Subject: Social Studies, Language Arts

Theme: National Park Idea

Students will learn about job opportunities in the national park system.

Students interview a national or state park ranger, asking questions about working in their park.

Currently there are about 750 employees of the National Park Service in Yellowstone. Of these 750 employees, 350 are permanent and 400 are seasonal. They work in the various divisions in the park, including Interpretation, Resource Management and Visitor Operations, and in Maintenance, Management and Administration, and at the Center for Yellowstone Resources, which is the research center for the park.

Some of the above employees work as "rangers," and there are about 250 rangers in Yellowstone right now. One hundred are permanent employees and 150 are seasonal. About 200 of these rangers work in areas such as law enforcement, backcountry and fee collection, and about 50 work as interpretive rangers or naturalists.

Getting a position as a park ranger is very competitive and requires a combination of education, experience, and diligence. There are several different types of park rangers, those specializing in interpretation (education), visitor protection (law enforcement, emergency medicine, search and rescue, etc.) and resource management.

A person interested in a job as a ranger should determine which type of position they are interested in and then begin accumulating education and experience in that field. Many academic degrees are acceptable and these include (but are not limited to) biology, geology, forestry, wildlife management, recreation and parks management, fisheries management, geography, criminal justice, etc.

During or after obtaining a degree, a person should begin gaining experience (and certificates if possible) in relevant fields, like public speaking, emergency medicine, fire fighting, etc. Volunteer work in a national park or other natural area is often a good way to obtain on-the-job experience.

Flip chart paper, marker

Ask students to brainstorm the types of jobs they think are needed to operate a national park like Yellowstone.

As you list these on the board, ask students to describe the duties of each job. When students are finished, include any jobs they overlooked or eliminate jobs that you think are not appropriate.

Ask students to brainstorm questions they would like to ask during the interview while you write them on the flip chart.

Contact the education division at a nearby state or national park to arrange for the students to conduct their interviews. Try to arrange for several different rangers to be interviewed.

The ranger may conclude the interview by asking students which jobs they would choose to work in if they could have any jobs they wanted in the park system. Why?

• Ask students to write to colleges and universities for information about degrees in wildlife, recreation, biology, land management or any others that could lead to careers in the national parks.

• Organize a career day and invite personnel from natural resource agencies in your community or nearby communities, e.g. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, state water resource and wildlife agencies, nature centers, and The Nature Conservancy. Can you identify other agencies to contact?

• Arrange for students to job shadow at a local, state, or national park.

Expedition: Yellowstone! Curriculum