 
Like most of you, I look forward to spending some time in the national parks this summer. Whether I will be kayaking on the Potomac River, hiking with my family in the Shenandoah Valley, or reliving the Civil War battles on the steamy fields of Gettysburg, we plan to explore new places or revisit well-loved parks throughout the coming months.
And each time we do, we look forward to hearing the stories that the park rangers have to share about their own explorations, new discoveries, or old favorites. In this issue of the magazine, you will find an article by Connie Toops—a former park ranger herself—that profiles three rangers from around the country. Although their jobs are very different, they share one significant thing—a love of the rangering life. As Connie points out, they belong to an extraordinary corps of about 8,000 National Park Service employees who proudly wear the ranger uniform. This corps—the most loved and respected government employees—are responsible for the stewardship of the nation’s natural, cultural, and historical treasures.
They have been charged with preserving “the scenery, natural resources, and historic objects unimpaired for current and future generations.” That’s a tall job as outlined by the 1916 Organic Act that formed the National Park Service and institutionalized the system that now encompasses the 388 national park units. And that tall job has gotten even taller in recent years.
Chronic funding shortfalls and an administration whose environmental policies are at odds with the preservation ethic embodied by the Park Service has made the rangers’ job even more challenging.
Although it is true that the Park Service has received an increase in operational funding and a pledge from the president to reduce the backlog—the sad truth is that these too small increases do not go far enough in covering the added expenses from homeland security, mandatory pay increases, and other expenses that have been absorbed at the expense of the rangers and of the parks themselves.
Budget shortfalls and a “multiple use” philosophy that allows oil and gas drilling on national parklands, all-terrain vehicles and other uses that damage the resources, and policies that allow coal-fired plants to continue to pollute the skies—are not the only challenges to both the parks and the rangers.
Another more insidious challenge facing Park Service employees is one of messaging. Even though this administration insists that all is well with the national parks, evidence that NPCA and others have gathered tells a very different story.
Just three years after the Park Service was established in 1916, its first director saw a need for an outside voice. He feared that political interference could endanger the National Park System. Administrations come and they go, taking their particular political views with them, but the National Park System should remain as a legacy to the American people. Mather and some other conservationists and business owners founded the National Parks Conservation Association for that purpose.
Since 1919, NPCA has been the leading voice of the American people in protecting and enhancing our National Park System. As the only national independent membership organization dedicated to preserving the park system, NPCA protects our land and landmarks by partnering with Americans who understand that preserving our national parks also preserves our heritage as a nation.
In just a few years, the park system will celebrate its centennial anniversary. You can help us ensure that these special places, these living, breathing monuments, are preserved, intact, for our feature. When you visit the parks this summer, remember to thank the rangers you see for being stewards of our land and our heritage.
Thomas C. Kiernan | 
