Top Park Ranger Honored

The National Park Service announced the recipient of its top ranger award. The Harry Yount Award goes to the national park ranger who best performs a wide range of duties from resource protection to serving visitors. This year's winner is Lisa Hendy of the Grand Canyon.

As stated in a previous post, national park rangers must be "fluent" in many skills. Grayson Cole the lead in Unleashing Colter's Hell is no different. Ranger Cole is required to protect public safety, conserve park wildlife, know relevant natural and cultural history. Oh yeah, Grayson is required to relate this information to the public in an easily understandable way. No easy task.

Like Grayson, real rangers interact with countless park visitors everyday protecting them from unseen dangers, as well as providing information on nearby don't miss attractions. It's all in a typical day for the men and women who wear the "green and gray."

Do you have a good story about a positive experience with a national park ranger? Tell us about it.

Friends of National Parks Award Announced

Recently, 57 senators and 179 representatives of 111th Congress were honored for their work to protect national parks. Here in the NW more than a half dozen lawmakers received the award. I'm honored to have played a small part in recognizing these leaders.

National Parks such as Yellowstone, Mount Rainier, and the Gettysburg are physical representations of what America holds sacred. Congressional support is key to insuring our national parks are left unimpaired for future generations.

One of the core themes of Unleashing Colter's Hell, is the importance of national parks and the values and natural wonders they protect. It's good to know many in Congress understand their importance as well.