Program Visit: COLO

I was accompanied on my visit to Colonial National Historical Park by Junior (Pro)Ranger Aislin.  After an uneventful drive, we arrived at COLO to visit ProRanger Taylor Johnson.

Our first stop was to the ranger station for a visit with Chief Ranger Steve Williams.  Program Manager Adrian Fernandez had stopped by COLO earlier in the summer and presented Chief Williams with the program plaques.  I was pleased to see that they were already hanging proudly on his office wall!  Chief Williams presented Aislin with a park ranger doll and she scored some awesome Centennial tattoo bling!

ProRanger Taylor Johnson and Chief Ranger Steve Williams

Colonial NHP has been a five summer participant in the ProRanger Program (the superintendent has the 2016 plaque!)

You can't beat this for Centennial bling!

I was also thrilled to see ProRanger alumnus Wayne Lamb!  Ranger Lamb is back at Colonial after completing FLETC and his field training at Glen Canyon.  The day ended with a meeting with Ranger Mark Krebs who has been working with ProRangers for four summers starting with students at Cape Hatteras National Seashore!

We even got a chance to see a local high school band!

Drawing of the doll, wearing Georges Island Junior Ranger Badge

High school drum and fife band

With Ranger Lamb!

With the meetings out of the way, the second day of our visit was devoted to Taylor showing us around the park.  We toured the Yorktown area of the park and saw some of Taylor’s favorite spots and he showed us some of the park’s problem areas.  We visited Jamestown and met some of the rangers who Taylor has worked with this summer, earned a junior ranger patch, watched the park movie and toured the settlement.  But, most importantly, we saw the statue of Pocahontas!!

ProRanger Johnson swearing in Junior Ranger McGarvey

A young buck was cooling himself in the swampy water.

Pocahontas!!

We ended the day back at the Yorktown Visitor Center and earned a final badge for the day!  Then we were off for a stop at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on our way to Shenandoah NP.

Up next:  SHEN

Program Visit: SAJU

Where we last left off....we missed our flight from St. Croix to San Juan.  The missed flight meant that our visit to San Juan National Historical Park was cut a full day short.  But, ProRanger Nick Fitzke rose to the challenge and made sure to pack in two days of meetings and tours into a day!

Chief Ernesto Padilla accommodated our change in schedule by coming in from vacation to meet us in the evening for dinner and an interview.

Preview of Castillo San Felipe del Morro at night

We started the next morning bright and early with a quick meeting with Superintendent Walter Chavez and then we were off for a private tour of the San Cristobal fort before it even opened!  Despite the early hour the sun was already hot and there was a lot of "hiking" within the fort, but the views were worth it!

The SAJU gym was as small and hot as advertised in Nick's blog!

At the gates of Castillo San Cristobal!

View from Castillo San Cristobal with Castillo San Felipe del Morro in the distance

"Graffiti" from the soldiers in the San Cristobal dungeon.

Why did the iguana cross the road?

Such interesting things in the curatorial workspace.

We then headed up the streets of San Juan in a golf cart to Castillo San Felipe del Morro.  After touring the fort, we rode down the Paseo del Morro to the Puerta de San Juan and then through the streets of San Juan back toward the Castillo San Cristobal.  There is a sanctuary for stray cats located along the walkway and we encountered muchos, muchos gatos!!

Castillo San Felipe del Morro by day.

ProRanger Fitzke documenting a helicopter possibly flying over park property (prohibited!)

Trust me guys, just a little further.....

We held our meeting with Ranger William Morales, who has been supervising ProRanger Nick Fitze this summer, over a cup of coffee.  The rumors of his love of coffee were well founded!  After Nick presented him with a plaque, we were off to the airport for our flight home.

ProRanger Fitze presents a plaque of appreciation to Ranger Morales.

We definitely did not want to miss another flight, so no time for lunch!  But we did stop for some takeout snack on the way to the airport.  What to choose?  Flan.  Definitely flan.

So many choices...

So many more choices....

And, so many more choices....

The right choice

The joint park visits were very productive.  Ranger Fernandez and I came away from the visits and interviews with a lot of ideas for tweeking the evaluations, taskbook, and the outline for a "Guide to the ProRanger Program."  I learned about the the high level of collaboration and cooperation between these three Caribbean parks while also getting to witness their spirited but friendly competition!

Up next:  COLO

Until Next Time...

        Leaving Shenandoah was a bittersweet moment. I don’t know how much more I could have gotten out of the park because everyone provided me with such great experiences and shared knowledge that I couldn’t have asked for more. There are always new scenarios to experience within the park but I left there feeling like I had seen so much more than the average visitor would ever see even if they visited the park each year. 

I had amazing mentors down in Virginia that I’ll be contacting to ask for advice or just to catch up with for the rest of my days. I’m already planning a trip to head back down there just to catch up with some of the Rangers and to see the park in a different season. I think it’s important to visit a park that you’ve grown to love and appreciate in all of its seasons. I look forward to coming back and heading up on the drive, this time as a visitor. I’ll do my best to not scowl at those going over the speed limit, or the ones who stop in the middle of the road and leave their car doors wide open to chase down a bear for a photo. Until next time, enjoy this sunset up on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.

Program Visit: CHRI

We began our visit to Christiansted National Historical Site (CHRI), Buck Island Reef National Monument (BUIS) and Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve (SARI) with a short flight from St. Thomas to St. Croix on a small plane.  It's always fun to get lined up by size to get your seat assignment.  But, flying between the islands was so quick and easy!

Our plane from St. Thomas to St. Croix

Ranger Fernandez arrives home on St. Croix

We arrived at CHRI and ProRanger Kelechi Akabogu led us on a tour of the Danish fort, Fort Christianvaern, and its associated buildings, including the Scale House and the Steeple Building.

Scales used to weigh imports and exports, and probably slaves

ProRanger Akabogu standing guard

Inside the fort's dungeon - not built for tall people!

Rangers Fernandez and Rivera with ProRanger Akabogu.

Then we headed out to Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve.  We planned to meet up with the superintendent, but he was working with the Youth Conservation Corps students and we ended up just missing him all around the island!  At Salt River, we toured the Visitor Center and viewed artifacts from the Taino people before visiting the construction site of the Salt River Bay Marine Research and Education Center. 

Due to some interesting jurisdictional issues, we stood on the shoreline and discussed cases that Rangers Fernandez and Rivera had encountered at SARI.  Then we moved to hypothetical variations and an in depth discussion of the various sections of 36 C.F.R. and how they might apply.  ProRanger Akabogu demonstrated an impressive command of the regulations!

Views from the Salt River Visitor Center

Well tower at Salt River

Rangers Rivera and Fernandez quizzing ProRanger Akabogu

We ended the day at the ranger station with interviews with Chief Ranger Isander Rodriguez.  WE also secured a commitment from Ranger Rivera to offer a “use of force” class for the ProRangers via webex!

Chief Ranger Rodriguez, Ranger Fernandez and ProRanger Akabogu

Then it was a reunion for Ranger Fernandez – the law enforcement rangers along with a members of administration and other divisions joined us all for another amazing dinner at Kelechi’s favorite restaurant, El Sol.  Oh, the stories I can now tell!  

The next morning we talked with Superintendent Joel Tutein and presented our plaque.  As we stood outside, I couldn’t help but notice that he seemed to know everyone who passed by, who all smiled, waived and honked their greetings!

ProRanger Akabogu and Superintendent Tutein

Ranger Fernandez, ProRanger Akabogu and Rangers Laurencin and Rivera

Lifesaving practice!

"Captain" Akabogu

Then we headed out for a tour of Buck Island with Kelechi in the captain's chair!  Ranger Fernandez was a tough judge of Kelechi's boating skills, but she passed!  On day four of the trip and on my third island, I finally got the chance to go in the water!  It was beautiful!  We took the opportunity for Kelechi to practice her rescue skills and she alternated between throwing the rescue rope to both me and Adrian until she could accurately “save” us and pull us in.

Wet hugs to thank our (dry) rescuer!

As a storm headed in, we returned to the park and then the airport.  Unfortunately, we missed our flight and we were forced to spend an extra night on St. Croix as there weren’t any seats available until the next afternoon.  Fortunately, my room in park housing was still available! 

Up next:  SAJU

A Future Bounded by Experience

Boundary Cap

               My closing week at Antietam Battlefield was structured so that I would be able to tie up loose ends with the friends I made and responsibilities still left on the table. I saw to that by saying goodbye and checking off the last few boxes of my task book. I didn’t have many remaining tasks to worry about at that point in the summer, so I was fortunate enough to delve a little deeper into the areas of my interest.

Rory Behind a Carsonite Post Boundary Marker

Throughout the summer, I had a developing area of interest within the acquisition of property. Partially contributing to that was a knowledgeable resource in my supervisor, as he is Antietam’s Boundaryman. The title coincides with his responsibilities of compiling, updating, and maintaining the jurisdictional inventory. The jurisdictional inventory is a tool for the interpretation of a Protection Ranger’s authority within a National Park Service Unit’s property. With that being said, it was pretty natural that we did at least one boundary patrol. I learned pretty quickly why the season for walking boundary is in late fall. Thankfully Rory knew where the property corners were because it was near impossible to pace out a bound in the overgrowth. I feel the experience in that collateral duty is important because it is something valuable I can bring with me to my next internship and career.

                Another eventful responsibility was inspecting the battlefield’s fire extinguishers. This was one of the few duties were I got to get out on my own and take care of business. It was also relatively rewarding to know that I freed up time for the Rangers to concentrate on other responsibilities. The best part about the duty was accessing parts of the battlefield that a typical visitor could not. For instance, going inside the Sherrick Farmhouse or the Roulette Barn made me feel a stronger connection with the park and a greater interest in the social history of those families. Going in those places also led to some picturesque views.

Dappled Sunlight Inside the Roulette Bar

Awarded Visitor and Resource Protection Challenge Coin

               I had a fantastic summer at Antietam Battlefield. I believe my time there took a career that I could see myself doing and directed it into a career that I want to be a part of. The way I feel is a direct result from the experiences I had with my coworkers and supervisors. I can attest that the next ProRanger to complete their internship at Antietam is one lucky individual. My chapter certainly hasn’t closed on Antietam, and I don’t want to sound like it has. I’m planning to make it back for the Battlefield’s Illumination event this winter.

Until then, ANTI!

My summer view: Antietam National Battlefield

My summer view: Antietam National Battlefield

Most beautiful spot in: Antietam National Battlefield

Most beautiful spot in: Antietam National Battlefield

Reflections in Living History

Myself in Infantry Garb

             One of my main goals upon hearing that I would be at a Civil War battlefield for the summer was to find a way to participate in living history. At the time I called it reenactment, but I quickly picked up that calling it living history was more accurate. The difference between the two is that living history seeks to place viewers in a historical setting by using tools of the time and interactive presentation instead of solely attempting to recreate aspects of a historical event. Either form can be found in a setting, but at Antietam there were only living history programs.

            The programs were volunteer led, but for safety they were overseen by a black powder certified ranger. Often times the living history members cannot invest in a cannon for demonstration because of the expense. However, Antietam had its own Napoleon Cannon for the purpose of artillery demonstrations. So the lucky people who love to take part in demonstrations are able to be more than an infantry group and organize into an artillery battery. I was fortunate enough to work with the Battery B living history group, which is incredibly respected amongst staff at Antietam Battlefield. I knew most members of the group from working the visitor center desk with them. The group goes beyond investing their time in demonstrative practices, by also aiding in interpretation of the unit through fielding questions at the front desk and/or giving battlefield tours. Their knowledge of artillery procedure and of the battle was striking. During the time spent drilling I couldn’t help chuckling at their quirky Civil War general jokes and awing at their accounts of soldier's heroism.

My roommate and I 

Quarter Scale Napoleon in Display Case

            I aided in two demonstrations. The demonstration consisted of an opening fire, a lecture of the character of artillery men during battle and their responsibilities, another firing, a lecture of the specific group we were representing by being there, and a final firing. After the final fire, we dropped the ropes and fielded questions from visitors who came to watch. I participated as the number five, meaning I was the ammunition runner. The ammunition runner places the round in the worn haversack from the ammunition chest and advances it to the cannon. Before getting to the cannon, I stopped and had my round inspected by the gunner who stood between the cannon and the ammunition chest. The gunner was sort of the captain to the team and was responsible in calling out coordinates and type of ammunition to be used.

            Battery B was a Union artillery regiment. Antietam Battlefield also has a Confederate artillery group that travels to use the battlefield’s cannon for demonstrations. I worked safety line for their demonstrations a number of times throughout the summer. I think it is important to have both sides of the battle represented and I certainly enjoyed seeing the variance in uniform and presentation. Speaking of uniforms, that wool really sucks the life out of you. But the heat was a small sacrifice to make for being able to have firsthand experience in something as unique as living history.

Thank you Battery B for allowing me the experience!

Thank you Christie and Rory for coordinating it!

Battery B Living History Group