Park Ranger Shortage Stresses Already Finite Resources

Recent budget deliberations within the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors saved the elimination of two park ranger positions within Sacramento county parks, keeping a staff of 11 park rangers out in the field.

While the county is happy to not lose any more rangers, a staff as small as 11 makes much of the work within the parks reactive, rather than proactive.

Two years ago there were 25 park rangers employed by the county.

“When we were at 25, we were okay,” said John Havicon, park ranger supervisor. “We were able to be proactive and solve problems. We could act as a deterrent, whereas now we are basically reacting to calls and we are just there to take down a report.”

Havicon has been working with the ranger service for 25 years.

“The American River is the main area we control, but it is amongst others,” Havicon said. “There is the water treatment plant in Elk Grove, the Cosumnes River Preserve, Delta Park's boat ramps, Deer Creek Hills by Rancho Murieta, Mather Regional Park, Indian Stone Corral and Dry Creek Parkway." 

Currently, there are two ranger supervisors and nine field rangers on staff within the ranger service.

“On an average day I monitor the parkway in the morning,” Havicon said, “then one more comes on at 10 a.m. and, eventually, there will be three on in the afternoon." 

The American River Parkway is 23 miles long and Havicon said a staff of their size is simply not big enough to successfully manage that area.

“I personally supervise a staff of five rangers, which focuses primarily on the American River Parkway,” he said. “We basically don't get out to those other places I mentioned unless if there is a call. They are left untouched, unless we are contracted to be out there.”

Havicon said most of the rangers activity is focused on the parkway because it is where most of the community is drawn to.

“The park department was developed around the American River Parkway,” he said. “Between five and nine million people a year use it – that's comparable to Yosemite.”

Havicon said this week alone has proven a problem for the ranger staff.

“We get calls about river rescues and people getting in trouble on the river,” he said. “It seems like they all come in at once. So one ranger has to handle four or five calls and just prioritize them accordingly. We can't be in five different places at once.”

While Havicon believes the only solution to the rangers' problems is to increase their staff, he has been trying to cover ground in other ways.

“We try to educate people on how to keep themselves safer on the river,” he said, “but the reality is that people just don't pay attention and don't read the signs.”

Another option Havicon is working on is a possible Park Ranger Reserve Program.

“This way volunteer citizens could be a part of the ranger service and if they go through with the ranger training then they could be a big asset,” he said. “I am currently working on the general orders for it, but I need to find volunteers and will need some paid staff to oversee the whole thing.”

Non-profit organizations like the American River Parkway Foundation (ARPF), Save the American River Association (SARA) and the American River Parkway Volunteer Equestrian Trail Patrol have been helpful to the park ranger service.

The ARPF, founded in 1983, put in 14,000 hours of volunteer time in 2010. This year, the foundation has 300 active volunteers work on a weekly basis.

The purpose of ARPF's volunteers is to clean up the parkway, be visible and relay any problems they see on the parkway to the ranger service.

“One volunteer, (John Abbe), puts in over 100 hours a month. He works over at mile 8 of the parkway, near Howe Avenue. He is 86-years-old and just won the 'Unsung Hero Award' in the senior category from the Community Service Planning Council,” said Dianna Poggetto, executive director for the ARPF.

SARA holds a similar role within the parkway.

“Our primary goal is advocacy (for the parkway),” said Warren V. Truitt, president of SARA. “We thought back in the '70s our job was done, but it doesn't seem that way. We've had a lot of problems since and we make sure to watch the parkway like a hawk and bring to the attention of the rangers anything that would harm the parkway.”

Another alternative to the shortage of rangers was brought up during the Board of Supervisors' meeting on June 7.

Robert Leonard, administrator of the Municipal Services Agency, mentioned using the police department in the area as a means of protection for the parkway.

Caryn King, president of Sacramento County Alliance of Law Enforcement (SCALE), disagreed during public comments on June 7.

“The park ranger staff can barely keep themselves safe, much less the community,” she said. “And asking for help from other police departments isn't likely to help, because they're facing cuts too – they don't have resources to come help out.”

Ultimately, Havicon said, the largest problem parks are facing is the lack of permanent funding.

“I sympathize with the people who have to make these cuts, but I think there are other ways to go about it,” he said. “Our money flow has always been decided by the board. We get a little bit of money from entrance stations, but that's about it. It all really stems down to needing permanent funding."