The National Parks: Arguably America's Only Good Idea

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > The National Parks: Arguably America's Only Good Idea

Pinus Porcus: May 14, 2019; Ranger McFriendly

Can we talk about state parks here? My state's park system actually started with our Highway Commission back in the 20s, essentially as beautification projects for the highways. We have old military bases, some of the longest maritime sand dunes, and other cool stuff

Also, national parks rock and Acadia may be one of the most amazing places I have ever seen in my life

# ¿ Jul 18, 2020 07:20

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 04:03

Pinus Porcus: May 14, 2019; Ranger McFriendly

Elmnt80 posted:

I hope so, because I'm gonna talk about my favorite state park! Its an abandoned open air limestone or phosphate quarry that was filled in with rainwater over time. Its kept as a wilderness preserve and all but 2 days a month, you have to walk in from the main road which on its own is about a one mile walk. However on those two days a month they open the main gate to car traffic and you can drive back to the old quarry parking lot dead in the middle.

Its a popular swimming hole on days its open to drive back because the pits are 50+ foot deep and filled with clean cool water year round. Its also stocked with a number of fish by florida fish and wildlife and is a very interesting fishing spot. You do need to be careful for the occasional water moccasin cruising around though.

That sounds awesome! Does the walk help to deter some of the crowds the rest of the time? A lot of our state parks are super crowded constantly which is great in that people love them, but can be frustrating to go recreate.

My favorite state park is the one I currently work at. We are located along some maritime sand dunes and we have 2 dunal lakes to swim in. One of them is so deep, the bottom is like 40ft below sea level. We also have original structures built by the CCC in the 30s, which is super cool.

# ¿ Jul 18, 2020 15:23

Pinus Porcus: May 14, 2019; Ranger McFriendly

Acebuckeye13 posted:

Yeah, my story is somewhat similar. I grew up in Michigan with extended family around Philadelphia, so outside of various historical sites and a trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes as a kid I never traveled to any National Parks. It wasn't until I got a job at the park I'm at now that I actually visited any of the parks out west, and since then I've been trying to make up for lost time. Or at least, I was until COVID shut everything down

Man, I grew up in the PNW, explored tons of state and national parks in western States, and was honestly sooooo excited when I moved back east and could visit places with a more historical bent. It was a refreshing change for a few years.

And, I really enjoyed Sleeping Bear when I was there years ago, crazy to see that ecosystem on a freaking lake!

# ¿ Jul 19, 2020 06:01

Pinus Porcus: May 14, 2019; Ranger McFriendly

Acebuckeye13 posted:

I'm an interp ranger myself, and honestly it varies. My own background is that I got a degree in history and political science, went to grad school for museum stuff, and then did some SCA internships (Environmental education with USFWS and then worked on a website for NPS at a battlefield park, which considering I have no programming/website experience was... a time) before my application was picked up by my current park two seasons ago (Which was funny because I applied here completely on a whim and never thought I'd actually get hired here ).

From what I've seen, my general advice would be:

-Get experience. Volunteer positions and internships (Student Conservation Association especially, as well as other similar orgs) are a great way to get your foot in the door, meet mentors and other folks who can help you out, and generally figure out just what about the organization actually appeals to you. You may very well find out that while the idea of working in a big-ticket national park appeals to you, having to drive an hour and a half for groceries or to see a movie and living with extremely spotty internet access gets old quick—or you may find out you don't mind, and it's totally worth it! But there's no way to know until you're actually out Doing Things.

-Apply everywhere. A big part of living the seasonal NPS life (Which is where you're most likely to start as an interp ranger) is you've got to be willing to move where the jobs are. Of course, it's not all bad—both the SCA internships I did provided housing, as well as living and travel stipends, so you probably won't starve to death starting out, and you may get to go some neat places. But moving across the country every six months isn't exactly uncommon in the park service, and whether that's something you're willing to do should be in the back of your mind.

-Apply everywhere. Even if you don't think you're likely to get the job, it can't hurt. Set up USA Jobs searches and spend at least some time every week applying to different parks, or hopping on the SCA site and looking at available internships. It's honestly not hard to apply to a bunch of positions at once, and you never know which park might end up calling back (four months after you applied, naturally—be prepared for that, too). And even if you don't get the job, even getting an interview can give you some good experience or give hints as to what the people doing hiring are really looking for.

-Apply to different jobs. Getting into the park service can be difficult, and you may not get an ideal park or position your first season. Fees especially is an extremely unglamorous job—but it's a hell of a lot easier to get into than interp, and can get some experience on your resume you can use to apply for the jobs you really want further on down the road. You may also find different opportunities based on what park you're at—for some special events our park has tried to include folks from every division in the past, giving/writing their own programs and participating in event performances. Doesn't exactly happen often, but it is something to consider.

On the whole, perseverance and self-improvement are key. It can be difficult to get into the service, and there's a lot of parks and positions that are... not fun (Or well paid) (or permanent). But if you get lucky, you can end up in a really cool place doing really cool things, and you end up with a day you get to see five (Five!) California Condors flying overhead, and there are few other jobs where you can end up with such an awesome sight.

Seconding applying everywhere. Also, play up your skills on an app. Done a task, you're skilled. Taught a person a skill, you're an expert. Let it hash itself out in the interview. If you don't get enough points to get the interview, you'll never get the chance to really sell your ability to learn, passion, etc. If you can twist experience to match their wording, do it (never done 'interp' but was a camp counselor teaching history/outdoor skills? Close enough, call it interp). It may feel mildly dishonest; it's not.

Realize interp is probably the most competitive ranger type; it's what almost everyone wants to do, so definitely be patient and hone interp skills along other skills (customer service, maintenance etc).

# ¿ Jul 21, 2020 05:43

Pinus Porcus: May 14, 2019; Ranger McFriendly

z0331 posted:

My wife have gone to Acadia at least once a year for the past several years. It more or less got us into hiking and camping and is just a beautiful place where I notice new things each time. Last time we saw lots of sheep laurels in bloom and managed to snag some wild blueberries that had ripened early.

Doing a multiday trip in Glacier is something of a bucket list item for me.

Speaking of the troubled legacy of the parks, funny enough that I read this thread the same day the Sierra Club finally calls out the man standing next to Roosevelt in the OP as a racist shitbag.

I mean, Roosevelt promoted eugenics...he just got lucky and is remembered for his wilderness preservation strategies by most of society.

Anyway, Acadia is awesome! Have you done any of the non-technical climbs?

# ¿ Jul 22, 2020 17:44

Pinus Porcus: May 14, 2019; Ranger McFriendly

z0331 posted:

Reading about the John Muir thing, it's pretty crazy how insanely racist and terrible people involved in conservation and naturalism were in that era.

By non-technical climbs, do you mean the iron rung trails? We've done most of the big-name ones, including Beehive, Jordan Cliffs, and Precipice. We actually took a trip up in October last year for the Precipice since it's closed for peregrine falcon nesting when we're usually there.

The iron-rung trails are fun and well designed, but can be really crowded, especially the Beehive.

Honestly, I think we've done most of the more well known trails on the eastern side and several on the western. We had planned on trying to snag a campsite at Duck Harbor this year but, you know. One of these days I kind of want to try snowshoeing on the carriage roads.

It can be hard to reconcile it, especially since if you are in certain college/career disciplines, Muir, Roosevelt, even Pinchot get put on a bit of a pedestal. Then you learn more and it's like, 'ah, come on, not you guys too!'

That's exactly what I was talking about! I was there almost a decade ago and did Precipice. That concept (at the time) was pretty unique in the NPS, that's awesome they still have those trails.

You are lucky that you get to keep going back, I Ioved Bar Harbor and Acadia. If I ever cross country move again, it would be to go there.

# ¿ Jul 23, 2020 03:55

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 04:03

Pinus Porcus: May 14, 2019; Ranger McFriendly

otter posted:

my 6 year old gets bored of playing games, however we will be in the first couple of weeks of the new fortnite season so he might be hypnotized. He likes hiking and stuff. My 8 year old just whines a lot when he cant play.
Living in Oregon sorta rules. we have some cool stuff out here. They did both enjoy watching the eclipse in totality (what up Corvallis, Go Beavs!) so they could probably be ployed with chocolate to look up at the sky. It helps that my Explorer has a huge moonroof so they can sit all warm and still see things above.

Prineville reservoir (state park, not national) in Oregon was just declared an International Dark Sky park. I don't know how family friendly the park is, but if the sky is interesting to the kids, might be worth checking out.

# ¿ May 27, 2021 23:42

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > The National Parks: Arguably America's Only Good Idea