeting, or a planning meeting for an upcoming event, or a discussion about Visitor Center improvements.
- Meet with individual Ranger staff to discuss/provide input on individual projects.
- Lead a public hike or an interpretive program.
- Attend or offer some type of training in Ranger services.
- Develop regulatory or interpretive signage for posting on bulletin boards.
How many hours a week do you work in this position?
40 hours (plus overtime/comp time for some programs and events).
What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy working outdoors, serving the public and educating the kids - getting them excited about nature, making a difference by doing what we can to deter negative activity in the parks through rules education and displacing negative activity with positive family-oriented activities, being able to support the positive ideas and initiatives of my Ranger staff, the rewards of protecting and enhancing our natural resources, and constantly learning about the natural and historical resources that we protect.
What do you find to be the greatest challenges of your job?
The lack of ability to enforce regulations that are being violated in our parks, the sometimes overlooked value of Ranger services, a general lack of staff, always being occupied with administrative work and peripheral duties (hampering my ability to work on project ideas), the difficulty of obtaining equipment and supplies due to lack of funding and complex procedures, the necessity of working on weekends and holidays, and the modest pay of working in the public sector/environmental field.
What kind of training/schooling is required in your position?
- 4 years of full-time or equivalent part-time experience in park, recreation or resource management, or environmental management, of which 2 years must have been in a supervisory capacity; or an Associate’s or higher degree with a major in park, recreation, or resource management, and 2 years in a supervisory capacity.
- Current CPR and First Responder certification.
- A current basic lifesaving or waterfront safety certificate.
Is there any kind of training or general experience that you wish you had before taking your job?
For this job, I could never have enough training & experience in education, policing and conflict resolution, management, various types of emergency response training, GPS navigation, GIS mapping, computer skills, environmental & wildlife biology, etc.
What are a few of the projects that you've been working on recently that have been the most interesting?
- Developing interpretive designs for 2 Visitor Centers.
- Surveying staff and evaluating facilities to determine Ranger staffing needs as well as guiding interpretive and regulatory signage needs, as well as interpretive programming needs.
- Development of interpretive signage boards at various Region sites.
- Working on creative solutions for getting voluntary compliance from park visitors who violate rules and regulations governing dogs (which must be leashed and cleaned after) and mountain bikes (which must stay off of single-track hiking trails).
If someone were interested in working as a Park Ranger at a state park, what advice could you give them?
There is a lot of competition for Ranger positions and there are currently not a lot of positions to go around (at least in the Massachusetts DCR). But everything goes in cycles, so if you want to seriously pursue a job as a Park Ranger, choose a major and courses that would support your role in this position. You can also attend the Park Ranger academy located in Amherst, which has a very high percentage of placing students in jobs (often with the National Park Service).
Please share any further thoughts you may have about working in the state park system:
First, decide what things in life are most important to you. You will never get rich working in state parks, but the job can be very rewarding if you care about people and about our natural and cultural resources.
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