Current Position: Park Ranger at Long Hunter State Park
How long have you been with Tennessee State Parks and in what capacity?
After college graduation, I pursued a Ranger Aide position as well as a Seasonal Interpretive Ranger position with Tennessee State Parks. I received a permanent Park Ranger position at Long Hunter State Park in 2000 and have been there ever since.
How did you become involved in working as a Park Ranger?
I wanted to be a Park Ranger since I was a 12-year-old backpacker in Yellowstone National Park touched by the warmth, caring, openness and professionalism of the National Park Rangers who led interpretive hikes and gave presentations on the geologic significance of our first National Park. That summer experience planted the seed that has directed my educational pursuits, personal interests, hobbies and career. During high school I was a volunteer with the Student Conservation Association where I worked on a backcountry trail crew during the summer months in Yellowstone National Park. While in college, I spent a summer working with the Student Conservation Association at the South Entrance of Yellowstone where I worked with the public, assisted with resource management projects and helped inventory trout and grizzly bears. Because of my initial contact with these Park Rangers at Yellowstone, I pursued and received a degree in geology. So the past twenty-three years of my life has been built on one terrific, eye opening experience.
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.)
Tennessee state park rangers wear a variety of hats, so there is not a typical day. Maintenance, resource management, administration, supervision, interpretation, law enforcement, scientific investigation and park patron contact keep me busy as I change hats throughout the day.
How many hours a week do you work in this position?
As a state employee, I officially work 37.5 hours per week. However, in order to be a successful, service oriented, responsible protector of our natural, cultural and historical resources, I volunteer another twenty to thirty hours a week toward various park activities and projects. I am also the volunteer chairperson of the Tennessee Park Rangers Association, an organization that prides itself in promoting professionalism, improving communications, upgrading working conditions and supporting active training programs for officers and members of Tennessee State Parks.
What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy interpretation, resource management and administrative duties most. Because being a Park Ranger has been my lifelong dream, it is difficult to point out any aspect of the job that I don't dearly love and enjoy except for law enforcement.
What do you find to be the greatest challenges of your job?
As with any job, communication is key to a professionally managed organization. Since there are 54 state parks across Tennessee with more than 200 full-time officers and 60 Seasonal Interpretive Rangers, you can imagine the challenge of maintaining the kind of clear and open communication that enables us to fulfill our system’s mission. Thanks to increased technology advancements, training and a cohesive work force, Tennessee State Parks has made great strides toward increasing our communication and maintaining a closely knit "park family."
What kind of training/schooling is required in your position?
A four-year degree is required with emphasis placed on those areas specific to natural, cultural and historical resource and park management. Additionally, Park Rangers must complete law enforcement training, first responder medical training, interpretive training and work as a Seasonal Interpretive Ranger. Other training opportunities include fire fighting, emergency medical technician, high angle rescue and man tracking.
Is there any kind of training or general experience that you wish you had before taking your job?
Life is a continuous learning experience. However, if I knew the wide variety of topics that park rangers must master, I would have added formal education in botany, archaeology, history and park management.
What are a few of the projects that you've been working on recently that have been the most interesting?
While in graduate school, I took a medicinal botany class and completed a two-year inventory of botanical species found on an archaeological site at Sellars Farm. From this exhaustive list, 33 species were new records for that county, and the majority of plants inventoried had medicinal remedies used by Native Americans.
If someone were interested in working as a Park Ranger at a state park, what advice could you give them?
People don’t pursue a Park Ranger position in order to get rich. So it helps to be financially stable prior to pursuing a career in the park service. I know that the compensation from my job is not always the kind that I can put in the bank, but it may be those daily encounters that result in the smiles of children and families as well as the conservation of special spaces and green places.
Please share any further thoughts you may have about working in the state park system:
I recommend this field to anyone with a heart to serve people, a passion for the outdoors, a desire to protect the outdoors and a love for hard work.
<< See other Tennessee interviews -- Search by state -- Search by job title>>