There are many years when ANPR essentially goes into hibernation after the Ranger Rendezvous and little gets accomplished through the holiday season and winter. Then we start to get moving again as spring arrives and the traditional “season” in parks begins again. That cycle of inactivity has not been the case this past winter as members have stepped up to make important contributions on ANPR’s behalf.

One group of members that we have named the ANPR Revitalization Workgroup has been working diligently, with weekly conference calls, to bring the membership information on how ANPR might position itself to best serve NPS employees of all disciplines in this 21st century. Their report will be presented to you this spring, and it will be your responsibility to read it and communicate your reactions.

A second group has already been hard at work planning Ranger Rendezvous 33, which will take place Oct. 31–Nov. 4 in Bend, Oregon. The agenda is being formulated, and for those interested in participating, it likely will include a community service project to remind each of us why we enjoy working in public service and environmental occupations. More information is here.

We also now have a fifth college chapter. The five chapters are at Hocking College in Ohio, New Mexico State University, Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the University of Tennessee at Martin.

If you attended Ranger Rendezvous 32 in Gettysburg you know that these young folks are making a difference in ANPR’s future. I encourage each of you as members to help establish and mentor an ANPR college chapter at a school in your community. For more information go to here.

These are areas where ANPR is making good progress. One area where we aren’t making good progress is in the development of professional positions and communication of those positions via professional papers on our website and through media outlets. I’m puzzled and disappointed by our lack of activity in this regard. I can’t believe that you don’t have strong opinions and persuasive advice on a broad range of topics that relate to the National Park System and the National Park Service.

During my NPS working years I held many opinions on NPS policy or operations, and I frequently verbalized those opinions (much to the chagrin and exasperation of my supervisors) both internally and through ANPR to either correct some problem I perceived, support a program that I perceived resulted in positive outcomes, or address a new NPS opportunity.

Do you really not care about the professional standards for NPS occupations, NPS fee policies, uniform standards, management decisions that lessen the opportunity for preservation of park resources, the influence of local civic engagement on park management decision making, NPS hiring processes, or a myriad of other issues, decisions and policies? Or are all your concerns being taken care of internally within the NPS?

ANPR is a grassroots organization. The volunteer leadership of ANPR cannot alone have the professional knowledge and situational awareness necessary to develop professional positions and papers on many of the issues that may concern you. Each of you has the ability to focus ANPR on some topic or interest of yours.

Put together a draft professional paper on a topic that is of interest and/or concern to you. Submit that draft to any board member for our consideration to make it ANPR’s official position. One step in convincing senior NPS management that ANPR is a professional organization is for us to have well-articulated professional positions on a wide range of NPS issues or topics. We count on you to bring those ideas and opinions forward.

— Scot McElveen