California State Park Rangers

California State Park Rangers PDF

Author: Michael G. Lynch

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 9780738559933

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The first park ranger in the world was appointed in California in 1866. Galen Clark was chosen as "Guardian of Yosemite," at what was then Yosemite State Park, and the concept of rangers to protect and administer America's great nature parks was born. The tradition continued in 1872 with the establishment of the first national park at Yellowstone. From the earliest days, park rangers have been romanticized; they are explorers, outdoorsmen, tree lovers, animal protectors, police officers, nature guides, and park administrators. The park ranger has become an American icon, whose revered image has maintained itself to this very day.

A Pathway Through Parks

A Pathway Through Parks PDF

Author: Carl S. Chavez

Publisher: Trafford Publishing

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 1412022738

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"Bodie, the very sound of that name conjures up images of "The Bad Man From Bodie", a rough and tumble life, and the harsh climate of a gold mine boomtown of the early West. But to a young park ranger and his wife, fresh out of college, and with a child on the way, it was an intimidating beginning to a 32-year career with California Department of Parks and Recreation. A PATHWAY THROUGH PARKS follows the career of Ranger Carl S. Chavez and his family as they travel the length and breadth of California from the ghost town of Bodie State Historic Park to the mountains and beaches of Southern California. Each new assignment brings new adventures and challenges as Ranger Chavez promotes up the career ladder to positions on the Central Coast of California, the Sierra Nevada and finally to the redwoods of Northern California at Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Career decisions must be made which result in advancement, "out of the field", and into the Management ranks of Regional and Division Headquarters. Yet even these changes do not alter the opportunity for stories and tales of humor and tragedy, joy and sorrow, adventure and routine, and the success and failure that many readers will recognize in their own lives. Anyone who has retired from the workforce, regardless of occupation, will have memories like those found in A PATHWAY THROUGH PARKS. The author's experiences will give all those who love the Great Outdoors and enjoy our parks and forests a rare, inside glimpse, not only of the inner workings of park operations, but also, of family life living in parks.

A Greatness of Spirit

A Greatness of Spirit PDF

Author: David Van Cleve

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2018-09-13

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 9781727319149

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A compelling chronicle of 14 remarkable men and women rangers in California's Department of Parks and Recreation who deliberately focused their talents as "field" rangers within one state park - making that landscape a special place. They taught thousands of school children and led numerous interpretive programs. They flew airplanes, rafted whitewater rivers, and snowshoed the wilderness in order to make parks safe for visitors. They jumped out of helicopters to help sustain endangered species populations. They wrote books, stories, and poems to help the public understand parks. Some rangers served in groundbreaking roles - within a Department that encouraged them to achieve lofty goals, creating a blueprint for future successes. All 14 heroes accomplished positive change. As self-taught experts on their local region and its natural and cultural history, they achieved miracles while honoring the highest standards of public service - protecting our state parks and serving park visitors. Although it was serious work, they were able to share a little humor and fun along the way.

An Old Ranger’S Memories

An Old Ranger’S Memories PDF

Author: Richard McKillop

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2015-12-04

Total Pages: 81

ISBN-13: 1514425289

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An Old Rangers Memories: Building Montaa de Oro State Park chronicles the adventures had in taking what used to be a working seaside ranch and transforming it into what would become San Luis Obispo Countys most-beloved state park. From Ranger McKillops first visit, through to the first Labor Day weekend in the almost fully developed park, the reader will experience the tasks, challenges, and accomplishments of those early days.

Nature Noir

Nature Noir PDF

Author: Jordan Fisher Smith

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 2006-05-03

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 0547526490

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“A nature book unlike any other…peppered with gritty, anti-romantic, all-too-real tales of cops ’n’ bad guys in the great outdoors.”—The San Diego Union-Tribune Jordan Fisher Smith’s startling account of fourteen years as a park ranger thoroughly dispels our idealized visions of life in the great outdoors. Instead of scout troops and placid birdwatchers, Smith's beat—a stretch of land that has been officially condemned to be flooded—brings him into contact with drug users tweaked out to the point of violence, obsessed miners, and other dangerous creatures. In unflinchingly honest prose, he both portrays the breathtaking natural world around him and reveals the unexpectedly dark underbelly of patrolling and protecting public lands. “Gloriously unlike anything I’ve ever read before…gives entree into a strange, dark, and mesmerizing outdoor world that's absolutely unforgettable.”—The Boston Globe “By turns funny, poignant and surprising…an intimate memoir of the career of a state-park ranger. Not just any ranger, but one with a wicked pen, patrolling a doomed landscape.”—Seattle Times/Post-Intelligencer “Compelling…refreshingly unsentimental.”—Barry Lopez, author of Arctic Dreams “Smith offers a fresh perspective on our threatened environment…Nature Noir reflects the spirit of an era as did Desert Solitaire.”—Charlotte Observer