I hope that everyone had a pleasant trip home from Rapid City and that I did not talk too long during the State of the Association. The comments I have received indicate that everyone had an enjoyable time at the Ranger Rendezvous. In these pages you can see what transpired at the most recent meeting of our association, but I would like to take this time to look toward the next Ranger Rendezvous.

As I mentioned in the last Ranger I plan to focus much of my attention on increasing membership. One of the most important tools we have to achieve that end is the Ranger Rendezvous. It is at the Rendezvous that old, new and prospective members can get a true sense of what ANPR is about. It is a forum for general and private discussions on the state of the Park Service and the parks. It is a time and place for the conduct of training that increases our ability to serve the public, parks and each other. It is a place where we can find strength and rejuvenation. It is a place where we find comradeship with our fellow park employees.

That is why I encourage all of you to start talking to your friends and co-workers about attending the next Rendezvous in Charleston, South Carolina, an incredibly beautiful and charming city. Over the next year the ANPR Board of Directors, staff and volunteers will strive toward creating an innovative and professional conference that will appeal to all segments of the Service. With the assistance of members in the Southeast Region, we will target specific training needs of the area parks in order to attract as many and as wide a range of park professionals as possible. We will demonstrate the association’s commitment to providing quality training that will increase knowledge and expertise within the parks. We will create an agenda that will reveal to non-members how relevant and important a professional association of park employees is.

Any members, who are willing to assist us in achieving this objective, in any capacity, should contact a board member. Ranger Rendezvous is one of the best contributions ANPR can make in the lives and careers of NPS employees. A pertinent, provocative and enjoyable Rendezvous in Charleston will be one of the best recruiting tools we have.