Profile of a Park Ranger in Idaho - Essay Example

Profile of a Park Ranger in Idaho In a recent interview with a Game Ranger in Idaho, I found more than just a man who goes to work every morning because he has to. Instead I met someone who believes in what he does and who can teach us all a lot about how and why we should look after our environment. Being outside, in the wild, and looking at the beautiful Rocky Mountains, while talking to the Ranger, meant that I could see what he is so concerned about. The views, the fresh air and the information we were sharing made me more committed to conservation than ever. As we talked, we walked on a sort trail, allowing me to get a view of the mountains and valleys surrounding us, and being influenced by all the natural beauty all around us. I was interested to learn that Idaho is 60% owned by the Federal Government and that this has made it possible to preserve so much of the natural environment. When the Ranger spoke of this fact, he smiled, saying that not many people liked this situation. People would rather develop the land, cut down timber, and start cattle ranches in these areas. But the Ranger did point out that as “we keep chipping away” more and more land will be lost to development. What we need is land to camp and fish, hunt and go boating and skiing, according to the Ranger. Again, as he made this comment, he smiled and his face lit up. This is a man who believes passionately in conserving the habitat he works in. He also knows the value of the natural environment for all of us. He told me something of the history of Idaho, and his beliefs about what has gone wrong in the past were clear. Even though Europeans did not arrive on the east side of the US early, so a lot of wildlife managed to survive, they did get there eventually. By the early 1900s, much of the wildlife had been depleted – he especially mentioned bison. What was positive was the feeling that the seedlings of the wildlife were still available, and people started to conserve. So today, there is a lot of wildlife again, but again, it is being threatened. While there is, as mentioned, a fair amount of public land, the demand is growing for development and farm land. As we sat next to a small stream, it hit home that so much of this environment is vulnerable to humans. Already, there are very serious problems with the number of weeds growing in the area. These are aggressive weeds and they stop the growth of the natural sagebrush. This happens especially in the lowlands. In the higher elevations, the weeds tend not to grow as much. The Ranger pointed out that this weed problem came directly from the weed seeds brought with the crops the settlers planted. Again, he revealed his belief that people then and people now are not as careful with the environment as they should be: “when I am driving to McCall or Mountain Home, I drive and I just see weeds.” He showed me the natural brush around us, and also pointed out the weeds, and how they seem to just come up everywhere. His perspective reveals many issues in these areas of which I was not aware. My idea was that the fires in Idaho – probably more fires happen in Idaho every year than in any other State – were bad. The Ranger set me right. He said that for about 100 years, fires had been suppressed and that some of the forests needed to be burnt. The problem is really the burning of the sagebrush, more than of the forests. Other ecosystems have adapted to the fires, but because of the weeds, the sagebrush struggles to recover after fire. Knowledge of wildlife was something I knew would be important for Rangers. But this man showed me that the larger issues around conservation are also important to being good at this job. He told me of the climate in the area and of the forest belt across the north American continent, which caused the extreme heat in summers, and the extreme cold in winter that the area experiences. The Idaho forests are at the edge of the Canadian complete forest-cover belts, and the mountainous terrain adds to this extreme weather pattern. Historically, the Ranger’s knowledge is also good. The decision by President Teddy Roosevelt to protect all the Idaho forests, just before his term of office ended, ensured that the Federally owned areas could benefit from conservation, and not become privatized and so developed or farmed. We spoke about a scenario where the public land became private: the Ranger’s view is that cattle farming would take over and wildlife would be completely displaced off the land, since the cattle would consume the same food as the wildlife. Similarly, as human population grows, the wildlife’s habitat shrinks. He described to me the deer that are forced to come down from the higher areas in harsh seasons. Earlier they would have found their old grazing lands but now they are ranging right into human settlements. He recalled that the area where deer had gone so close to human suburbs, had no houses at all, and just a cattle ranch “just 10 years ago.” One of the most important pieces of advice I got in the interview, for my personal use, is that I should clear my feet of any seeds when I am moving from one area to another while hiking. This prevents the spread of weeds across ecosystems. The Ranger even stops his truck when he travels out of heavily weeded areas, into less weeded areas. Before continuing he clears his truck of seeds. This attitude is taken further. The Rangers plant new shrubs and sagebrush, and monitor these, so that the wildlife has their natural food source available. The threat of weeds and the rapid growth of weeds, mean that the local plants have to be helped to grow. On a larger scale, the advice the ranger gave me, for individuals to become better at conservation was also interesting and valuable. He advised that we should all live close to where we work. This would let us drive less. Then we should also oppose unnecessary development, and become activists for conservation. And he also used a well-know slogan: “reuse; renew; recycle”. I could see that when he said that he experiences hurt when he sees how wildlife is being threatened every day, he was speaking absolute truth. But it is not only the serious, larger conservation questions that keep this Ranger interested. His day is spent planting, making bird boxes, collecting seeds, spawning fish, and even playing with deer. It is when he talks about the variety of activities he has to do that his love for his job is most obvious. He also says that he loves working with people. I was part of a group he was guiding through the park, and to us it was very clear that this man really enjoyed informing, chatting, and walking with us. He likes to share his knowledge, and says that he learns something new from every group he meets. When he left College, he wanted to be a wildlife biologist and work only with the animals and plants. But he soon realized that he would enjoy the interaction with school and tour groups, and his teaching role with such groups. As we slowly got closer to our starting point, the Ranger said that there are aspects of his job that he does not like, though. He says that office work sometimes exposes him to people who do not think about wildlife the way he does. Developers, politicians and others believe that more land should be available in Idaho for human settlement and other development. He also talks about how he is totally against unethical hunting. While he sees the benefit of hunting in conservation, he believes strongly that there are definite rules for the practice. But far more than focusing on the negative, the Ranger gives the sense that he is really positive about educating other people to preserve wildlife. When the Ranger spoke about his 7 years of experience in the park, he inspired me to believe that this is an environment worth preserving. I am able to say that this Ranger is really an example of someone who has found his passion in his work. Reference Interview Transcript Read More