FLORIDA
OU T D O O R S
Life in the National Park Service takes rangers all over the country. After working in some amazing locales, these rangers now call the Outer Banks home.
Out on the
Range BY STEVE HANF
J
osh Nelson hadn’t been at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site very long when he made his rounds one day along the Thomas Hariot Nature Trail. At the end of the loop just beyond Roanoke Island’s famed Waterside Theatre, he encountered two men lounging on the beach. Josh recalls the day as beautiful: Sunny and warm, but not too hot. He asked one of the visitors how they were doing and was immediately struck by the reply. “He said he hadn’t been that relaxed in two years,” Josh says. “I don’t know what had happened in his life, but that little park was enough to completely relax him.” The rejuvenating power of nature in general, and America’s national parks in particular, is well documented. More than 237 million visitors logged more than a billion hours of park time with the National Park Service’s 400-plus destinations in 2020. The history and beauty of the parks also draws nearly 20,000 workers into the park service for some of the most coveted jobs in government. Josh, an interpretive ranger at Fort Raleigh, explains that the ability to experience so many unique environments is one part of that draw. Another is simply the “idea” behind the parks. “It’s the idea of being able to collectively protect the place for everyone,” he explains, before pausing and gazing into the distance as he searches for more words. “Then there’s obviously the benefit of being able to experience incredible places daily,” he continues. “I can honestly say that there’s not Continued >
From top to bottom: Josh Nelson at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, Meaghan Johnson at Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida, and Josh at another job at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. 2 0 | SU M M ER 2021
WIND CAVE SOUTH DAKOTA
