This page celebrates Rangers who have been interviewed by print or broadcast media as well as news or web sites which are of interest, highlight challenges or reflect well on the profession.
10.07.29: Suspicious fire destroys Ox Bow landmark GOSHEN -- The 38-year-old tower was only valued at $6,000 or $7,000, but to many Elkhart County residents, memories at the Ox Bow Park landmark that burned early Wednesday are invaluable.
The four-story observation structure caught fire just after midnight, according to Concord Township Fire Department Deputy Chief Jon Simmons. Simmons said fire crews saw a big red glow in the sky around C.R. 45 along with a lot of smoke. When they got to the observation tower, it was fully engulfed. No injuries were reported Read more..
10.05.31: Budget Axe Aimed At County Park Rangers LINCOLN, CA (CBS 13) - Budget cuts could bring the total number of park rangers to 10, down from 22 just a few years ago.
Local park rangers have already seen a significant reduction in force in recent years, but another crushing budget deficit could bring another round of layoffs to a department that is already stretched thin.
There are only 16 Sacramento County Park Rangers left to protect 23 miles of river banks from Discovery Park to Hazel Avenue, according to officials. At one time there were 22 rangers, but county supervisors may cut the force down to just 10. Read more..
10.02.06: Unlikely alliance: Lichens, algae join forces as lichens Lichens are overlooked and misunderstood. When they do get noticed, they are often mistaken for a pretty moss or a nasty parasite. Lichens are neither. They are one of nature's weirder offerings: fungi and algae living in happy partnerships. They come in gray, brown, orange, purple, yellow, chartreuse or other hues, and can look leafy, lacy, crusty or blobby. "I think they are wonderful," said botanist Susan Libonati, a horticulture teacher at Shasta College in Redding who has a Ph.D in mycology. "They get flexible when wet. They are crispy when dry." Read more..
10.02.06: New park fees not keeping visitors away TAMPA, FL - Last year, as Hillsborough County government struggled with perhaps its worst budget crisis ever, administrators proposed closing the county's regional parks two days a week. It seemed like a reasonable proposal; closing the parks two days would save $2.5 million a year. Turns out, however, that the parks are immensely popular. When word of the closings got out, hikers, birdwatchers, bicyclists and fishermen made a counter proposal: Why not charge fees for what had been a free service? Read more..
UPDATE 10.01.30: Cape saves park rangers, approves furloughs CAPE CORAL, FL. - The Cape Coral City Council on Monday approved a plan to save more than $2 million in its budget for the current year, while sparing several jobs on the chopping block. The original plan called for eliminating the city's park ranger program, including 2 full-time positions and 5 part-time workers; along with outsourcing greens maintenance at a city golf course. But council members' e-mail inboxes filled with pleas to save the programs.. Read more..
10.01.24: Cape's park rangers among possible cuts in cost-saving plan CAPE CORAL, Fla. - Saving taxpayer dollars in the Cape could cost more jobs. Cape Coral's park ranger program would disappear as part of a $3 million cost-saving plan. Two full-time and five contract workers in the ranger program would lose their jobs under the plan; but even those on the chopping block say they're less worried about themselves, and more concerned about keeping up the service in the city's park system. Read more..
10.01.21: Virginia parks increasingly popular RICHMOND, VA (AP) — With more than 7.5 million visitors in 2009, Virginia's state parks set an attendance record last year. The 2009 mark tops the 7.2 million who visited the state's park system in 2008 by 4 percent. Read more..
10.01.21: Injured pelicans wash onto local beaches Speculation has risen against someone that authorities believe is callously snapping pelicans’ wings and then tossing the birds into the water to slowly suffer, starve and die along the shores of North Carolina’s beaches. Reports from several coastal communities—including Wrightsville Beach and Masonboro Island—have been pouring into wildlife hospitals across the state, where they’re tallying the mounting number of immobile pelicans found washed ashore. Read more..
Snakes on the move as weather warms up Park Ranger Institute board member Art Mertz interviewed on WVEC-TV. - "Snakes begin to move around this time of year looking for a mate, bringing them into more frequent contact with humans." Click here!
WVEC-TV Bald Eagle webcam The Center for Conservation Biology is grateful to the many public and private organizations and individuals that have contributed to the conservation of bald eagles in Virginia. Click here!
NC park gets new superintendent The Division of Parks and Recreation said Monday that Bill Meyer will take over the top job at the park in Halifax County. Mr. Meyer has been at the Kerr Lake State Recreation Area since 1987. Read more..
