Current Position: Park Ranger at Lake St. Catherine State Park
How long have you been with Vermont State Parks and in what capacity?
Two years as a Park Ranger. I had worked in a different capacity with folks with disabilities for a total of four years in my current parks system. I was previously a Park Campground Manager for Palm Beach County, Florida.
How did you become involved in working as a Park Ranger?
While working for Vermont Supported Living, we were looking for creative ways to encourage our clients to work or volunteer time. The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps came to mind. I presented the idea to a client's family and we were soon working at Bomoseen State Park with the VYCC. After one successful season we worked another a Bomoseen and two more seasons at Lake St. Catherine.
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.)
The typical day is ever changing. During our start-up season as a ranger you could be preparing your park for opening. In middle-high season you could be juggling your staff and handling customer service and emergency issues all at the same time. Multitasking is not an understatement. I will say that you would need to be even tempered and mindful of human relations concerning staff and customers. Ordinary, everyday details of the park can never be overlooked. At times it is a balancing act of big proportions. In addition to becoming like a helicopter checking in with staff on duties, we are responsible for park programming and content. Our park is lucky enough to have a Park Interpreter and I work as much as possible to ensure programs have good content and are executed at the right time for maximum participation.
We are lucky at Vermont State Parks not to have the big enforcement issues that can be a problem at larger park systems. A typical day can always involve advising a camper or day-use visitor of park system rules or just general public information. People love to interact with their park personnel, so a strong desire to communicate with the general public is needed.
As with many other park systems, we hire a majority of seasonal workers, so at the close of the season we quite often lose our staff quickly. As a park ranger, I have to adjust our daily role and focus on year-end duties, which may entail closing facilities to staffing other parks that are open later in the season. A most often overlooked aspect of being a park ranger may be the need for good record keeping, report taking and accounting, all necessary parts for making any park a success.
How many hours a week do you work in this position?
We work 48 hours a week, keeping in mind that there are times when we put in more or less time.
What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
The absolute wonderful surroundings of my workplace. Each park is unique in the facilities and natural beauty it has. I think at the beginning and end of the season I appreciate what a wonderful workplace I come to every day, something that can be easily overlooked during a busy day. Regional staff and internal customer service are great, something only other workers in a workforce can dream of.
What do you find to be the greatest challenges of your job?
Time management. Giving the most you have at the right time. Sometimes there are not enough hours in the day.
What kind of training/schooling is required in your position?
College education is preferable with strong influence on previous park and supervisory experience, and a customer service/hospitality background.
Is there any kind of training or general experience that you wish you had before taking your job?
Ranger training or enforcement training to better understand different techniques to protect myself.
What are a few of the projects that you've been working on recently that have been the most interesting?
Working with staff to develop a season park project of their own. As simple as that sounds, it can be a challenge. Working with many different staff with different abilities and learning styles to improve the park. I thought of the adopt-a-highway programs many states have and thought we could apply the same here at our park, empowering staff to make their own choices and follow through. As a result, it allows staff to be a part of the normal daily routine, but also be in charge and responsible for their own niche of the park.
If someone were interested in working as a Park Manager, what advice could you give them?
Listen and smile. Talk less. Be aware of everything. Be engaged with your staff.
Please share any further thoughts you may have about working in the state park system:
As our world population grows, I believe we will continue to see the very important need to have parks for respite and recreation. And with that need, I think that a ranger's role becomes that much more important. Our society embraces the professions of law and medicine, and rightfully so, but I personally think that working in a state park system will become more "recognized" as being important.
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