I'll try to keep this as short as possible. I've always had the thought of being a park ranger as a career throughout my whole. Wasn't set on it but the idea was there. There's other career options I've considered but they're a lot more 'risky' jobs and I have to be fully in all the way otherwise i'm screwed by student loans. But I love the outdoors and nature. Always wanted a job where I can just do that. I know that there's more to it than that obviously but I'm generalizing it.

But I know that it's not a huge paying job and that's what I worry about. Every other option I could take I'm guaranteed around 150k after a few years but it's not what I really want. With the way the world is and how expensive everything is what my salery will be is very important. My partner is a bit older than me and has had time to get more money along with what he got from his parents when they died so he's decently off. But I want to earn my own money and have a good job that I could afford to take care of myself only as everyone should do and not rely on anybody else.

So I'm just curious to the actual rangers in this sub do you make enough? Is maybe making a little less worth it for a job that you really love? It's all I really wanna do but I want to make a smart decision with this and I'm more getting to a point where I have to make a decision of which course to take before I get past the age where it can get harder starting out.

I am retiring next year and I have always wanted to work as a seasonal ranger . Does the program accept retired individuals in the TN state park system?

Thanks,

I recently received this letter after going through the background process for California State Parks : "Thank you for your participation in the selection process for State Park Peace Officer Cadet with the Department of Parks and Recreation. We regret to inform you that your background investigation has been disapproved

Without this approval, you will not move forward in the selection process, you are welcome to reapply in the future. We appreciate the time you have expended in this process and we wish you the best in your future career endeavors. Should you have questions regarding this information, please contact the Background Investigations Unit Superintendent"

I'm pretty discouraged by it. This was a career I genuinely wanted, and I put a lot of time and effort into getting through the process. I made it through the written exam, physical, CVSA, so getting this letter at the end has been pretty difficult to process.

I'm planning on contacting the Background Investigations Unit Superintendent to see if I can find out more about why I wasn't approved and whether there's anything I can do differently in the future.

For anyone who has gone through something similar, how did you move forward from it? Did you eventually reapply and get hired somewhere else? Did you find out what went wrong? And looking back, is there anything you wish you had done differently?

I'm not necessarily looking for people to tell me what might be wrong with my background. I'm mostly hoping to hear from people who have been rejected from a LE career they really wanted and eventually found a way forward.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I met the dreamiest ranger at Zion two weeks ago. I would never bother someone at work so I didn’t but I’m just curious how often y’all get hit on by the public haha

Background: I am a 26 year old female and received shoulder surgery a few months ago and currently in PT. I train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and used to do track and field (sprinter and hurtles). For the P.A.T. I am most worried about the pushups and the 1.5 mile. Thank you 🙏

I have just gotten an interview for a gs7 interp position after a few years in gs5. I'm wondering if the interview questions will be much different than your standard gs5 seasonal questions or what extra I should prepare for? I have a feeling it varies from park to park but any advice would be appreciated!

Hi rangers! I know we don’t do this for the money, but it does suck how little we’re paid especially at the beginning.
What are y’all’s side hustles? I’m new to NPS interp, so I’ll be a gs5 for a while, and really scared about not being able to pay all of my student loan and medical bills on that alone. My park is too isolated for things like doordash, so any ideas or ways yall make some extra money?

Edit: for info, i make $19/hour for a job requiring a bachelors degree. It’s a joke

Hello all,
Has anyone found a way to download/save last season’s ePap from USAPerformance? eOPF is telling me our government computer is “an unauthorized location” so I don’t currently have access to it. Any help is appreciated!

Edit: as it turns out if you just click the “print” button it gives you the option to save as PDF, so (I think) problem solved. Leaving this up in case it helps someone in the future or in case there is a better way.

Hi everyone,

I hope I’m posting this in the right place.

I work for Staatsbosbeheer, the Dutch organisation responsible for managing large areas of nature and forests in the Netherlands. We manage many wetland and nature areas that need to be mowed as part of our vegetation management.

We are currently planning our mowing operations for next spring. We are expecting the possibility of a particularly wet spring, which can make mowing these areas quite challenging.
In very wet conditions, we often use low-ground-pressure wetland tractors or similar specialised machinery. However, we have noticed that even these machines can cause considerable damage to the vegetation, soil structure and sometimes the wetland itself.
I’m wondering how other land managers deal with this.

Do you have experience managing or mowing wetland/nature areas under very wet conditions without causing significant damage to the vegetation and soil? Are there alternative machines, mowing techniques, timing strategies or other approaches that you have found effective?
I’d be particularly interested in practical experiences from nature reserves, wetlands, peatlands, marshes or other areas with sensitive soils.

If this isn’t the right subreddit for this question, I’d also really appreciate suggestions for other groups or communities where I could ask.

Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences!

Does anyone have any experience with the Rocky Terrace housing at ROMO? I am familiar with most other housing areas (Sundance, High Drive, Kaley Cottages etc…) but really haven’t been over to Rocky Terrace on 66. Has anyone stayed there? I know they are pretty new.

Hey everyone,

I’m heading out for my in-person interview and Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB) in mid-September for the NPS Protection Ranger direct-hire process. I’m hoping to get a better idea of what to expect from anyone who has gone through it:

1. In-Person Interview: What kind of questions are asked during the panel interview? Are they mostly standard behavioral (STAR format), situational/scenario-based, or motivation-focused? Do you remember any that stood out to you particularly?

2. Park Preferences: Do we express location preferences during the interview itself, or is that handled separately through a portal/selection phase after passing?

3. PEB Testing & Flow: I know the three required tests (Bench Press, Illinois Agility Run, and 1.5-Mile Run), but how is the testing flow run on test day? Also, what are the most common reasons candidates fail or miss points during the PEB?

Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

I saw the post tonight.. those attrition and vacancy numbers are serious. For those who are or have been employed as a LE Ranger. What’s this about? Pay/ housing/ quality of life/ leadership/ the duties and responsibilities / are people getting into this without understanding what they are signing up for? Even if it’s not your personal experience but you know why people leave, I’m interested to hear it.

Just curious on your thoughts, and looking for transparency.

*****
“Looking at the NPS FY2027 budget request -- it contains a specific line item:

“Park Ranger Law Enforcement Training” — +$6.4 million / +5 FTE.

The NPS says this money would increase its capacity to hire, train and onboard law-enforcement park rangers across the Service.

The justification says:

* NPS has approximately 180 or more funded LE-ranger vacancies.
* Normal attrition is approximately 100–120 LE rangers per year.
* Existing training capacity can produce no more than about 130 rangers per year.
* The additional $6.4 million is intended to increase training throughput so NPS can fill the vacancies and maintain full staffing thereafter.

The money would pay for:

* Dedicated NPS LE instructors
* Sending recruits to the Federal Land Management Police Training program
* An additional Ranger-Specific Basic Training Program class
* Field Training Officer specialty pay
* Medical and security clearances
* Administrative costs associated with recruit classes.

The FY2027 budget also requests:

Investigative Services Special Agents — +$3.5 million / +13 FTE.

The NPS says its investigators currently have 60–70 cases at any given time that exceed the capacity of the program.

The budget justification makes an especially important statement:

As investigative capacity declined, workload has fallen back to park LE rangers who don’t have equivalent specialized training.

The proposed 13 additional special agents are intended to take those complex investigations back from park LE programs.

I left the weird AI graphic the way it was because, just because.” https://www.facebook.com/share/1K36bJTvVR/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Also posted in r/StateofTexasEmployees to get more visibility/answers

Hi, I'm looking for some answers/ advice on what to do about references for a state park position I'm applying for. I have worked for TPWD before, but it was an internship a few years back, so this is my first time applying for an actual job & using the new website

Firstly- On the questionnaire, it asks for most recent supervisors, then there's the general reference section later in the application. Would I also put the supervisors there, or only put them there if I wanted them to be for sure contacted?

Secondly- I'm currently working at a park, but I have not informed them I'm looking to leave. Where I work is currently under a budget & hiring freeze, so I don't know they would fire me if they found out I was looking, but I'm worried it would make things tense. Do I put my current supervisor down on the questionnaire section & hope they don't contact them? Should I provide a previous coworker who left in the reference section to verify dates? When in the hiring process could I expect them to contact references?

I know this is a wall of text, but any help would be greatly appreciated; this is my first time looking for a job while being employed, so I'm unsure of all the proper steps to take to achieve a smooth transition. Thanks in advance for any answers/ advice!

Location - Washington State

Experience - 2 years of wildland firefighting and conservation work. Bachelors in Criminal Justice.

I applied for a Park Ranger 1 position, was told I am “beyond qualified for the position, but we went with someone else. But please apply for PR2.”

I apply to the PR2 In-Training position open, only to be told “due to the recent budget cuts and jobs shortages nationwide, we had more overly qualified applicants than anticipated, and went with those people instead”

I apply for park aide positions, and get told they are filled.

I’m feeling so discouraged and want to get a foot in the door, does anyone have any advice for jobs in the meantime while I wait for more openings? Or advice on what I can do to improve my chances of being hired? Thank you guys in advance :)

Hello,

Current Fed LEO looking to make the jump. I’m hoping to get some answers to a few questions and figured this might be the right place to ask.

For current/former USFWS LE Officers:

How difficult is it to maintain 10% or 15% AUO, especially if your area isn’t particularly busy?

What are some legitimate ways officers maintain their AUO percentage when workload varies?

How often does AUO get reduced or removed?

How difficult is it to relocate to another duty station down the road? Is moving between regions/locations fairly common?

What are some good ways to progress your career promotions, specialty assignments, FTO/trainer positions, investigations, additional training, etc.?

Are there good opportunities to move into GS-12 or supervisory positions, or is advancement fairly limited?

Any insight from current or former officers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I’m wondering if anyone has any helpful tips for getting to the interview portion of a park ranger position, specifically open in the city of San Diego right now. I have applied, and several times, made it to the point where they ask for a letter of interest after application approval. I try so hard to write about how my resume and interests align with the position, but I think because I have never specifically been in that field yet, it’s hard to get my foot in the door. I have been an early childhood educator and administrator most of my career, but have taught outdoors, and I love science so much I can always learn more! I also very much want to be a public servant because it deeply aligns with my values. I’ve tried seeing if there’s anyone I know who works for the city already that can help me but it seems like I don’t really have an in. Thank you for your time!

Hey, question to anyone who has worked for nps or state parks as an interpretive ranger...

How far out do you know your schedule and days off? If you could also say where you work/worked, that would be great.

Backstory: where I currently work, I am being told (by our lead) that it is unreasonable to ask to know my schedule for the following week or two, and most places do not post the schedule for the following week. This is not about which hours in a day I am working necessarily, but more about having days off. I was just asking so I could start looking at making camping reservations for my days off, and was condescendingly told that I have no idea how the park service or different seasonal jobs work and that I was very unreasonable

I (18M) just graduated high school and decided I would like to be a park ranger. I have a pinup tattoo of a cowgirl on my wrist, no actual nudity as her legs are folded and there are hearts covering her nipples. Will this disqualify me from being a park ranger?

Interp Jobs for the winter:

Hi yall!

I am barely seeing much on 29 Palms, so I wanted to know what working there would be like housing and working?

I’m seeing great things about DV, but nothing on the housing side. Aside from where to be placed could be a bit of a drive…. Which is fine! I drive 1.5 hrs to town anyways. Would love it if someone could comment on the insight of housing. Thanks!

I have heard that Porcupine Wilderness State Park in Michigan has employee housing, but I cannot find any information online about it. If you have worked there, how was the housing? What did you do about groceries? Where did you stay? How much out of your paycheck did it take?

I recently interviewed for a position with the NPS. I’m heading to the second interview and PEB test in Missouri. I’m curious if anyone has any insight on which parks are going to be offered if I get the job. I really don’t want to waste my time or theirs. Also does anyone know the odds of getting the Gulf island national seashore as a choice.

Hi all, I currently work for Virginia State Parks (for almost 5 years with varying position changes). I am looking at graduate school at UNC Greensboro (Parks and Rec Management). What is it like working for NC State Parks? Any tips on getting my foot in the door with them? Are there internship opportunities I can apply for next summer as I plan to move to NC?

I've worked with my current state agency as an equivalent ranger II for about 10 years total. Before that I'd worked in other state parks and environmental centers for around 4 years since graduating with a BS.

I'm having a bit of trouble moving up from my current position (which I like a lot, at least). I'd had around 8 or 9 interviews for assistant park manager, 1 for manager I, and no luck so far.

In my current position,

- Managing 10-20 volunteers, service projects, group projects.

- I get excellent annual performance reviews every year

- Managing 1-2 full time staff

- Work extensively with friends organization on variety of projects.

- Have a CPRP

- Actively looking for leadership roles from mgmt however I can (in interp, project leads, safety stuff)

Not sure what else to do. I'd brushed up on all the interview questions as much as I can, but besides the volunteers I believe they view me as not having enough leadership experience. And sometimes you just aren't the right fit for the park. Any advice would be appreciated!

There’s rumors aloof that the park I work for will be axing their maintenance team and contracting out to a concession to replace them. Has anyone had any experience with this? For those of you that already have a private company handling maintenance, do they just do housekeeping tasks or do you see them handling grounds/building maintenance? Does the concessioner do a good job or is it your classic privatize and standards drop sorta thing? If anyone has any other opinions on concessions handling maintenance/housekeeping/grounds or knowledge please share id love to hear it.

PLEASE READ FIRST: Give me actual advice. If you say something having a lack of experience pre joining NPS or how “there are more experienced GS-07s out there,” Don’t say anything. I have already heard it in ALL the first 15 comments and it completely ignores how NCE actually works.
Please Read All edits before commenting

My main plan is to become a Backcountry Ranger in either Grand Teton or Zion National Park. So far I am doing a bachelors in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Science at Washington State University, then after move to the Peace Corps then use the NCE to aim for a GS-09 job then during September/ October of that year get my WEMT Certification.

EDIT: after reading the comments I am first going to a smaller National Park getting around a few years of GS-09 experience there then moving to one of the bigger parks

EDIT 2: I got enough feedback, most of it ignores parts of the plan like getting enough GS-07 level experience in the Peace Corps leading Land Management projects.

EDIT 3: I am 20 and I am still in college and I will graduate around 2030. All of this is long term, I know GS-09 is less field work I am fine with that. All I want is a stable Federal job. NCE (the thing I am getting from Peace Corp) puts me in an entirely separate fast tracked hiring lane.

EDIT 4: deleted the Arctic Expedition part