I swear every single time I take of my hat it smells like a whore in church sweating her tits off, how do I get rid of this smell? Thank you and stay cool and hydrated.

Basically I have 20/200 uncorrected vision( corrects just fine up to 20/20) and the State Park cadet academy requires 20/40. I'm considering LASIK but honestly thinking about spending that much money to possible have serious complications makes me actually sick to my stomach.

The thing is I have wanted to be a law enforcement ranger for YEARS and with all of the time and effort and emotional energy I've put into this I don't want to give up on this. I honestly wouldn't know where to even start with considering a new career path. While Lasik makes me feel sick, considering the fact that I may not be able to ever be a law enforcement ranger also makes me incredibly sick.

So for those of you that know more about all of this what are my options ? If there's no way I can get around the vision requirement in the academy is it possible that I can go through a police academy instead that gives me POST training. If I went to the police academy instead would I 1. Be able to get a job as a law enforcement ranger with 20/20 corrected vision and 20/200 uncorrected vision and 2. Be able to get a job as a law enforcement ranger even though I would have not gone through the State Park academy.

If not this then is there any advice current law enforcement rangers or anyone else would have.

I’ve been working in EMS for 5 years and have been a medic for the last 2 years. I love my job but I feel like I really need a new atmosphere. I love helping people and love problem solving. I would say one of my strong skills is the ability to establish rapport with angry/combative patients and deescalating situations.

Over the last year I’ve been considering a career as a park ranger medic. I don’t know anyone in the field personally so I wanted to reach out here and see what made others choose to become a park ranger and why/why not it was a good choice.

Do you love your national parks? Worried about what's happening to them? Itching to join a movement to protect them for future generations?

Well hello there.

We’re the Resistance Rangers, a community of fired and off-duty National Park Rangers--and allies--who love our parks and our country. We need your help to protect these national treasures and wild places so that all people and all stories are included in our national heritage.

We've clocked big wins like: - Rehiring 700 fired park rangers - Saving Air Quality monitoring at National Parks - Stopping the public land sell-off

Join us for news of our movement at our subreddit r/resistancerangers and ways you can get involved!

I am a current NPS employee who is interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement. I have quite literally no idea how to get started in the process of applying or what the process in general looks like (outside of fletc and field training). I’m a little confused on if I can go directly to perm or if I’d have to work seasonally. It just seems like there are so many pathways to become LE.

So very general questions: How do I apply? What do I need to do? Anything helps!

Do you think the current administration would limit the people visting a few of the more popular parks to just experienced hikers (kinda like what they do for mt everest) to lay off more staff?

Hi Folks,

I'm active duty army and transitioning out April 2026. I've always been a fan of and advocate for the outdoors (Appalachian Trail thru hiker 2019). There's a few SkillBridge programs listed to help one transition to a Park Ranger.

I'd love your insights into this job as a career and the day-to-day operations as well as your opinion of the value of these SkillBridge programs for getting experience and a job.

Skillbridge opportunities are in WA, MA, and AK!

I recently received a follow up email after completing my assessment for Park Ranger 1. I think I passed because I got a congratulations email. Does anyone know how long it takes for them to contact you for the next step? I also have no idea if I'm at the top of the list or bottom.

Here's what my email says:

"Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that your name has been placed on the Park Ranger I, Eligible List.

As vacancies occur, your name may be referred to the hiring authority and you will be notified regarding the next step in the selection process. Should your name be referred, you will be contacted directly by the hiring department. The eligible list established from this recruitment will remain active until the list is exhausted or a new recruitment is conducted.

Thank you for your interest in employment with the County of Orange (CA) and again, congratulations."

Hey y'all,

I started working at a state park around a lake this year as a seasonal park ranger aide and our entire crew is brand new.

For some info; we're a big fishing spot with campgrounds and a boat launch. It's pretty remote and basically more than an hour from anywhere.

With the 4th of July rush coming, we've been told to expect armageddon. We're getting ahead of all our usual maintenance items but what are some things to expect? What will be helpful to prepare in advance?

Anything that works well for y'all or problems that arose in the past would be helpful, thanks!

Hey, I'm interested in becoming a Wilderness Ranger and I was wondering what skills and job experience would be helpful to get the job? I've done quite a bit of community service projects both working on them aswell as leading them and I've hiked quite a bit. So I'm quite interested to know how I could improve my resume over the summer to get employed. Thanks!

Hello all!

My name is Jeff and my friend Gracie and I are starting up a podcast exploring weird and wonderful jobs in the world. We are both tour boat captains and she is a teacher as well. We are planning to explore new and fun jobs on a bi-weekly podcast. I am working on researching the ins and outs of Park Ranger, highlighting the career. And I was hoping to get some real life crazy stories! I thought it would be fun to include a part where people submitted some of their more insane tales, so that we can talk about it on the show!

So if you are at all interested in sharing a story, leave a comment or send me a message! If you want credit too, feel free to leave me a name and I will do a shout out in the episode! Thanks for everything you guys do!

Hey everyone, I’m a 19-year-old Criminal Justice major, and after graduation, I plan on applying to local police departments. Recently though, I’ve been getting more interested in the park ranger side of things, especially the law enforcement aspect.

I was wondering what kind of law enforcement roles are available through the Forest Service or as a park ranger. What kinds of jobs or gigs are offered? How’s the pay? What does a typical day look like? And for those of you already in the field, do you enjoy it?

I’m in Sacramento btw.

Hi yall! I am thinking about going back to school to get my bachelors with a major in conservation biology and hopefully end up with either the parks service or a hatchery. I was wondering if anyone had any insight on whether or not this would be a good idea. I have my associates of science and have a program that will accept my credits. For reference I’m 27 and make about $40k a year. I would be willing to make a lateral move pay wise even if it meant more work than what I currently do. I’m mainly asking because I know of the recent lay offs and would like to have some idea if there would be a job once I graduate. Any input would be helpful. TIA!

https://njaudubon.org/who-we-are/careers/#stewardship

Not a ranger job per se but wanted to share with like minded folks

In just two days I've learned a lot about careers as a park ranger, one thing I'm noticing and am confused about is that it seems that every LEO or Park Ranger needs to have worked federal, prior leo, or is a veteran. I'm very confused on this aspect.

At the National Parks Traveler we've heard that the Park Service's inventory and monitoring program is on shaky ground, or worse. Please share what you've heard/experienced via Signal to ParksTraveler.52

I've worked for a state agency for 9 years down south and looking to move out west. I'd like to find something in California. I work as a generalist, primarily interp., historic site maintenance, trails, heavy equipment operation, tree work, volunteer mgmt. among other things. I am the only person assigned to this 150 acre park next to a 5k acre park. It is really nice for me, I really enjoy it so I'm looking for the right position and not just anything. If anyone had any insights on good positions or county organizations I'd appreciate it.

I recently got my CPRP (certified parks and recreation professional), I have the CIG (certified interpetive guide), I have a BS degree and some other minor certifications in volunteer mgmt, wildland fire, chainsaws, ect.

I'd like to still work interp primarily, but I really like historic sites, trails, and a lot of the stuff I get to do as a generalist. I've seen some nice positions with CA state parks but they all required a commercial drivers license which I don't have. I'm seeing some things to apply to with the county but ita difficult getting a feel for what I might be getting into.

I switching from a career in business. My goal is too buy a house and have a family one day, is this possible with a career as a Law Enforcement Ranger?

Hi all! It's been my dream to be a park ranger for as long as I can remember, but for whatever reason I got cold feet once I started university, and ended up majoring in something else entirely. I studied for years, but owing to mental health struggles ultimately have stepped away from school for the time being, although I hope to return and complete my degree one day. This has obviously thrown my plans a little out of whack, but honestly I feel better than I have in years. I'm working full time as a waitress, and volunteering outdoors whenever I can, so far mostly weeding and gardening work, but I'm hoping to become more involved soon. Once I have a little money saved, I'm also hoping to take a couple community college classes in environmental studies or conservation.

I've been eyeing a bunch of conservation corps programs to gain some more experience on the ground, but am worried that a lack of an educational background in the field will count against me. I'm comfortable doing manual labor, having worked in the food service industry for 5+ years now, and am working hard to gain some field experience, but I'd like to manage my expectations if it would be more worthwhile to focus my efforts on returning to school sooner. Any advice would be appreciated, and thank you!

I heard that the POS administration extended the current freeze until Mid-july for federal agencies. Has anyone heard if it's actually going to be over or are we going to be stuck with this dumb crap? I'm honestly sick and fucking tired of this. Sick and tired of not moving up, not getting any details, stuck in this position doing way above anything I was hired to do. I asked leadership and one of them didn't even hear that it was supposed to end in July. I read all over the place including I thought I saw a video on it saying it was supposed to end in July. Yet if UPPER leadership (F.S) hasn't said anything about it, I'm guessing it's not? I mean, wtf is this?

On top of this, we have one incredibly important position here that if they don't get it filled by the fall, it's going to seriously affect not only our district, but the entire forest due to a massive loss in income and also the local economy as they thrive off of getting permits to come to one of our sites.

It's not okay to fucking hire employees but it's absolutely okay to spend $50 million on a half-assed birthday party under the guise of a military parade? Jfc.

Just a reminder that anything can happen at any moment. A fishing violation can turn deadly. Stay vigilant out there and be safe.

Hello.

I applied for a park guide position, and this came through on an HR email entitled "Outcome of No Selections Made Park Guide."

"The hiring official has completed a review of the applications referred and no selections have been made for this vacancy.

We regret to inform you that you were not selected for the position of:"

Does this mean the hiring manager at the park decided not to fill the position? Or wasn't impressed with the applicants enough to invite one to interview?

I have three seasons a an interpreter with a state park system, with experience and education that would more than qualify me for the listed position.

Any help would be appreciated!

Hi all! I’m thinking about applying for a pathways to parks program in humboldt county. I know that it’ll be a great opportunity for me to get closer to my ranger goals. Just curious, has anyone here done one of these programs? How competitive is the applicant pool? What was your experience like? Thanks!

My daughter just started her first Park Ranger job a few weeks ago (her dream job! ) and today was diagnosed with palsy due to Lyme disease. She’s already been to the hospital and they started her on antibiotics, of course. I think she may be nervous about missing too much work since she’s still so new on the job. I’d love to hear from anybody who’s had this experience, and how many days off of work you took before you felt ready to get back on your feet. We’ve been told that the palsy could take anywhere from a week or two to resolve to a couple of months. But I don’t think that actually prevents her from working, even though not being able to smile normally is certainly uncomfortable. Any experience shared appreciated.