Find Your Park: Spring Break

We are well into the Spring semester here at Temple University and our Spring Break just concluded. Classes have resumed and we are eagerly awaiting our Summer 2016 park assignments. For break, some students returned home, some worked, and others went on fancy vacations with beaches and hot weather. While planning what to do for Spring Break, my roommates and I were searching for a unique trip with a change of pace from North Philadelphia, while trying not to break the bank. Our answer? Lets explore some National Parks.

And south on I-95 we went...

The top of Brooks Hill
Monocacy National Battlefield

The Worthington House
Monocacy National Battlefield

I couldn't drive through Maryland without stopping at Monocacy National Battlefield. It was great to show my roommates and fellow ProRanger John Hesdon where I spent my summer, and it was interesting to see how the landscape changed through the months. After spending the day hiking around the park, seeing some old friends, and exploring downtown Frederick, we were excited to leave for our next destination the following morning.

Hawksbill Summit
Shenandoah National Park

For anyone who believes that you need to travel far out west to see the big and beautiful national parks, I encourage them to visit Shenandoah National Park. The views were breathtaking, the hikes were challenging, and the fresh air and environment reassured that we made the right choice for our Spring Break destination.

The Appalachian Trail was covered with ice and
made for an adventurous hike. 

John and I enjoying the view at SNP

Visiting Shenandoah only added to the anticipation of finding out where my next destination will be, and I am thrilled to continue on my ProRanger adventure. I encourage everyone reading this to go out and Find Your Park like we did. 

All The Best, Monocacy

Today is Labor Day, and it has finally set in that my ProRanger Summer 1 internship has come to an end. I am now walking on sidewalks, taking subways, and there are more people here than cows. Classes have started in North Philadelphia, football season is upon us, and I am already missing my time at Monocacy National Battlefield.

Photo taken of my "backyard", the Thomas Farm, during my last week at Monocacy. 

My final week was spent with the Resource Management division, where I had the privilege of working with 2 SCA (Student Conservation Association) interns and members from the YCC (Youth Conservation Corps). For the first few days, I worked on tagging trees with my roommate Liz. This project was her main focus for her summer internship, so it was great to see everything that she has been working on for awhile.

We placed a tube around the tree to protect it from the animals, and would attach an
identification tag to the tube so we could easily identify and tracks the tree's growth.

My final two days were spent at Gettysburg National Military Park. We were asked to help their Resource Management staff with picking peaches from the Peach Orchard. The trees were becoming too heavy as the peaches were pulling down on the branches, so it was crucial that some peaches were removed. With that being said, it was also an enjoyable time to be outside and enjoy the beauty of Gettysburg.

The Peach Orchard at Gettysburg National Military Park

Picking peaches was a nice activity because it allowed me to reflect on the fantastic time I had this summer. I feel very lucky that I was assigned as a ProRanger at Monocacy National Battlefield. I owe a big thank you to everyone at Monocacy and Antietam for treating me extremely well and giving me a great experience. I look forward to making a visit sometime soon back to Frederick, MD and being back at a place that I consider a second home. The 10 weeks flew by, and I can't wait to see what lies ahead for my next summer.

Thank you for reading my blogs and I look forward to writing more down the road.

Sincerely,

Tim Greene

Administration and Motivation: My Week at Antietam

Money has an enormous impact on many things, and last week I learned that the National Park Service is no exception. I had the privilege to travel from my place in Monocacy National Battlefield to Sharpsburg, Maryland, home of Antietam National Battlefield. Being our sister park, we share an Administrative staff with Antietam. Administration was the division where I had the least amount of knowledge before spending time with these amazing workers and people. I was lucky enough to follow around Kathy, our Administrative Officer, and Corey, our Budget Analyst.

Totally candid! Corey let me look over his
shoulder as he shared his knowledge.

The administration is mostly behind the scenes, but very involved when problems arise. I learned that our administration is so important because they have so many responsibilities that have a direct impact on many people. One of their duties is dealing with employee's money. They oversee and review the payroll, deal with the different kinds of leave time, and even work with the hiring of the best qualified individuals. They use so many different programs, and the most challenging part of my week was trying to comprehend all of the acronyms. My dad always tells me to never use an acronym if I can't tell you what it stands for, so I tried my best. We used FPPS (Federal Personnel Payroll System), PAR (Personnel Action Request), iQMIS (Internet Quarters Management Information System), SMIO (Safety Management Information System), and the be-all and end-all of programs, FBMS (Financial Business Management System). Yes, it is a lot to remember, but it is crucial to have so many procedures involved to ensure that money is being used in the best and most appropriate way. Corey shared with me that "FBMS has created so much accountability for what we do because everyone can see it, and everyone is involved." 

Aside from dealing with employee's money, they also deal with the park's money and property reports. These people have a stressful role and do a great job. I was thankful that in the middle of the week, they gave me the opportunity to follow former Temple ProRanger Jay Copper. 

Temple ProRangers of the past and the present.
Jay and I in front of the Visitor Center at Antietam National Battlefield. 

I want to thank Law Enforcement Officer Jay Copper for allowing me to tag along with him for a whole day. It is inspirational to see someone who was in my shoes a few years ago, now succeeding as a full-time Ranger. He answered every question that I asked (and there were many) and gave me advice that I will remember as I go forward. This experience served as motivation to continue on and make the most of my remaining time at Monocacy. Again, thank you Jay and the rest of the staff at Antietam for having me this past week. 

Only one week left!

Best of Both Worlds

Time at Monocacy National Battlefield is flying by! They say "time flies when you're having fun" and I can say with confidence that this is the case in my situation. The last two weeks have been a great experience with two very different divisions. My weeks with Maintenance and Interpretation reassured me that it takes many diverse skill sets to run a park effectively.

For my days with Maintenance, we would report to the visitor center early in the morning to make sure that the place is spotless. We would vacuum, clean exhibits, dust, and clean the bathrooms. It may not be the most attractive duty, but someone's got to do it. With that mindset, the Maintenance team does a great job. 

Cleaning toilets isn't fun, but Andrew showed
me how to do it with a smile from ear to ear.

People come in from walking the trails with dirt on their boots. We clean the visitor center every morning, and make sure that the visitor has a pleasant experience. 

Thankfully, I was also able to get outside. 

Keeping the arrowhead clean and welcoming.

During the days with the Maintenance crew, I was able to continue sharpening my skills with the weed whacker. Pictured above, we also cleared brush and were able to put it through the chipper. I loved being outside and working with the guys, but was pleasantly surprised with a trip to Philadelphia.

Pictured above (L-R): ProRanger Tim Greene (me), ProRanger Isaiah Lewis,
Chief Ranger Jeremy Murphy, and ProRanger John Hesdon.

It was awesome to see my former Chief Ranger Jeremy Murphy (now at Gettysburg National Military Park) and fellow ProRangers John and Isaiah. We were able to be a part of the Incident Command Team meeting, which was a great display of effective planning, unavoidable stress, and amazing teamwork. As a member of the National Park Service, you have many opportunities to take on collateral duties that can take your career on a different and exciting path. Having unique experiences like this will only help you grow as a ranger. 

As my time with Maintenance came to a close, it was time to switch gears and work with the Interpretive Rangers. I enjoyed my time at the Visitor Center because you are constantly communicating with visitors. I may not be able to answer every question about Monocacy, but I can point them in the right direction and give them a nice smile. Making sure that the visitors have a pleasant experience is key to the growth of our park. I also enjoyed sitting in on the Ranger Programs, which we host twice a day. 

Ranger Brian Dankmeyer giving a program. 

The Interpretive Rangers are all about customer experience. They are never bored on the job, because there is always something that can be improved. Pictured above, Ranger Brian is outside on a beautiful day. He is feeling fine while being well covered from the sun. However, it is clear that the visitors are a little warm and the sun was impacting their comfort. Instead of going along with the program and ignoring the uncomfortable situation, Brian asked them for advice. The end result:

Improvising in order to meet the visitor's satisfaction is an important skill.

The whole crew moved into the air-conditioned Visitor Center and Brian gave the program from an electronic map upstairs. This may seem like a small gesture, but the visitors were beyond pleased. This situation impacted me because even while giving an in-depth program, the visitor's comfort was still on Brian's mind, and he acted. Having a passion for pleasing the visitors is another priority that I have noted for my future.

I say that I experienced the best of both worlds because the Maintenance crew works physically and tirelessly to give the visitor a pleasant experience, while the Interpretive Rangers take a creative and passionate mindset to please the visitor. These two divisions complete very different everyday tasks, but have the same mission. Giving the customer a satisfying visit is the goal and I have been lucky enough to see talented people dedicate their time and passion to achieve this goal, while continuing to improve as time goes by. 

Salute to Independence

Antietam National Battlefield hosts the Salute to Independence around Independence Day each year, featuring music from the Maryland Symphony Orchestra and a tremendous fireworks display. It's a large event and has been happening since 1986. With that being said, these people know what they're doing and how things should be done.

Photo taken from marylandsymphony.org
Visit their site for more info on the event and the Orchestra!

I was excited to head over to Antietam from Monocacy, as I was asked to help park cars and assist with the traffic while everyone was exiting the park. I was also looking forward to seeing fellow ProRangers Dan Bussell from Manassas and Isaiah Lewis from Gettysburg. With expected crowds of up to 20,000, it was important that everyone was on the same page.

The stage from afar and small crowd earlier in the day. 

Luckily, that is exactly how it happened. Upon arrival, we were given assignments for where and who we were working with for the evening. Dan, Isaiah, and I were all assigned to the same parking zone, so it was nice to catch up in person for the first time since Leadership Camp. We were working with employees from Antietam and through clear instruction and well mannered visitors, the time flew. Cars were parked, the sun was disappearing, and the fireworks show was amazing.

Fireworks never look as cool in a picture,
so you should check them out in real life next year.

Our supervisor was saying that it has been difficult in the past with the amount of people trying to get out of the area at the same time. Maybe it was beginners luck, but it was painless. We all spread out along the road, making sure the pedestrians and cars knew where they belonged for a safe exit. We stopped traffic when necessary, or asked pedestrians to wait for a car to pull out. All in all, it was a great experience that went smoothly while everyone worked as a team. 

I highly recommend that everyone attend the Salute to Independence at Antietam National Battlefield next year for great music, tremendous fireworks, and a patriotic experience surrounded by friends and family.

 

More Fun at MONO

My time with the Law Enforcement division has finally come. The time I spent with the other divisions has been rewarding and enjoyable, while they each offered their own experiences and challenges. Getting a glimpse at how everyone works together to effectively run a park will certainly help me as I continue in my career. However, I was extremely excited to spend time with the division that I am focused on becoming a part of one day. This past week has only furthered my passion for becoming a Law Enforcement Officer for the National Park Service.

I had the privilege of going along with Officers Travis Baker and Jim Hans as they gave me a good look into how the Law Enforcement Division operates at Monocacy National Battlefield. The pictures above are from when I was on duty with Travis. On the left, he was using binoculars to see past the tree line. On the right, Travis was communicating with the dispatch center to check on an individual's fishing license status. It just so happened that this lead to an arrest. 

I got to take a trip to the Washington County State Police Barracks.
We reported to the Forensic Sciences Division to test confiscated substances
that seemed to be marijuana and cocaine. Both tests came back positive. 

Another duty of Law Enforcement Officers is to check the trails.
Visitor safety is the focus while determining when to open
or close a trail after storms, so clearly something had
to be done with this fallen tree.

My time with LE has shown me that these rangers have a lot of responsibilities. Driving around and patrolling while being a friendly face for visitors to see and answer questions is important, yet there is so much more that goes into being a successful Law Enforcement Officer that the public does not see.

Monocacy National Battlefield

Hello, my name is Tim Greene and I have the privilege of being a Temple University ProRanger at Monocacy National Battlefield in Frederick, Maryland. Monocacy? I wasn't sure how to pronounce it either, or where to locate it on a map. However, after my first few weeks, I can not think of a better place to start my journey with the National Park Service. My short time here at a relatively small park has been a great experience and I am surrounded by a staff that welcomed me with open arms. 

Monocacy National Battlefield- Thomas Farm

My first week was with Resource Management, so I was able to break myself in by hauling logs, clearing brush, and getting the trails ready for the summer visitors. It was refreshing to be in the beautiful, rural environment. Unhealthy trees were removed to make a clear trail entrance and provide a safer place to hike and explore. My week with Resource Management was over before I knew it, but my time landscaping was not. The following week with maintenance included weed whacking for the majority of time, due to the heavy rain we received the week before. I was impressed with how much land the maintenance crew is able to mow and trim in a relatively short amount of time. The mowers are able to cover a lot of land quickly, however the artwork of handling a weed whacker also makes for a beautiful landscape. Learning how to properly put together, replace the string, and clean a weed whacker are skills that I will use for the rest of my life. My first two weeks of working in the sun and being outside was an experience that I enjoyed. Being in the outdoors is something I appreciate.

I was lucky to work with Nick, a Biological
Science Technician, who had experience with
cutting down trees.

 The guys at Maintenance showed me how they
work as a team to accomplish a large task.

The next week included working with the Administration. Monocacy shares an administration staff with Antietam National Battlefield, where the Administration building is located. I learned how they handle the budget, determine paychecks, order things that the park needs and can afford, and really serve as the communication center of the park. I look forward to my second week with them in late July to learn more about programs like FBMS (Financial and Business Management System). 

I am currently serving with the Interpretative Staff who are stationed at the visitor center. 

Monocacy hosts Ranger Programs each day at 11am and 2pm
where visitors are told and shown what happened during
the Battle that Saved Washington.

I am enjoying working with these people who are so passionate about giving the visitor a great experience. Interpretive Rangers, such as Brian Dankmeyer (above), are the face of the park. They have taught me different ways to make sure the visitors enjoy their time at Monocacy, while learning the significance of what happened here in 1864. They are constantly working on different projects to enhance the experience, and are proactive thinkers on how to improve each day. I am fascinated at how many different skill sets it takes to run a park, and I look forward to learning more while having fun in my remaining seven weeks. 

More blogs to come!

2015 Participating Parks and Assignments

ProRanger interns will be heading out to their parks in June.  We are excited to announce our participating parks and intern assignments for summer 2015:

Assateague Island National Seashore - Kathryn Yody
Boston National Historical Park - Brittany Kriner
Colonial National Historical Park - Hannah Sender
Fire Island National Seashore - Nicholas Fitzke
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine - Jessica Bustamante
Gettysburg National Military Park - Isaiah Lewis
Independence National Historical Park - John Hesdon
Manassas National Battlefield Park - Daniel Bussell
Monocacy National Battlefield - Timothy Greene
Sleeping Bear Dune National Lakeshore - Julia
Valley Forge National Historical Park - Kelly Tascarella
Yosemite National Park - Kelechi Akabogu

ProRanger Orientation and Leadership Camp took place from May 11-May 15th.    Look for posts and photos from the ProRangers about their experiences at leadership camp and their parks coming soon.