National Park Talk: Interview with Park Ranger Kevin Bacher

On today’s episode of National Park Talk, we talk with Kevin Bacher, park ranger and volunteer program manager at Mount Rainier National Park.  Kevin tells us about how he came to love national parks, where he's worked for the park system, why it’s important to protect parks, and where they might be going in the future.  To listen to the interview, please click here.

Enjoy!

To learn more about how you can volunteer at Mount Rainier National Park please click here.  To find volunteer opportunities at other national parks, please visit here.

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Sean Smith is an award winning conservationist and author. He is a former National Park Ranger at Yellowstone, Glacier, and the North Cascades. He is a TEDx speaker, and private pilot. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1989 with a degree in Political Science. He got his master's in Natural Resources Management from Central Washington University in 1996. He currently runs Washington State's efforts to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem of Covington Washington.
He has been writing stories and books since he was a child and currently writes national park thrillers from the shadow of Mount Rainier.

All his novels can be found here: Mr. Sean D Smith

Books Read in 2018

It was another year spent reading a wide variety of books.  The books read span non-fiction history to political thrillers.  Once again, there were several thousand pages read, most on recent current events, but also hundreds of pages on the scientific evidence for how life started on earth and where life might exist in the Universe.  Also, a few hundreds pages spent on bubblegum political thrillers and adventure.  

Most memorable of the bunch is likely Shelby Foote's Civil War narrative Vol. 1.  It is the first volume of a three part history of the American Civil War.  Starting prior to the south's secession and concluding near the end of 1862, this first volume weaves an engaging story of the major events and players of America's bloodiest conflict.  Written in 1958, the narrative is told primarily however, from the south's point of view and paints a largely favorable view of the Southern cause.  Much additional scholarship has been done since this book was written providing a more balanced view of the war's main cause and a more complete sketch of its main actors.

Origin
Undeniable
Life in the Universe
Influence
Fire and Fury
Russian Roulette
Higher Loyalty 
The President is Missing
The Civil War: A Narrative Vol. 1 : Fort Sumter to Perryville
Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone

What was your favorite read of 2018?  Let us know in the comment section.


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Sean Smith is an award winning conservationist and author. He is a former National Park Ranger at Yellowstone, Glacier, and the North Cascades. He is a TEDx speaker, and private pilot. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1989 with a degree in Political Science. He got his master's in Natural Resources Management from Central Washington University in 1996. He currently runs Washington State's efforts to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem of Covington.

He has been writing stories and books since he was a child and currently writes national park thrillers from the shadow of Mount Rainier.

All his novels can be found here: Mr. Sean D Smith