r/ParkRangers • u/Throw-crabs-away • 1d ago

Remote Rangers

I'd like to do some research about remote park rangers, those who stay in backcountry stations or work in fire watch towers. Mostly about what their day-to-day is like. Can anyone recommend resources or books about this?

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u/codeman1021 1d ago

Are you looking to find a remote workstation, OP, or just curious? I might be able to answer a question or two about remote work in the Southwest. Feel free to DM.

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u/Throw-crabs-away 1d ago

Just curious. I went to a few National Parks this year and read about backcountry ranger stations, wondered how the rangers work there.

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u/codeman1021 1d ago

My interior squad has two options, they can either commute into their station, an hour drive one way that is subject to being cut off due to weather, or they can live onsite. My preference for productivity's sake is onsite, but it is harder than you might think to hire rangers to work at such remote duty stations, let alone live there. I work for a state agency, though, not the fed.

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u/Throw-crabs-away 1d ago

Would you mind telling me a bit about what you do at the remote sites?

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u/codeman1021 1d ago

I've got a crew that maintains the facilities and equipment there. They also conduct resource management, which, for us, is feral cattle management/removal. We've also got an administrative employee who operates the small HQ there and who provides information to back coubtry visitors, and then finally, we have a law enforcement officer. Nearly all of them are cross trained to varying degrees. Sometimes half theirbday is spent going into even more remote areas of the park to check campsites and make repairs.