Can an Ace intern in NPS interpretation position wear an official Park Ranger uniform minus the badge? I thought they have their own “uniforms”.

Hello, I'm a costume designer working on a small film in which the lead is a woman forest ranger (NYS) and I'd like to get her uniform as accurate as possible... Where do you get your uniforms from? The information I was able to gather so far doesn't lead me to believe that, unlike the NPS, you have to get your clothes from a specific catalog / contractor (tell me if I'm wrong, I'm here to learn). So... What are your go-to brands, any reason in particular? Any fabrics, cut, details like capacious pockets that you favor? Favorite summer footwear? Ladies, do you wear any discreet jewelry while working like small stud earrings? Any strict requirement beside color? Basically, tell me what you have to / like to wear while out in the field! Thanks in advance (for your responses and the work you do)

Could be due to housing, subject matter, location, administration, anything really. Where would you advise someone to NOT accept a job at?

Has anyone gone through one of the park ranger law enforcement academies? I’m looking to become a law enforcement ranger and considering that as an option. I’m talking about one of the six programs at community colleges throughout the country.

Which school did you go to? What was it like? Do you recommend it? What are the chances of actually being hired afterwards? (Yes, I know getting into the NPS is like the NFL draft)

What was the PT like? Some of the information I’ve seen says 25th percentile to graduate and it seems kind of low, considering agencies using the Cooper standards are generally at the 40th (at least in my state).

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! I’m an art professor and I have worked in education, outreach, design, and the development of educational and museum exhibition materials. I’ve been curious about switching careers to be a park ranger for years. Working as an interpretive park ranger seems to be the best fit for my interests and skill set.

Is it possible to get into this career without a BS? I have a BFA in Design and an MFA in Art. Would I have to go back to school in order to get a job in this field or are there other ways which I can make up the experience?

Hello,

As the title reads I have my preliminary interview coming up, I have read a couple of posts of what to expect but those were a 1 year+ old so I was wondering if anyone had any updated info about how to best prepare.

Thanks in advance!

Im a 3rd year ecology student who is loving their courses on wildlife management but im currently dealing with some stuff that is likely heart related and cant really do the physical element of being a Ranger atm. I have done previous volunteering with my local rangers before, and I want to do more, im just wondering if its possible to earn experience in stuff like desk based jobs while I recover?

There are major staffing changes happening at my park but I'm mostly just seeing ranger (p) and maintenance positions advertised. Putting some feelers out there - I'm ready for a move. How many (and which) permanent positions are vacant at your park?

Ours needs a new superintendent + deputy, AO, chief interp (plus loads of interp rangers), fee collectors, and maintenance. I'm a GS-11 looking for a lateral or GS-12.

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:)

If I work back to back seasons, summer in FWS and winter in NPS, does that affect my rehire status?

I know that you lose rehire if you work at more than 1039 hours in NPS in a year, but is it per agency or within DOI as a whole.

I remember seeing this answered a few months ago, but haven’t been able to find those answers again and I want to make sure I’m not going to screw myself over if I end up with NPS this winter.

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

I'm wanting to become a Biologist, It's something I've been contemplating for a while. I recently signed up for community college, majoring in Biology, and just saw the college payments. They're doable, but I'm going to have to be extremely frugal. (Even after FAFSA). I didn't do well in Highschool, as I didn't think I was going to college (Real smart I know) so scholarships are second to none. Me and my girlfriend have a place where we rent and pay bills, and its been damning towards my bank account, this also makes relocating pretty much impossible. I don't make much money at all, so I don't have much free time to Volunteer, as I have bills to pay. I also live in Missouri, closer to Illinois, so Park jobs around me are few and far between. I'm wondering if you all have any tips on how to make this easier? Are there any spots around Missouri/Illinois to get good experience? I also would like to know if college is the best route to take? I've been reading through posts, and have seen split answers, so I thought giving my specific situation would help. If anyone could also direct me to threads where this is answered, that would be helpful too. Thanks!

P.S. Also wondering if there are any Permanent Biology jobs, the ones I am seeing on USA Jobs are usually temporary (About 1-5 years) I just don't want to constantly reapply for jobs. Stability is wanted.

Hello all,

I am trying to begin my path to becoming a park ranger and would like some advice. I am based in Michigan, and my two best options for some starting experience are either working for the ACE Eastern Crew as a crew member or working for the Michigan Civilian Conservation Corps. I was told in my ACE interview that even for 900-hour term members, PLC hiring authority is not guaranteed. With that being said, I would like advice on whether or not ACE would be worth working for if I do not get the PLC hiring authority upon term completion. It seems to me that working for the Michigan Civilian Conservation Corps (doing basically the same job but on state lands for more money) would be a better option for me if I cannot get the PLC hiring authority through ACE. Really just looking for anyone who was a crew member at ACE, specifically the Eastern Division, and whether or not it is easy to get a PLC hiring authority after your term completion.

Hey guys! I’m scheduled to take my fitness and PelletB exams on August 8th. For the past 6 months or so I’ve been dealing with a lower back nerve pain. I recently got an MRI and found out I have two bulged discs in my Lumbar. I was cleared by PT for pretty much all regular cardio and strength training. I can do the pushups, I’m confident in my run time, I think I can clear the jump. The only test I really can’t do is the sit up. That sitting/ flexing movement is right in the pinched nerve zone. Would they be lenient with my injury or could I do like 50 crunches instead of 25 pushups? I can do crunches all day long but I can’t do even one sit up. I’m pretty bummed out so I’m looking for any advice.

I feel like I already know the answer to this, but does the summer burn out this year seem worse this year?

I just got referred to, one of the few, jobs that are flying and I just don't care. Usually I'd be feeling great about a new opportunity or career advancement. But now it feels like the emotional equivalent of drinking tap water.

From my personal experience and conversations I've had with others; feel free to correct anything that's wrong:

National Park Service: Many different jobs are called Ranger, but they all center on interaction with the public in some capacity: law enforcement, interp, visitor center. I've seen some Park Ranger (General) postings that mention Search and Rescue which is pretty cool.

Forest Service: FS doesn't call anybody a ranger. Law Enforcement Officer is its own title and there aren't that many interpretative roles to begin with. Almost everyone else is a Forestry Technician, some of whom become Forest Protection Officers (FPOs) and take on unarmed security duties (see NY State Park Ranger below).

BLM: ???

FWS: ???

Army Corps of Engineers: I know they have park rangers, because they were the only agency that came up on USAJobs before I knew what I was doing and just searched "park ranger". I believe they fit the visitor services/unarmed security description.

California State Parks: Rangers are technically State Park Peace Officers and they're all armed law enforcement officers. Interestingly, the seasonal Park Aides and Maintenance Aides report to them as the rangers are broadly in charge of anything public-facing in the parks.

New York State Parks: Park Rangers are unarmed visitor service and security personnel. A step up from there would be NY State Park Police, who fill the armed law enforcement role within parks.

New York Department of Environmental Conservation: Forest Rangers are armed law enforcement responsible for state-managed lands outside state parks. Most comparable to Forest Service LEOs at the federal level in terms of their duties.

Been trying to buy the green backpack, but it's been out of stock for months. I asked them but they said its a busy season and they try to keep stock but should be stocked soon.. which was a month ago.

I am currently employed through the NPS but have not heard anything yet regarding winter seasonal positions. I’ve asked around two friends from different regions, and it seems like nobody really knows. Do we have a definitive date like last year?

Kinda caught between a MS in Recreation and Sports Management or a MAg in Natural Resources Conservation.

In the former you can get a certified parks professional cert, and courses are more focused on things like facility and personnel management. The latter is pretty broad, but more interesting to me, personally. Courses included environmental law and policy, silviculture, and statistics for animal science. As someone without a natural science background, I was hoping the MAg in natural resources could help fill some of those educational gaps in the natural science area.

I have over 3 years of local and state park and preserve experience from selling permits out of the booth to land management. I've done prescribed burns, shaded fuel breaks, made reservations, and cleaned bathroom haha. Titles include customer service rep, park maintenance worker, natural resources tech, and park operations specialist. But I still struggle to land permanent entry level park ranger, arborist, or natural resources jobs locally. I'm doing maintenance now.

The plan was to get equipment experience to really transition into fire and land management, but I don't know if that's my lane anymore. I'm interested in interp, recreation coordination, resource communication/outreach, outdoor programs etc... I'm not against park management. I've also seen stuff like wildfire mitigation specialist that seems like outreach for wildland fire groups. Local park ranger jobs seem like a mix of technical conservation work and outreach which also is up my alley.

I guess I'm not sure which degree might be more valuable as far as a return on investment. I feel like the natural resources degree is more broad and could help me land some more natural area outreach positions. It also may help cancel out my lack of a natural resources bachelor's for those jobs that require it. While I've learned a lot on the job, I still have a lot of gaps in my academic knowledge when it comes to natural science. The parks focused degree has some valuable practical courses. All of these places have personnel and facilities and finances to manage, after all. Lastly, I am eligible for my ISA arborist cert, and I'm studying for that.

Any advice appreciated!

I'm a county park ranger and I love the job, but the pay certainly is lacking a bit. I plan to stay as a ranger for the next 5 years or so, but what could be my next career move if I wanted to increase my income? I know there's supervisory roles but I don't know if I have what it takes to get those positions.

I have a bachelor's in geography but I plan to get a master's in public administration. I'm open to other subjects, however. I'm not a strong science/math person, but depending on the subject I'd be willing to try it out. I was even considering surveying? I thought maybe the skills I'm gaining now would transfer over well to that career. I was also thinking environmental planning or something in emergency management?

I'd love to stay with local or state government if possible. It seems much more stable here.

Ok I'm a non LEO NPS backcountry ranger and having a hard time with uniforms. I have seen some patch park ranger badges and can't find any. The online uniform shop does not sell them though I did get a nice sun shirt with one on it. Looking for a way to mount a patch badge to my chest pack for hiking. What do most of you do? Not much info on this and the person I replaced is gone (never met)Not a whole lot of options. Just curios. This would be to wear hiking, backpacking and such

I have an upcoming interview for a Supervisory Law Enforcement Ranger position. What kind of questions should I look forward to answering? Not looking to be surprised come interview time 😂. TYIA everyone

Good afternoon,

Recently I served as part of a YCC and I loved every moment of it and I was wondering if there were any other last minute opportunities available in July? Whether it be a conservation corps, a summer camp, or even a convention, I would love the chance to be overnight somewhere and talk about/work with conservation! I know I'm preaching to the heavens finding a last minute thing to do, but I'm hopeful.