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The concept of National Parks and the National Park Service mission "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations" was one of America’s greatest ideas of the 19th century. Ever since Yellowstone Superintendent Horace Albright’s solicitation in 1926 for "big men with fine personalities," it has been the job of the National Park Service Ranger to uphold this mission.
The first National Park Service rangers were Yellowstone Rangers. For the better part of a century, they have served the public as field guides, informal educators, medics, rescuers, and law enforcement officers, and today Rangers continue to serve in myriad roles.
Approximately 98% of Yellowstone National Park is backcountry managed as wilderness, and this immense area must still be patrolled by Rangers on horseback, on skis, or on foot. Boundary encroachment, poaching, resource destruction, and theft in the backcountry are chronic problems. Just 22 backcountry Rangers are assigned to cover more than two million acres of the most remote terrain in the lower 48 states.
Yellowstone’s front country also requires constant Ranger patrols. Rangers work to prevent the 600 motor vehicle accidents in Yellowstone each year that result in significant physical trauma, occasionally death, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of property damage. In addition, they strive to reduce the more than 100 mammals killed annually on Yellowstone roads.
The Yellowstone Park Foundation’s Ranger Fund Initiative was established to raise $2 million to address priorities of the Ranger Division. The funds will:
- Support backcountry and boundary operations by enhancing boundary patrols, restoring and outfitting patrol cabins, and providing Yellowstone Rangers with the equipment, supplies, and support they need to efficiently protect people and resources in the Park’s vast backcountry.
- Augment front country operations by improving traffic safety systems on Park roads, purchasing advanced GPS and other equipment for search and rescue operations, and providing a new patrol boat for Lewis Lake.
- Enhance stock use management by providing a much-needed barn for rider and stock training, storage space to house saddles and tack, and space for veterinary supplies for the more than 100 head of horses and mules required by the Ranger Division.
- Enable proper restoration and curation of exhibits at the Museum of the National Park Ranger in order to educate visitors about the evolution of the Ranger’s role in Yellowstone and its rich cultural history throughout the National Park Service.
Today, the primary responsibility of the Yellowstone Ranger is to protect the Park’s natural and cultural resources as well as visitors to the Park. To continue the tradition of fulfilling this mission, Rangers need trustworthy equipment, state-of-the-art technology, reliable transportation, and suitable facilities.
With generous support from Friends of Yellowstone, The Ranger Fund will enhance the effectiveness of the committed and hardworking men and women of Yellowstone’s Ranger Division by addressing both urgent and long-term funding needs; in doing so, the Fund will broaden public understanding of the importance of the National Park Ranger.
Total Initiative Goal: $2,000,000
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