Feast and Famine in the National Parks
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The Journal of the Association of National Park Rangers RangerStewards for parks, visitors & each other Vol. 29, No. 4 | Fall 2013 A Public Harvest – Feast and Famine in the National Parks RANGER • Fall 2013 u Sec1a Share your views! Do you have a comment on a particular topic featured in this issue? Or about anything related to national parks? Send your views to fordedit@ aol.com or to the address on the back cover. More reminiscing about housing Reading Leslie Spurlin’s article, “NPS housing – A look back” (Summer 2013) brought back memories of my own. My first assignment was in Canyonlands, Needles District, 1974- 79. Each district had two to four permanent employees, a large handful of long-term sea- sonals who returned year after year and often volunteered for the park in the off-season, and a few Student Conservation Association workers who rotated through every 12 weeks or so. Communication with headquarters was Preregister online at www.anpr.org. Program via the park’s two-way radio system and occa- sionally (mostly at night) by radio telephone. details are posted there, with a summary on One channel served southeastern Utah and a small part of Colorado. One AM radio station page 21. See you Oct. 27 – 31 in St. Louis. came in about an hour after dark. Prior to my arrival, I was told that housing playing. The evening ranger, someone with less consisted of trailers that “were left over from experience, came back to his trailer. He quickly the Johnstown flood.” I didn’t look up that ran over to the court and excitedly reported that reference until much later, but the trailers were the generator was out. We laughed. Everyone old: drafty and air conditioned when the wind was outside, so what was the urgency to get blew and especially in the winter; sand drifts in power back on? the corners of every window; and some doors The game went until full dark. Then four that once locked but keys had been lost years of us went down to the generator shed to Board of Directors before. Deer mice and bushy-tailed woodrats power up one of the alternates. This time, Officers none would start. After more than an hour of President Stacy Allen, SHIL were more common inside than out. President-elect Erika Jostad, SEKI The complex of seven trailers, a mainte- trying everything we could think of, someone Secretary Paula Alexander, LIBO nance shed, office trailer and “visitor center” put the measuring stick into the gravity-fed Treasurer Jamie Bertram trailer were powered by generators. You could diesel tank. It was dry. We found that there was Board Members tell which generator was running by the way plenty of diesel in the underground tank, but Education & Training Ben Walsh equipment reacted. On the Onan generator, the pump was . electric! About 1 o’clock in Fundraising Activities Seth Tinkham, WASO the morning we figured out a way to remove Internal Communications Jeremy Kaufman electric clocks gained as much as 25 minutes Membership Services Gannon Frain, GRBA a day and all electric motors ran fast; when the electric pump and fit the incorrectly sized Professional Issues Jessica Korhut, DENA on the Allis Chalmers generator clocks lost as hand-crank pump into the tank. We extracted Seasonal Perspectives Jason Allen, YELL about 10 gallons after an additional 45 minutes Special Concerns Amy Gilbert much as 10 minutes a day but there wasn’t any Strategic Planning Alison Steiner, SEKI perceptible difference in electric motors. On of hard labor (the hand pump kept sucking air the Cat generator, when one of the community and losing its prime). About 3 a.m. we finally Task Groups International Affairs Tony Sisto, Retired washers or dryers or the air compressor in the succeeded in priming and starting the most maintenance shop turned on, there would be reliable generator, and keeping it running long Staff a brown-out for about a minute. They would enough to get a prime on the electric pump. Membership Services Teresa Ford often go out at the most troublesome times. We had to run the generator and electric pump Ranger Magazine The community tradition was to gather for faster than normal to get ahead of the draw- Editor/Publisher Teresa Ford a volleyball game after dinner, usually about 7 down in the above-ground tank. Editorial Adviser Kendell Thompson, LIBO p.m. when it started to cool off, and everyone Oily and smelling of diesel, we agreed that Professional Ranger Section was off duty except the campfire program a search and rescue of the same duration was Administration Michelle Torok, SAGU ranger. With lights on the court we would preferable. But we never again delayed genera- Interpretation Pete Peterson, GRCA, and tor maintenance in the evening. Josh Boles, WRBR usually play until 10:30. One evening the Protection Kevin Moses, BUFF generator went out as we were in the midst Ken Mabery, Scottsbluff, Nebraska Resource Management Sue Consolo Murphy, GRTE of a particularly robust game. We continued — More correspondence on page 22 — Sec1bt ANPR • Association of National Park Rangers “designating leadership” — to President’s Message be the professional responsibil- nother World Ranger Day has passed, ity of every NPS employee. ANGERThe Journal of the Association of National Park Rangers beckoning each of us to personally reflect This is accomplished through USNPS A RVol. 29, No. 4 Fall 2013 on the relevant, professional work that conserva- effective training, sustained Ranger (ISSN 1074-0678) is a quarterly publication of tion employees perform daily to protect natural behaviors and measurable performance. the Association of National Park Rangers, an organization and cultural resources. In their memory, and in remembrance of lost created to communicate for, about and with National It is public service work often performed comrades employed within sister public service Park Service employees of all disciplines; to promote and agencies, it behooves each of us to take the enhance the professions, spirit and mission of National under extreme environmental and in troubling Park Service employees; to support management and geopolitical conditions. proper time, before we act, to fully examine and the perpetuation of the National Park Service and the Since July 2012, at least 81 rangers, game understand the actual environment associated National Park System; and to provide a forum for profes- rangers, forest guards, wardens and facility with every work action we perform. Statistics sional enrichment. management employees have lost their lives in sadly record that serious injury and death ac- In meeting these purposes, the Association provides cidents increase the closer you are to home. The education and other training to develop and/or improve the line of duty. The numbers may be tragically the knowledge and skills of park professionals and those higher because often some line-of-duty deaths adage that “safety begins at home” and “resides interested in the stewardship of national parks; provides a fail to be adequately investigated and reported. with me” remains stubbornly pertinent. USNPS forum for discussion of common concerns of all employees; Thus, each July 31 is also a time to remember and provides information to the public. the lives and service of public stewards lost The membership of ANPR is comprised of individuals who are entrusted with and committed to the care, study, in the act of performing global conservation. explanation and/or protection of those natural, cultural In doing so, we rededicate ourselves toward IN THIS ISSUE and recreational resources included in the National Park sustaining the safe and productive professional Fall is a time for reaping. This is when we take System, and persons who support these efforts. performance of that mission. stock, close our budgets, and enjoy fruit sown ANPR’s official address: 25958 Genesee Trail Road, With the tragic wildland fire deaths in July PMB 222, Golden, CO 80401, www.anpr.org. Members in spring and grown in summer — if there receive Ranger as part of their membership dues. See the of 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hot- actually is fruit for the taking. In this issue of website or Ranger for membership/subscription details. shots in Arizona, linked alongside the recent Ranger we look at the public harvest that is our publication of the serious accident reports Submissions national parks. We sip Texas tea and march to Prospective authors should contact the editor or editorial documenting the deaths of National Park war on battlefield pancakes. We slip into the adviser before submitting articles. Editor, Teresa Ford, Service ranger Nick Hall at Mount Rainier and hot Ahwahnee kitchen and we learn to share 25958 Genesee Trail Road, PMB 222, Golden, CO maintenance worker Dana Bruce on the Blue through a tale of hard times when there was 80401, 303-526-1380; [email protected]. Editorial Ridge Parkway last year, employees across the no fruit. We even rescue a salamander along adviser, Kendell Thompson, 614-406-9400. NPS and sister land management agencies are the way. Deadlines taking time to better understand and appreci- Every park has a harvest tale. Yosemite Spring issue ....................................................... Jan. 31 ate the diverse work environments in which Summer issue .................................................. April 30 chef Percy Whatley speaks about his recipe these most recent deaths occurred. The need Fall issue ............................................................July 31 for heeding Director Jarvis’ call for healthy Winter issue .....................................................Nov.