One of the real joys of working in the national parks is meeting other rangers, VUA's (Visitor Use Assistants), maintenence staff, and office staff. These are dedicated, committed, and fascinating people. Some are lifers. Some are working in between jobs. Some are at the very beginning of their working careers and enjoying the adventure of moving around the country, and some are at the very end of their working careers and just having fun.

At Mesa Verde NP, about a third of the rangers had graduated from college within the last five years, about a third were either retired or very close to retirement, and another third were somewhere in between. And yet, even with the differences in their ages and experiences, differences in political perspectives and presuppositions, and differences in goals and objectives, they all share a common commitment to working in one of our national parks, to protecting and preserving one of American's special places, and to working with all kinds of people from all around the world, and tyring to help them.

During the summer of 2009, here is list of most of the amazing and wonderful rangers with whom we worked:

Mark Andrews
Clyde Benally
Jeff Brown
Jose Castillo
Ellyse Deldin
Mark Dupre
Daniel Elsbrock
David Franks
Rebecca Gerdes
Sandy Groves
Jan Habenicht
Brook Hallberg
Dianna Hansen
Gwen Harvey
Mark Holst
Denice Johnson
Bill Johnson
Scott Kortemeyer
Aleta Lawrence
Kevin Lloyd
Raymond Meyer
Tim McNeil
Pete Newcomb
Byron Parker
Jack Patterson
Josh Pelham
Ben Rogers
Eli Shostak
Jo Schrock\
Eli Shostak
Tim Stubbs
Kim Sturm
Albert Watson
Wendy Watson
Beth Wheeler
Jacob White
Tom Wolf
Paule Wolfe
Jim Zachary

Linda Martin--Supervisor
Rosemarie Salazar--Supervisor
Dewey Higley--Administration
Clarissa Fisher--Librarian
Sandy Groves--Education Coordinator

Intermittent Rangers:
Jill Blumenthal
Paul Bostrom
Marie Clark
Lisa Gabbert
Gerry Kelsey
Greta Kirker
Kate Niles
Burnet Stirling
Linda Willis
Shawn Duffy
Craig Westover

VUA's (Visitor Use Assistants)
Joanne Archer
Ali Bickford
Claudia Brady
Emily Ford
Angie Jamison
Kip

Law Enforcement Rangers:
Steve
Pete
Tony
Tina
Scott

What many people don't know is that at many parks most of the regular interpretive rangers and VUA's are seasonal workers. At Mesa Verde NP, for instance, all the rangers and VUA's at the toll booths and the those selling tickets for tours at the visitor center, and all the rangers leading tours and giving evening programs and campfire programs---they are all seasonal workers. And at Mesa Verde, even most of the LE Rangers (Law Enforcement) and many of the bio techs and maintenence staff are seasonal staff.

They are amazing people, they work for an hourly wage and no benefits, and they never stop caring!