The World's Not Fair, And The NPS Suffers

Having long passed my sell-by date, I'm reaching an age where kids who once worked for me are rising in the NPS hierarchy. Even from the comfortable perspective of retirement, it's discouraging to contemplate what I'm seeing:


Ranger Russ: Then- quintessential playboy. Charming as hell, witty and bright, and completely irresponsible. Cut corners wherever he could, wrecked equipment and vehicles through carelessness. Constantly showed up for work hung over. Classic story: once got drunk and missed the last ferry off the island where he was partying, so confused he had three friends call me with separate phony excuses why he wouldn't be at work next day. Couldn't do anything about him because he made himself my boss's drinking buddy.

Now- deputy superintendent of an important national park.


Ranger Roger: Then- the hardest-working twenty-something I've ever met. Expert with every tool in the world, filled his idle off-duty time by fixing buildings that the maintenance division was ignoring. Quiet and thoughtful.

Now- manages the bus fleet for a school district.


Ranger Doug: Then- sociable guy, loved by all, but very flighty. Kept making impulsive decisions that got him into trouble, making work for everyone else.

Now- superintendent of a small national park.


Ranger Jeff: Then- the mainstay of our seasonal staff, a steady hand and all-around great colleague. Rock-solid in emergencies, and happy to share his experience and skill with new coworkers. Any job you asked him to handle, he'd do cheerfully.

Now- immigration agent.


Ranger David: Then- bumbler, with an entitlement attitude. Complained loudly when corrected, or asked to shoulder same workload as peers. Left me in a lurch when he backed out of a job commitment at the last minute because another park made a better offer.

Now- supervisory ranger at a "crown jewel" park.


Ranger Pat: Then- energetic, innovative, and passionately dedicated to protecting the resources. Constantly coming up with new ways of doing things that worked better and saved the taxpayers' money. Sometimes his intensity annoyed coworkers who would have been happier to slack off.

Now- customs inspector on the Canadian border.

*****

No need to go on; you see the picture. The common element is clear: the guys who are getting ahead put a lot of effort into self-promotion, and were quite willing to dump their workload onto colleagues. Conversely, the ones who worked hard and picked up the slack eventually got discouraged and looked for work in other agencies.

Sad, and thoroughly discouraging to anyone who cares about the parks.