{"id":467,"date":"2016-06-02T23:10:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-03T03:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/prorangerblog\/2016\/06\/02\/i-found-my-earl\/"},"modified":"2016-06-02T23:10:00","modified_gmt":"2016-06-03T03:10:00","slug":"i-found-my-earl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/prorangerblog\/2016\/06\/02\/i-found-my-earl\/","title":{"rendered":"I Found My “Earl”"},"content":{"rendered":"

“We all need someone who inspires us to do better than we know how.” -Anonymous-<\/p>\n

I have only been at BUFF for a mere three days and I have already come to learn an extremely important life lesson… the importance of mentorship. For my Supervisory Ranger, Kevin Moses, this “someone” to him was Earl. Earl was also a Ranger and he inspired Kevin at a very young age to also become a Ranger. Because of the amazing person Earl was, every good quality Earl had, Kevin associated with the position of Ranger, such as a sense of adventure, a care for not only all humankind, but also a care for and regard for our planet and the future generations that will inhabit it. Thus, Kevin enlisted in the army and became an Army Ranger and then eventually a Law Enforcement Ranger for the National Park Service. Earl not only inspired Kevin to become a Ranger, he also inspired him to be someone else’s “Earl” and I was lucky enough to be that “someone else.” Kevin is my “Earl.”<\/p>\n

In just three short days, Kevin has taught me not only an immense amount of information about Ranger-ing, but he has also taught me, like Earl taught him, the importance of a having a mentor. Like Kevin was inspired by the person Earl was, Kevin inspires me. He truly has a passion for life and his line of work and it shows through his extremely hard work ethic and the regard his fellow co-workers have of him. He is the leader and mentor that I wish to be one day if I am lucky enough to be a “Ranger” too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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BUFF Headquarters in Harrison, AR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Let me tell you a little about my last three days… so my journey to Buffalo National River began on Monday, May 30, when I left Ohio and began my 12-hour trek to the great state of Arkansas. I arrived at the BUFF headquarters in Harrison, AR on Tuesday afternoon and was greeted by Kevin. He then brought me around headquarters to meet everyone (and I really mean everyone). It was an amazing experience to meet everyone involved in the operation of BUFF and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Kevin described BUFF to me as “one big happy family” and boy was he spot on. I have been welcomed into the family with open arms and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity. After the visit to the headquarters, Kevin led me to my house just off Wollum Road within the park boundaries and I took the rest of the night to settle in and get to know one of my roommates, Patrick, whom is a Seasonal Ranger at BUFF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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The view from a surveillance spot overlooking the river<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

My next day was my first real day riding along on the job with Kevin. We spent half of the day exploring the river and Kevin gave me a map, so I could begin to practice the art of “orientating” (aka orienting). We also made a few PSAR (Preventative Search and Rescue) contacts, all of which were extremely positive and all visitors were abiding by the park rules and regulations. I also was able to make a few calls on the radio with my new call name, 198. OORAH. We then spent the rest of the day catching up on some paperwork and I learned how to input reports and information into IMARS, which is essential to the job.<\/p>\n

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The BUFF welcome sign at Tyler Bend<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Lastly, today I had the pleasure of participating in the annual control tactics training at BUFF. It was such an enriching experience and I learned so much and it really gave me a great picture of what I have in store for me at the Seasonal Law Enforcement Academy and FLETC. All in all, these three days have been a blast and I cannot wait to see what the rest of this summer has in store.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“We all need someone who inspires us to do better than we know how.” -Anonymous- I have only been at BUFF for a mere three…<\/p>\n

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