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Ranger Rendezvous XXVI
Nov. 9-13, 2003 ~ Plymouth, Massachusetts
Rendezvous Workshops
ANPR’s call for papers formed the foundation for the Rendezvous workshops. The authors of accepted papers presented their ideas at hourlong workshops during the week of Rendezvous. Below are summaries of their findings.
National Park Stewardship and Vital Signs Monitoring
Place-based conservation strategies require that stewards know and understand the targeted ecosystems, restore impaired resources, protect the ecosystems and mitigate threats to them, and connect people deeply to the ecosystems. Monitoring the environmental equivalent of medical vital signs is the quickest, surest and cheapest way to discover and track dynamic ecosystem structure and functioning. Monitoring vital signs can determine status and trends of ecosystem health, establish empirical limits of normal variation, provide early warnings of situations that require intervention, and help frame research questions to determine cause and consequence.
— Presented by Gary E. Davis, visiting chief scientist, Oceans Program, Washington Office — Full Report 
Stewardship of the Dead: An International Case Study at St. Croix Island International Historical Site, Maine
Thirty-five settlers died in 1604-1605 and were buried in a small cemetery on St. Croix Island. During the summer of 2003 the respectful reinterment of these human remains in their original locations took place. A series of steps were taken to consult with government officials from Canada, France, the Maine tribes, Canada’s First Nations and the state of Maine to achieve consensus on the project. The session also looked at forming creative scientific partnerships to undertake the fieldwork, and meeting logistical challenges of conducting scientific study on a remote island.
— Presented by Lee Terzis, cultural resources program manager, Acadia National Park — Full Report
Civic Engagement and the National Park Service
Civic engagement means working with communities to tell the whole story through preservation, interpretation and education. The presentation of public history must involve our audiences, raise awareness and sensitivity to many voices, and respect perspectives held by partners and communities. The National Park Service’s efforts to increase civic engagement with the public demonstrates the power of broader interpretation, collaborative preservation planning, and public comment on treatment for heritage sites.
— Presented by John Maounis, deputy associate regional director for cultural resources, Northeast Region; Rolf Diamant, superintendent, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park; John Piltzecker, superintendent, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park; Gay Vietzke, superintendent, Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Beyond Stewardship: Public Lands as a Catalyst for Social Change
Elements of our society believe that they have the knowledge and ability to manage and control all other forms of life and natural systems. This belief has withdrawn us from the biotic community and endangered the rest of that community. As the professionals charged with protecting and managing the places that our society has deemed special, we find ourselves in place to create a social change to bring our society into the biotic community. In order to accomplish this social change, our profession must commit itself to continue setting goals and developing guiding principles. This session provided the groundwork to move beyond the current view of what stewardship is to what stewardship can become, to move beyond being managers of the natural environment to influencing and managing ourselves.
— Presented by Kevin Damstra, park ranger, resource education and public use management, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area — Full Report
Naturally Speaking
A custom designed “message” strategy for natural resource stewardship and science will do much to bridge current communications gaps, fill unmet needs and amplify existing successful communications programs and activities. It will build partners, generate constituent support, advance understanding of natural resource stewardship and science programs and activities, and improve internal agency interactions. Such a strategy is a logical outgrowth of the Natural Resource Challenge, and will complement other agencywide initiatives, including the “Renewing our Education Mission,” the “Connecting Parks with People” initiative and communicating the National Park Service mission.
— Presented by Mike Whatley, information services branch manager, Natural Resource Management Division, Washington Office — Full Report
Global Stewardship and the International Technical Assistance Program
The U.S. Department of the Interior is the nation’s principal conservation agency, responsible for the management and protection of its most precious natural, cultural and historical resources. Participants learned about the training and technical assistance Interior provides to countries in such areas as protected area management, minerals management, cultural resources management, reclamation of abandoned mine lands, environmental education, ecotourism, endangered species conservation, wildlife law enforcement, visitor services, resource interpretation, recreation management, park infrastructure, fire management, concessions management, control of invasive species and community outreach.
— Presented by Barbara Pitkin, ITAP program manager, U.S. Department of the Interior
Global Field Research to Local Stewardship: Programs and Opportunities
Earthwatch Institute, the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Society and the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley have established a Conservation Research Initiative in the Northern Crown of the Continent region. The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative is a joint Canadian-U.S. network of more than 600 organizations, foundations, scientists and conservation-minded individuals who have recognized the value of working together to restore and maintain the unique natural heritage of the Yellowstone to Yukon region and the quality of life it offers. The Biosphere Institute was formed in 1997 as an objective, nonpolitical, nonprofit society that makes ecosystem information available to decision makers and local citizens and also facilitates, encourages, supports and coordinates ecological, economic and social research pertinent to the region’s ecosystem. All three partners work collaboratively, contributing their organizations’ strengths to promote a common vision for a sustainable ecoregion by actively engaging and empowering local communities while addressing key conservation priorities and supporting vital research.
— Presented by Sean Britt, assistant to the director, Earthwatch Institute — Full Report
The Granite Landscape: A Natural History of America’s Mountain Domes from Acadia to Yosemite
This session examined the unique qualities of exposed glaciated domes of granite found in many of our northern mountain ranges. It also explored the natural history specific to the granite domes of Acadia, New Hampshire’s White Mountains, New York’s Adirondacks, Wyoming’s Wind Rivers, Montana’s Beartooths, Washington’s North Cascades and Yosemite.
— Presented by Tom Wessels, New England Park Rangers Association
‘Ranger Sam’ — Connecting with Children,
Future Stewards of the National Park System
As the National Park Service officially enters its second century administering America’s treasures, the challenges that exist in effectively educating our audiences have become increasingly apparent. Our future stewards can have fun learning about their national parks and experience them through an automated-interactive education unit and an educational SRS system.
— Presented by Vincent DiPietro, park ranger/education specialist, Statue of Liberty National Monument — Full Report
Identity Built on Tradition
Participants learned about the value and effectiveness of branding and agency identity; a brief history of the elements that have contributed to the public image of the ranger and the NPS; and an overview of the activities of the NPS in establishing and reinforcing the agency identity.
— Presented by Dennis Vasquez, Harpers Ferry Center
Axioms for Success in Stewardship Careers
No summary submitted.
— Presented by Barbara Goodman, superintendent, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and Fort Caroline National Memorial
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