Disregarding the tongue-in-cheek podcast title, three Grand Canyon Rangers sit down for a fun roundtable discussion about park ranger work, lifestyles, and stereotypes. There are many perspectives on park ranger life, this episode explores the experience of three individuals. What are some mystiques, myths, and misconceptions about your profession?

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TRANSCRIPT:

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Soft guitar and singing:

Momma’s don’t let your babies grow up to be rangers Don’t let them hike trails and camp where there’s dangers Let ‘em be friendly and be kind to strangers

Mammas don’t let your babies grow up to be Rangers ‘Cause they’ll never stay home, and they’ll always roam Somewhere its pretty and nice

Doug: what are the common myths and images that people have in their mind when you mention that you work for the National Park Service as a ranger? They definitely think I live in a log cabin in the woods.

Jesse: We DO live in a log cabin in the woods.

Ceili: That’s true! Chuckles ...

Ranger Doug: Are there really bears down at the bottom of the Grand Canyon? Do you need a forestry degree to become a park ranger? And, do Grand Canyon rangers really live, rent-free, in historic cabins in the woods? Hello folks. I am ranger Doug, from the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. During the height of the COVID pandemic, North Rim rangers started producing podcasts. And this was a safe way of connecting with park visitors without having face-to-face contact. In the fall of 2020, I sat down with a couple co-workers. We recorded a conversation about what it means to be a park ranger at Grand Canyon National Park looking at the ranger lifestyles, job hiring, stereotypes and more. Recently I dug out that old recording and decided to polish it into a finished podcast. You may hear muffled voices as some of us were wearing protective facemasks. Today’s podcast title is: Momma Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Rangers This title is obviously a tongue-in-cheek spoof, kinda a take-off, of that old country Western song, sung by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. We all love being Grand Canyon park rangers. In the podcast, we will, however, take a close look at some common myths and mystiques and misconceptions about rangering at Grand Canyon National Park. I also invited my ranger friends Shiri, Dave, and Hannah to join me in singing a fun, parody, ending song, of the same title. So, sit back and please enjoy the podcast.

Jeffery: How would you describe your line of work? A stay at home parent? A business executive? A park ranger at Grand Canyon National Park? Whatever your profession, it’s likely there’s a few misconceptions about it. Hi, I’m Jeffrey a park ranger at Grand Canyon National Park and you’re listening to Behind the Scenery podcast. Have you ever dreamed of leaving your city job and urban life to move somewhere pretty? What’s it really like to live and work at a National Park like the Grand Canyon? Recently, three of my park ranger co-workers sat down to discuss this subject and more. One ranger even called in from the very bottom of the Grand Canyon, from the Phantom Ranch Ranger Station, to join the conversation. I will let them introduce themselves.

Doug: My name is ranger Doug.

Jesse: I’m Jesse.

Ceili: I’m Ceili.

Doug: And we’re here today to look at Park Ranger Mystiques, Myths and Misconceptions. The first question I have for you guys: When you go to a backyard BBQ and you happen to mention you’re a park ranger at Grand Canyon National Park, what are the common myths and images that people have in their mind when you mention that you work for the National Park Service as a ranger? For me, you know, I think people have the image that I sit in a fire lookout all day long, and I get to write the great American novel and watch sunsets for free. I think they think that I drive around in a pickup truck all day long and I get to count elk off in the woods. And they definitely think that I live in a log cabin in the woods. What are some of the reactions you get from folks?

Jesse: We DO live in a log cabin in the woods so that’s accurate.

Ceili: That’s true! Um, I well if people have some kind of image about what it is I do, it’s usually like they’re usually unsure about it and they usually ask “so do you just hike around?” I think a lot of people assume that you’re, I’m hiking around inspecting, or like enforcing rules. I would say though, most people look at me kind of blankly and don’t even ask questions. Like they’re not even they have no idea and don’t even try to figure it out. Those are the kind of, there are different kinds of backyard BBQs the ones I am picturing people have no concept of what’s happening at the Grand Canyon at all. And I will say they always, they always talk about the uniform is what they talk about even if they have no idea what I do and don’t even ask questions or pretend to know what I do. They do know what they think I should be wearing.

Jesse: People really are into the flat hat, which is my least favorite uniform item, but lots of folks seem to love it.

Ceili: I have to explain that I actually don’t wear that very much.

(Chuckle)

Jesse: Try to avoid it as much as possible.

Doug: And I’m just the opposite. I love wearing my ranger hat and wear it to work every day even if I have no public contacts. But another thing I see very commonly, if I’m chatting with somebody in the grocery line at the grocery store, and I mention I’m a park ranger. Then they instantly they start telling me their bear encounters. “Oh I …”

Ceili: I have experienced that, actually.

Doug: Yes, and its either they’re telling you their bear stories, their deer stories, or camping stories.

Jesse: That’s nice. I like hearing those kinds of stories.

Ceili: Yea, I had a couple times that people just dive into their bear encounters. And then at the end they ask “are there bears at the Grand Canyon?” I’m like “No, not really.”

(chuckles)

Doug: Well, so, what are some of the stereotypical profiles of a park ranger that you think the general public has in their minds? What comes to mind?

Jesse: I mean, I, I, think like a bearded male.

Ceili: Like you, Jesse!

Jesse: Yea, I am the stereotype.

Doug: But it has to be a “John Muir” beard. It has to be a long beard and you have to live in the woods and you have to be a rugged individualist, and you have to work by yourself. I think those are some of the stereotypes the public often has.

Ceili: Yea, I think your list Doug, that you put out recently, was pretty spot on as far as stereotypical image.

Doug: Yea, no office work, we’re outside working by ourselves, all day long, we’re also all knowing. We know every single plant and animal. The Latin names.

Jesse: That part is true.

(laughs!)

Doug: That’s an expectation. But you and you have to have a scientific mind, of course, to be able to memorize all those Latin names of all those flowers.

Ceili: Yea, and actually that reminds me of like going back to what people think when you tell them what you do they often assume you have a biology or an environmental science degree.

Jesse: Yea.

Ceili: Which is not usually true, actually. Or not always true.

Doug: Doesn’t our boss have a music degree?

Jesse: She has a Masters degree in percussion performance. I have a friend who is an interpretive ranger who has an architecture degree. I have a history degree. Like,

Ceili: And then I’m always bummed because I actually have an environmental science degree (laughs) so I am not able to break the stereotype for them.

(More laughs)

Doug: I know but I think the image is that you have to be a botanist, or a biologist, or have a park management degree or something in the natural or cultural resources

Ceili: Yea, they always ask if you have a forestry degree.

Doug: So that brings up a very important stereotype that I think we can do some myth busting right now. What’s the difference between a forest ranger and a park ranger?

Ceili: Well isn’t isn’t the difference like if there’s a national forest, the United States Forest Service, and the National Park Service are different things. So if you work for the Forest Service maybe you’re a forest ranger? If you work for the Park Service you’re a park ranger?

Doug: The US Forest Service manages all the Forests in America. And they are under the Department of Agriculture. And whenever you drive into a National Forest you always see the sign that says: “Land of Many Uses.”

Jesse: Which means, basically like all the cool stuff want to do in a national park but it’s against the rules, you can do in a National Forest.

Doug: So, for example, there are commercial consumptive uses of the resources. You can have timber contracts, you can have mining, you can have grazing, you can hunt in National Forests.

Jesse: You can have fires if there are no fire restrictions, you can dispersed camp.

Doug: Many uses.

Jesse: You can fly your drone.

Doug: But national parks, on the other hand, they’re in a separate department of government, under Department of Interior. The reason I think the US Forest Service is Department Agriculture because the trees are thought to be a consumptive renewable resource. But most of the other land managing agencies in the federal government fall under the Department of Interior, which the National Park Service does. So forest rangers work for the US Forest Service. Park rangers work for the National Park Service under Department of Interior.

Jesse: Yea, I mean it’s all fairly confusing if you’re not like immersed in this world because there’re Forest Service which is Agriculture which is strange. There’s Bureau of Land Management which is similar to Forest Service but also under the Department of Interior. Then th...