ANPR Thanks Park Rangers for Their Performance During the Government Shutdown

The Association of National Park Rangers (ANPR) would like to extend its gratitude to all Park Rangers and their valiant efforts throughout the shutdown while facing personal financial uncertainty. Apart from the highly publicized resource and infrastructure damage, it’s regrettable that many important trainings were forced to be canceled over the last 35 days as well. Some of these will be impossible to reschedule and will have a direct impact on Rangers’ ability to respond to emergency situations in the coming summer season. With the shutdown occurring during the time that many parks hire their summer seasonal positions, we recognize the burden now placed on hiring managers service-wide to fill the National Park Service’s front line Rangers who most directly engage with the public. Finally as Rangers return to their parks, we thank our timekeepers who are now charged with the unenviable task of quickly and accurately entering the information to allow for the rapid processing of backpayments.

ANPR expresses its strong desire that Congress and the President work diligently to ensure future shutdowns do not occur. This is for the benefit of the public, National Park Service, and most importantly its Rangers.