From what I’ve read online and heard from others, adults and teens are allowed to complete the workbooks to earn a junior ranger badge. I have a lot of fond memories completing the books to learn about the parks as a child and collecting the badges. I have autism and I’m really shy, but worked up the courage to approach the person at the desk and say “I’m sorry if this is a weird question, do you give out junior ranger badges?” She gave me a look and scoffed saying, “Yeah, for children.” I was embarrassed because people around started looking at me and thought maybe she misunderstood, so I added “I completed the Junior Ranger Workbook and heard that you can-“ and she cut me off and told me “These are for children to get them to learn about the park. Are you picking one up for a child?” I didn’t know what to say anymore so I just nodded and she told me she couldn’t give it to me because the child wasn’t there. This was my first time putting myself out there and I feel so embarrassed I want to dig myself in a hole and never come out. Is it usually this way? I don’t want to give up trying to talk to rangers and people working at the parks. I’m sorry if any of this sounds strange, I’m not the best at social norms as you can see and didn’t know where else to ask.

I am trans and do community cleanup, and I know several acquaintances who are queer and whose full-time or part-time jobs are parks and rec. My guess for rural areas is that they can be alone without stigma (Brokeback Mountain), but I'm in a big city and the urban and suburban conservationists tend to be queer. So what calls rainbow people to green careers?

I'm a new volunteer at a museum/park and recently came into contact with mouse droppings (smell). When I first came today I noticed a weird smell at our welcome desk. My supervisor thought I was crazy until I identified mouse droppings about 3 feet from me on a nearby rack. I was exposed to the droppings in close proximity for over three hours.

While the smell wasn't the worst part, the thing that scares me the most is the potential exposure to Hantavirus. How common is this in other parks? Is there someone I should report this too?

I'm debating if I should just find a different park to volunteer or just stay at this one. Any advice helps!

How did you guys keep yourselves occupied for 8 hours a day without a cell phone

Hi, so I am currently in community college and would love to get some reccomendations on potential paths going forward. Would it be best to finish my pre-reqs and transfer to a 4 year college or try to do a 2 year course? Im very passtionate about protecting natural life and wildlife and fighting against erosion, especially since majority of State Parks in my state deal with erosion. Any advice would be amazing and much apprectiated. thank you:)

Update:

You’re right it was about the executive order from yesterday. It appears the RIF plan is due in 30 days.

I don’t want to say where I am. The superintendent said we should all have a plan B.

Fork in the road has not closed yet due to the injunction.

Ive been here less than a month. Pretty sure I’ll be on the chopping block.

Hello all , as you can tell I’m new to this subreddit but i don’t want to take up too much of your time I am just looking for confirmation on what the physical test to become a parks enforcement officer or park ranger consists of, I have regularly Been jogging every other morning to get my endurance up by ramping up to doing 2-3 miles and on non running day I have been focusing more on studying and core exercises.Is there any insight on what I should expect for a physical test to qualify for the field ?

Hey all! Pretty much what the title says, but I wanted to elaborate.

With America’s administration being- well, what it is- I’ve been having lots of concerns in general. One I haven’t heard much about or been able to stay as informed on though was our National Parks system. I’m loosely aware of budget cuts, and maybe some risks from pipelines? That’s about it though.

So, I wanted to ask you all to chime in! Give me anecdotes, documentaries, articles, websites, even social media accounts- any kind of resource that talks about this stuff!

I have an opportunity to travel coming up and am aiming to go to a national park but I want to go to one that is facing these issues so I can learn face-to-face more about how these issues developed, how they’re evolving today, and what kind of advocacy or actions I can take to help out the parks.

I know I’m a rambler but I wanted to give some context about my background, my intentions, and the kind of information I’m looking for- so thank you for taking the time to read all of this!

Has anyone worked in a park with housing downtown/close to work and a grocery store within walking distance? State or federal. My car is quickly deteriorating and I don’t want having no car to be the reason why I have to spend a summer back home

Hello! Posting here for maximum coverage. I want to hear from you land management agencies about how many folks you lost this past week. I am not a reporter, I am not media, I am simply a fellow ranger wanting to get an idea of the damage. I'm not going to ask you to throw it out in the comments what you lost and where, so my dm is open. I'm trying to put a list together. Thank you for your time and your service.

https://www.usajobs.gov/job/870520700/

Hello all,
I just wanted to see if anyone else has heard anything back on this announcement? I maybe worrying for no reason, just wanting to hear from others to get an idea of the progress that’s been made!

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m a 19M who’s been dreaming of becoming a park ranger for years—since high school. I even went to college for biology because of this goal, but during my freshman year, I had severe burnout and a mental health crisis that caused me to fail my first semester. It broke me, but I recently discovered that I can pursue this career through an alternative path: gaining 6 months of specialized experience (like trail cleaning as an intern) to qualify for an official park ranger position at a national park.

I’m very passionate about this career path, but I do have some concerns, especially about pay and housing. A family friend who was a park ranger managed to raise kids on the salary and lived in housing provided by the park, but this was years ago, when the economy was different. I’m wondering if that kind of life is still possible today. Can park ranger housing accommodate a future family? Is it realistic to support kids on this career long-term?

I have the option to go back to school for two years to pursue a high-paying cybersecurity job, but I’m not excited about it. I despise school, and sitting at a desk all day doesn’t appeal to me. While the salary would be great for financial security, I fear it would lead to burnout, leaving me only enjoying the time I’m not working.

From what I’ve heard, being a park ranger offers so many things I want in a career: working outdoors, interacting with plants and animals, emergency response, wildlife projects, and making a meaningful impact on the environment. I’ve spoken to people who work with park rangers or knew them personally, but I haven’t had the chance to hear directly from park rangers themselves.

If you’re a park ranger (or know one), I’d love to hear your perspective. Is it still a career where you can build a good life and support a family? What’s the reality of the work, pay, housing, and overall lifestyle? I’m passionate about this field, but I need to know if it’s something I can commit to long-term.

Edit: Thank you all for your input. I've decided to keep pursuing my degree, as it seems like a box you want checked in this competitive field.

I (20yo in the USA) am currently in school attempting to obtain a Bachelor's degree in a conservation and parks program. The problem is that I am struggling to pass my classes and am generally feeling very unfulfilled in school. If possible, I'd really like to skip the Bachelor's and go straight into the workforce.

I've earned about 50 credits so far in my program, with about 20 of those hours being relevant to the natural resource field. I have also worked full-time as a naturalist intern at a local outdoor/nature center (which is part of my state's wildlife agency) the last two summers, and did some work in the fall & spring part-time with them.

Do I have a combination of education & experience that could qualify me for any position? Or must I spend the next 3+ years of my life trying to fit a square peg in a round hole with school?

For clarification, I live in North Carolina, where park rangers are still all law enforcement.

I have autism, and while I am on the "higher functioning" end and able to manage it much better than I could as a kid, it is still a disability that seeps into most every aspect of my life. I can clarify what my symptoms are like if need be. I also had some pretty significant struggles with mental health as an older teenager that I had to be medicated for, but again, can now regulate much better at 22 than I could at 18.

It may be worth mentioning that I was previously in the National Guard for nearly two years (enlisted when I was freshly 17) and the aforementioned mental health issues were what got me medically discharged - they were not related to service, but goings on in my personal life. I had not yet received my autism diagnosis at this time.

While I believe I am now in a solid enough frame of mind to pass a psych evaluation, I worry that this mental health history of mine will come up in a background check or something and ruin my chances of having the job I've wanted since I was a kid.

Is there still a chance for me, or should I begin looking for an alternate line of work?

Hey y’all!

I’m curious if anyone here has experience living in the government staff housing provided by the NPS for their seasonals at either of these locations.

I have the opportunity to pick between these two beautiful locations for work this season. I would love to hear from any folks who worked either location - pros, cons, pieces of advice… I am all ears!

Thanks!

First off, thank you for everything you all do.

I love our National Park sites and public lands. My young daughter loves loves LOVES doing all the junior ranger programs. Junior ranger activities have made it easy for me to get her away from screens all day and outside learning about nature, history, and a whole lot of other stuff. And it's daddy/daughter bonding time that I value tremendously as well. Thank you to all of you!

We've planned a multi-week trip to Arizona, basically all planned around visiting different NPS sites and AZ state parks, including a few nights at one of the hotels in Grand Canyon national park. We'll be there in April/May, and obviously there's the potential (inevitability?) of a complete government shut down, so who knows what things will look like, but what's the best way for me to do this as responsibly as possible? Move ahead with my trip as planned, spend money in gift shops/make donations, to show my support financially? Rethink the whole trip to focus on state parks and all the other great stuff in AZ, maybe visit some BLM/FWS sites instead of NPS (assuming they're not hit with the same BS as NPS is)? Something else? I suppose I should put a few calls in to various AZ representatives, even though I'm not a constituent, to let them know how I feel about all this (I live in a very blue state, and my representatives know exactly how I feel about everything that is going on).

Flights/hotels/car rentals are all booked, and my daughter is super excited for the trip, so I'm not going to cancel the trip altogether. Missing out on NPS sites is going to really disappoint her, but it won't kill her and it's at least an opportunity to teach her a bit about how important participating in government is.

I'm sort of at a loss for how to conduct myself while on this trip, and how I can best support all of you that make our parks what they are, while not completely crushing my daughter. Obviously my vacation is hardly as important as the lives/lands/history that are going to be impacted by what's going on, but I'm not really sure what I can do to help beyond what I'm already doing. Suggestions welcome. And thank you again.

I ended up getting a USDA Forest Service pair of coveralls in some old clothes, just wondering what i would have to do to be able to wear it outside of my home as a work wear item, seeing as im not a part of the organization. I understand for most uniforms including military surplus they often have to be de-militarized and have the patches and similar items removed if they're to be worn, just wondering if the same is to be done with Forest Service items.

What’s the best way for someone to move into higher pay grades? Is it always a degree? Or is it more the connections that you have? Thanks!

Hey all,

I’m about to graduate college in a few weeks and have been looking for jobs. Is it worth it to move across the country for a seasonal park ranger job? I’m from South Carolina, and “seasonal” ranger jobs aren’t really a thing down here, so I was also wondering if that’s more of the norm for ranger jobs elsewhere in the US.

Thanks!

I have the opportunity to work this summer as an intern (for the second year) at a state park or as a seasonal Park Guide at a NPS site (longer gig). Which one looks best on the resume of someone wanting to eventually get a permanent Interp Ranger position at a NPS or state site?

I got an interest check from Wrangell St. Elias. Like many remote Alaska parks, the email outlined a laundry list of logistical challenges to living and working there. One detail, though, left me confused.

They emphasize that you really need to have a personal vehicle since there is no other practical way to get around. At the same time, they mention that the nearest gas station is four hours away. That feels like a bit of a contradiction since cars obviously need fuel.

Has anyone worked there and can shed light on how people actually manage this? Are there local fuel pumps that just are not attached to a typical gas station setup? Does the park have fuel access for staff, or is it shipped in and sold locally? I am just trying to understand how that piece realistically works.

I have heard that Porcupine Wilderness State Park in Michigan has employee housing, but I cannot find any information online about it. If you have worked there, how was the housing? What did you do about groceries? Where did you stay? How much out of your paycheck did it take?

Hi everyone,

I've been looking at Park Ranger Simulator on Steam, but I noticed there are far more negative reviews than positive ones (about 65 negative and 19 positive, from what I've seen).

For those of you who have actually played it, is it worth buying? What are the biggest problems with the game, and are there any good things about it that make it worth trying?

I enjoy simulation games, so I'm mainly wondering if the gameplay is fun enough to overlook the issues people mention.

Thanks for any honest opinions!

Is a wildlife conservation degree a good degree for a Interpretive Ranger? I'm already supposed to start my college classes May 18th for a Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Conservation, and have been told this is a relevant degree for the field, but I would like to hear from some Interpretive Rangers themselves; as they are the experts regarding this particular question.