Clad in the iconic green and gray uniform — and sometimes the distinctive, flat-brimmed hat — the rangers of Grand Teton National Park serve in a wide variety of roles throughout the park, protecting the landscape and assisting visitors.
“For decades a park ranger had a very diverse role; they did everything from enforcing laws, to carpentry work to ‘managing’ wildlife,” explains Valerie Gohlke, public affairs officer for Grand Teton National Park. “The same rangers collected fees at entrance gates and patrolled trails on horseback. The national parks saw a big change when automobiles became mass produced and popular, giving the American people an easier way to see the parks and they became busier, and more rangers were needed.
“Today, our jobs are specific in our area of expertise. Visitor and resource protection rangers are now federally commissioned and must go to a federal law enforcement academy. Not all rangers are commissioned law enforcement officers,” Valerie explains.
Shelby Barbay, however, is.
“I think everyone views their role as a law enforcement ranger a bit differently,” Shelby says. “It means something special to us all. In regard to being a visitor and resource protection ranger in our national parks, I think our role is vital. We are the ones who respond to, well, everything: motor vehicle accidents, wildlife issues, medical calls, fires, mental health crises, disorderly individuals. I can’t imagine our national parks without (visitor and resource protection) rangers, especially at a time when nearly every park has seen a skyrocket in visitation over the last few years.