"We continue to be dismayed at the funding cuts in the National Park Service. Last summer, my husband and I, along with my sister and brother-in-law, spent several days at the north Rim of the Grand Canyon. We stayed in cabins and hiked extensively along the rim on marked trails. Not once, in the several hours we hiked did we encounter or see evidence of a Park Ranger. The only Ranger we saw was at the lodge in the late afternoon."
Hackettstown, New Jersey
"While back packing out of Tuolumne Meadows (Yosemite National Park), it was abundantly clear that rangers are an endangered species. We met one young man in his early 20s who was serving as a volunteer ranger (without law-enforcement capability) who was doing his best to fill the void due to the shortage of rangers, but clearly aware of his limited ability to really enforce regulations. Another ranger told us that most of the rangers on patrol were paid by the San Francisco Water District because the District needed to protect the City's water supply, and the Park Service could not afford to have rangers in the backcountry.
It was also clear that campground facilities were in dismal shape. Roads to campsites were so bad that embedded rocks threatened to take out the oil pan at any moment if extreme care was not taken. Restrooms were falling apart and inadequate to meet demand. And so on. Really a sad commentary on our great Park System!"
Rochester, Washington
"To me, separating the image of the National Park Service from the rangers is impossible. Rangers are an essential component of the parks. They are the ambassadors for the splendor that is there, the messengers who convey why what is there is important and the role models for how to protect what is there for future generations…"
Seattle, Washington
"My family visited Sequoia and Yosemite [national parks] 7-18 June 2004 and didn't come across many park rangers. They must be spread out very thin. It is disappointing to not have a sufficient number of rangers in these beautiful outdoor spaces."
Weston, Massachusetts
