LE Ride Alongs

Week 3 at Buffalo River! This week I focused again on law enforcement. I’ve been able to shadow 5 different rangers at this point and see different personalities work as rangers. I feel being a national park ranger is the best job because the park service really allows you to find your passion and go with it. LE all have the same rules they must enforce but everyone has their personal interests here and it works out perfectly so that the park is policed in different ways. For example there are rangers here that focus on preventative search and rescue so they make sure there is no glass on the river way and also want to make sure everyone is wearing a life vest. There are rangers who focus on finding drugs in the park and rangers who really like doing traffic stops. All these personalities working together helps the park because a wide range of laws are always being covered at all times. If everyone loved doing traffic stops and tried to avoid the water then the river could turn into a dangerous spot. I’ve enjoyed riding along with different people so I can hear their point of view and see where their passion lies.

At this point I’ve been able to see different locations of the park in the upper and middle district. The river is the main attraction to this park but there are many trails around the park as well. I’ve been able to see different historic homestays that are scattered throughout the park. Some houses just have the foundations and a chimney left but other houses are still in great shape. It is interesting to see how they insulated the houses with newspaper and used mud to fill cracks in the wall frame. Since the houses are park property now the rangers have to check on the houses periodically to make sure there is no damage done to the property, like graffiti. We found people carving their names inside a house and new names are starting to pop up. I was told it’s important to get that fixed because when people come in and see the cravings they want to do it themselves; add their name to the list.

When I told my supervisors that I’m really interested in how Search and Rescue works in the park, they have helped me focus on that interest on my days off. I’ve been given different types of ropes so that I can practice knot tying. (https://www.animatedknots.com/ is a great website to learn from.) I’ve also started training online to become certified as a wildland firefighter. I’m really trying to keep busy here and learn as much as I can! In my free time I try to go hiking, swimming, hang out with coworkers, or catch up on all my work. If I was worried about one thing this summer... it’s getting chiggers. These bugs bury into your skin and give you a major rash! I’ve already gotten poison ivy so I’m trying to be careful around tall grass! Ticks you can find and remove, apparently chiggers are so tiny you can’t see them till it’s too late. I try to use bug spray every hike and shower often.