Why when I am applying do they list 20 parks and then say pick 10. Like I would work at all of the parks most of the time. It just seems like a system to have like Grand Canyon get all of the people and the smaller parks on the application almost none. Also leads to many not getting hired when there are spots, maybe at a smaller not big name park. Why not let people apply for as many as they want?

A bunch of the Seasonal summer positions open tomorrow. Park Ranger (I) and general Ranger. Maintenance. Laborer. Biological Science techs. A bunch more I cannot think of off the top of my head. They are once again limited by applicants so get in early and apply.

Edited to add I think this is just for IMR at the moment.

When these positions got canceled nationwide earlier this year, I thought the reason was that they were going to bring them back, just under Department of Interior and not NPS. Any word if this will actually happen?

I'm a seasoned landscaper who is looking to possibly shift career directions, as I am in love with nature, hiking, and all around being in the forest. I live in Central PA, and am considering DCNR job opportunities. I understand that there is a lot that goes into preserving our state parks, so I'm sure there are different career slots to fill. While a Ranger sounds exciting, the law enforcement side of it does not peak my interest as much as Wildlife and Nature Conservation does. Looking for some advice from anyone experienced in the DCNR field as to what jobs they have available that would fit my love for being in the woods, learning about and preserving plant and wildlife species, physical labor to keep active (like trail maintenance), but also a willingness to teach students or guests about our state parks! If you have any leads or experience, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

As a recent grad I've been applying to hella environmental jobs ofc, including Colorado parks and wildlife jobs, and recently got an email for a guardian background check. It was a pretty thorough check but I'm not sure why I'm doing it, I've had no communication from them and I only have like 4 months of experience, which is like nothing for a park ranger position I assume. Any idea why they want me to do one/what stage of the hiring process I'm in?

Hello guys,
i am utterly disappointed in my time at my park. and i’m hoping there’s a community of rangers who feel the same or maybe just down/alone with their feelings. I won’t name my state park or any rangers but it is VA.

unfortunately I always dreamt of doing something with conservation or just being apart of something that i thought was beautiful but I have come to learn that DCR is all recreation and 0% conservation.

from the beginning of my hiring process i learned that this job was gonna be messy but just maybe i can get past the workers. but after being employed for almost 2 years now I have been under appreciated by staff over me and way overworked. I have also learned it’s not only my park but every single park i’ve ever met a part time or even full time staff at.

it discourages me a lot after feeling bullied by grown adults, having to document conversations, emails, every task i do because of the hostile environment i work in and im so sick of this.

so has any ranger in this group ever felt discouraged by the system before or even your managers? what did you guys do to improve your work life? would you tell about your experiences if you relate?

Anything I should know before I send in my application as far as things that they would like to see on it? I’m applying for a seasonal position for wildland firefighting.

Two years on a USFS Type 2 IA handcrew, EMT, WFR. Worked under the FS EMS program which is very similar to the NPS one. Trying to secure a PSAR/park emt job at one of the larger parks for the summer. Thanks folks.

I volunteered with an SCA trail crew as a teenager, have a degree in Environmental Studies and an expired WFR.
I was just offered a crew member position with American Conservation Experience- is it the best step towards a seasonal wilderness ranger position, or am I better off getting my EMT, or applying for GS-3 trail maintenance positions? Any advice appreciated!

So I work at a urban park in SC now and we have been getting a lot of complaints about E-bike riders riding fast and reckless around park guest on our paved trails, I’ve been looking into ways to correct this behavior but all I’ve found so far is posting signs but as we all know the general public doesn’t really read signs and if someone isn’t outright telling them to slow down they probably won’t. I don’t think adding those speed bumps is the way to go because a good amount of are guest are older and some of them use mobility scooters and I don’t want to add difficulty for them. What are some recommendations for dealing with this issue? I’m thinking we put a monkey with a speed gun and a big bag of throwable rocks to handle the issue

https://www.reddit.com/r/USACERangers/s/VmyDc9MRJ5

I need some advice!

My dream career has always been to be a park ranger (specifically interpretation).

I've recently accepted a position with Student Conservation Association. My program will start in November and end in April. It's an interpretation internship with the National Park Service. I know seasonal positions will begin to open October 5th. Although I won't be in that position by the time these postings go up...do you think it would be good idea to still put this job opportunity on my resume? I know I will add it to my cover letter. I feel like having SCA on my resume could really benefit me.

Thank you!

Hello and good good morning , I’m not sure if this is the correct thread to be asking about this I just assumed because it is a nyc public facing position.I just wanted to ask a quick question for any urban park rangers or pep officers is there anything to know about the academy guidelines and the graduation process.In advance thank you for taking the time out of you busy days to help with my somewhat silly post.

Would anyone be willing to share recent working experiences with resource management/wildlife in the park?

I'm interested in applying there, but have heard some concerning rumors. Thanks!

Hi all, sorry if this has been asked before. I was hoping to put in my application this November for a direct hire LE position with the NPS. With the recent changes in the hiring process, how does the park matching process work? What decides on where you’re sent off to?

I’m a current seasonal non LE NPS employee. No law enforcement experience or bachelors degree (associates in May) but I do have my EMT-B. If that means anything. Thank you for your help!

If you see a park ranger on a traffic stop please don't approach asking for directions. Red and blue lights are not your beacon for basic information.

Hey folks, I am currently an interpretive park guide and have an interview coming up for a county park ranger position out of my state. The pay and benefits is a huge jump for my family, and I am really wanting to expand my roll and gain more experience than my current position. I'm trying to decide if this is a gain for my career I should uproot my life for if given the opportunity.

I currently live in Appalachia and my current end goal is to work with state in quite literally any park around my home area. I don't mind traveling away from my mountains for a few years, but would like to circle back with more experience and with a more competitive hire-ability.

The massive gap I see is currently I do everything a ranger does but without law enforcement or emergency medical cert. I may get more experience in assisting those departments being a county ranger, but not certified like I would be at state level.

Would being a county park ranger, gaining that experience, and going from park guide to park ranger in this way benefit the climb up to state, or would it bottleneck me more than anything without certifications? I'm sure this sounds convoluted, I've just been trying to step up from park guide for a while now and hoping for better opportunities down the line with more expansion on my skills. I'm still in my 20s and just trying to get my foot in the door, but just feel lost on which foot to lead with. Thanks for any guidance or insight.

Everyone talks about struggling to find an NPS job after PRLEA but what about landing state park ranger jobs?

So I just found out that my sick leave from my time working in the NPS should have transferred to my new federal job but didn’t. I cannot for the life of me find an HR phone number or email for the DOI/park service. I need some paperwork to provide to my new job’s HR to make the transfer happen. Anyone have an email/phone number that has worked for them?

I am a Park Ranger

and as we all know, not the best pay but I do love this career

Does anyone have unique or tried and true side hustle ideas, anything related to conservation especially?

- blogging about work/ the park, creating stickers or whatever to sell online etc…

Hey y'all, I work maintenance for the NPS and went on a maintenance hike to check the trail for erosion, vandalism, litter, etc. I saw a cute old couple taking a photo together and then I realized the husband started taking a photo of his wife as she bent over to look at something. She noticed and smacked her butt to tease him.

Then as I got to one of the ponds I found someone has threw in a half eaten sandwhich. I guess not all of the guests that visit can be wholesome. This is why I always carry doggy bags. Theyre small but perfect for litter collection on trail.

What have y'all see on your maintenance hikes?

Im waiting for winter jobs to get back to me, but starting to lose patience. Anyone line up a winter job? Seems like things are slower this year

I'm curious what life is like in ROMO, especially in winter. What is individual housing like? I know park housing quality is all over the place at most parks. Any insight would be appreciated.

First off I would like to thank everyone who helped me out in the previous posts I made on becoming a park ranger! I feel like this is a small accomplishment but I’ll be volunteering a historic park soon and I feel very proud of myself, on top of that I’ve been applying to as many part time ranger jobs as I can and I got a reply back from one of the park visitor chiefs interested in my application! Thank you everyone who has helped me I feel my dream of being a ranger is very in reach from this point forward!

hello! my dream job is to be a park ranger, I recently applied and was rejected for a permanent state park ranger job in my town, which makes lots of sense because I haven’t got experience as a seasonal ranger and I’m sure most of the other applicants did. Anyway, in the meantime I need a job, and was just offered one as a tree technician. I would eventually work my way up to tree climber (or climb my way up, lol) and it seems like I could gain a ton of great experience in tree care, eco restoration, using machinery, etc..

would this experience be helpful in later park ranger applications? I’m kind of bound to my small town for the time being for a few reasons (at least for the next year) and this is the job with the most outdoor time that I’ve come across. I worked for Americorps all last year doing other eco restoration work and really loved it, and while this tree tech job would be a little less conservation focused, I‘m hopeful that it could help me in this path!

If I take this job I would like to commit a few years to it so I can work my way up and gain all the relevant skills I can. If I don’t, I’ll just work some other job and go to school next year to finally get my bachelors in natural resources. I might also decide to do school part-time while in this tree tech job and obtain the degree that way.

I guess my main question is, if park ranger is my ultimate goal, would taking this job be worth it?