World Ranger Day

World Ranger Day was celebrated around the earth on Tuesday, July 31st, and reports indicate that it was a truly global event, with thousands of people attending events held in the U.S. and more than 50 other nations.

World Ranger Day is an event that was conceived and advanced by the International Ranger Federation (IRF), a consortium of national and state ranger associations from countries around the world – from Korea to Rumania, from Argentina to Iceland, from South Africa to Canada. The member associations from the United States are the California State Park Rangers Association and the Association of National Park Rangers.

At the 2006 IRF World Ranger Congress in Scotland, delegates decided that July 31st of each year, beginning in 2007, would be a day dedicated to rangers all around the globe. This first World Ranger Day fell on the 15th anniversary of the founding of IRF in 1992.

This year’s inaugural celebration centered on the release of a new international ranger documentary entitled The Thin Green Line which was put together by Australian ranger Sean Willmore. Based on reports he’s received, Willmore estimates that more than 12,000 people saw the DVD on World Ranger Day.

World Ranger Day also received strong support throughout this country, including the following:

Here are some first-hand reports on events held in the United States:

Los Angeles – The Los Angeles premier of The Thin Green Line took place at the Mountain Recreation and Conservation Authority's (MRCA) King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas, California.  Eighty people picnicked on the lawn and ate popcorn while viewing the screening on an outdoor screen under a starry southern California evening.  Uniformed rangers from the MRCA, California State Parks, Glendale City Parks, and the National Park Service were in the audience.  MRCA ranger Jewel Johnson coordinated the event, which included a raffle to raise money for the IRF dependent's fund.  A ranger hat cake baked by MRCA supervisory ranger Fernando Gomez and a display of world ranger uniforms topped off the evening. Over $1,000 was raised for the fund. [Jeff Ohlfs]

Rocky Mountain NP – On the evening of July 31st, nearly 70 people attended the showing of The Thin Green Line in honor of World Ranger Day.  The event was promoted on the front page of the local Estes Park newspaper, highlighting the International Ranger Federation. Over $200 was collected that evening for the Friends of the International Ranger Federation, and many participants took brochures with them to send contributions. [Kyle Patterson]

Yosemite NP – About 75 visitors watched The Thin Green Line in Lower Pines Campground on World Ranger Day. One of the park’s long-term seasonals, retired principal Larry Montgomery from Kentucky, facilitated the viewing of the film. There was applause at the beginning and end  of the film.  The park plans to show the film to staff this fall and winter. [Chris Stein]

Acadia NP – Close to 60 people watched the DVD at the showing in Bar Harbor, and another 70 attended the showing in Schoodic. They contributed $470, and the Friends of Acadia raised the sum to $500. The money will go to the ranger dependents’ fund. [Charlie Jacobi, Dave Buccello]

Shenandoah NP – About 50 people attended the showing. Donations weren’t collected, but cards were provided with the website and contact information. The DVD will also be shown to park staff in coming weeks. [Karen Michaud]

Washington Office – About two dozen people attended the showing of The Thin Green Line at the Eye Street office. Cam Sholly, deputy associate director for visitor and resource protection, gave an introduction. He spoke about the history of rangers, about rangers at work overseas, and about rangering in the U.S. The movie was well received. [Dave Krewson]

Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs – More than 100 visitors and off-duty staff attended the showing in the auditorium at Lodgepole. The event was emceed by Russ Wilson, the park’s deputy superintendent, and attended by many members of the management team. Although collections were not allowed, everyone who attended received information about the project and IRF. There were cheers when Sequoia-Kings Canyon rangers were featured and tears during the sad moments. [Alexandra Picavet]

Saguaro NP – The park hosted two showings of the film. About two dozen people attended. The Tucson area experienced a major monsoon storm yesterday, which partially accounted for the light attendance.  Those who attended very much enjoyed the program, and many wanted to know more about IRF. Meg Weesner introduced the film for both showings and answered questions afterwards. The park collected about $50 in donations. [Bob Love]

Apostle Islands NS – About 30 people attended the screening at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland, Wisconsin – an interagency facility owned by the Forest Service, with two other federal conservation agency and state agency partners, including the NPS. Bob Krumenaker, the park’s superintendent, introduced the film. There was applause at the end, with viewers saying that they’d been inspired by the film. One viewer said that he had no idea what things were really like “out there.” [Bob Krumenaker]

Washita Battlefield NHS – World Ranger Day was a small affair held over two days. The entire park staff saw the film and were joined by several visitors. A poster on the event was placed in the headquarters window. Another showing is planned once the park completes its move to new facilities. It will also be shown at a nearby university. [Wendy Lauritzen]

Golden Gate NRA – About 75 rangers from several state and federal agencies attended a day of seminars, panel discussions and other World Ranger Day events. The Thin Green Line was shown in the evening and was very well received. Some of the rangers attending from other agencies had never met before as a group. On the second day, there was a public “ranger day” along the San Francisco waterfront, during which agencies brought out ranger fear for people to look at and talked about their work. Four more showings were held during the day. [Tony Sisto]

Glen Canyon NRA – Fifty people attended the screening, which was sponsored by the Glen Canyon Natural History Association. It was well received. [Kevin Schneider]