1 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: I guess what will? What's that mango? So I found 2 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,200 Speaker 1: this thread from Reddit on some of the stupidest things 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:10,320 Speaker 1: that park rangers have had to deal with every day, 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,480 Speaker 1: and I just had to share some of these ridiculous stories. 5 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: So there are people who try to take selfies with bears. Yeah, 6 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 1: that's very stupid. There are people who try to take 7 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: home baby gators from the Everglades because they think they're 8 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: so cute, which is partially done because these things obviously 9 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: grow up, but also because baby gators apparently cry, and 10 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: that puts all the mama gators in the area in 11 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: attack mode. And uh, there's a family who thought that 12 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: bear spray, which is like a heavy duty pepper spray, 13 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: was supposed to be applied on their bodies like mosquito spray. Yeah. 14 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: Actually that takes the crown that pretty bad. Yeah, I 15 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: should have made for a rough day. But the saddest 16 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:50,200 Speaker 1: and funniest thing to me is the complaints that they got. 17 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 1: So apparently one woman bawled out this park ranger because 18 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 1: the tree she traveled to visit looked exactly like the 19 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: trees in her backyard. I like that she was bawling 20 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: out of park range like I kind of don't think 21 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:04,560 Speaker 1: that's the ranger's fault exactly. Yeah, it is an end 22 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: ridiculous Tourists are the least of what these heroic park 23 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:09,680 Speaker 1: rangers have to deal with. Today. We're talking about how 24 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: they foiled poachers, save species, and yes, help plenty of 25 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:37,480 Speaker 1: tourists along the way. Let's dive in. Y Hey their 26 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: podcast listeners, Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson 27 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: and as always I'm joined by my good friend Mangesh 28 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: Ticketer and on the other side of the soundproof glass, 29 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: decked out in a Smokey the Bear costplay man. This 30 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: is just going all out. That's our friend, producer Tristan McNeil. 31 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: He's even wearing this fuzzy brown sweater. I guess is 32 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: this is this because Smokey always refuses to wear a 33 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: shirt or what? Yeah, but dress like a bear is 34 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: a pretty sharp look, because Tristan really pulls it off, 35 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,360 Speaker 1: and it really does. You know. I didn't have the 36 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: heart to tell him that Smokey is actually a symbol 37 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: of the National Forest Service, not the National Park Service. Well, 38 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: I think you have to be fair here because the 39 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: hat is part of the National Park Rangers uniform. Now, 40 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: speaking of hats, park rangers wear a bunch of different 41 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: hats figuratively speaking. And and that's because national parks, no 42 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:24,919 Speaker 1: matter how safe they might feel to us, there's still 43 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,239 Speaker 1: wild places and anything can happen there, and that means 44 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:30,359 Speaker 1: park rangers have to be prepared to serve the public 45 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: in whatever way is needed, whether that's teachers, tour guides, 46 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:37,399 Speaker 1: e m t s, search and rescue workers, even law 47 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: enforcement officers, and sadly even as coroners you know, sometimes 48 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 1: all in the same day. So, with all the rigors 49 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: of the rangers job in mind, we thought we'd show 50 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: a little appreciation by devoting an entire episode to them. 51 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: We'll talk about how park rangers got their start, how 52 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:54,799 Speaker 1: the job has changed over the last hundred years, and 53 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 1: we'll also learn some of the tricks rangers used to 54 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: contend with whatever nature throws their way. And we're talking 55 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: things like grizzly bears and even these annoying tourists. So 56 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,280 Speaker 1: where do you want to start, Mango, Well, believe it 57 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:08,679 Speaker 1: or not, I actually want to stick with the hats 58 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: for a second, because the ranger hat we've been talking about, 59 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,519 Speaker 1: which is I guess that flat hat with what's called 60 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,920 Speaker 1: a lemon squeezer on top. It's actually a really interesting 61 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 1: holdover from the earliest days of the national parks. And 62 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: this is back when they were patrolled and protected by 63 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:26,679 Speaker 1: military soldiers rather than park rangers, which isn't something most 64 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: people know, I imagine, so so Cluison on this how 65 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: did the military wind up in charge of the national parks? 66 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: So it was really out of necessity Essentially. President Grant 67 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: designated Yellowstone as the world's first official national park, and 68 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: this was way back in eighteen seventy two, but the 69 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: National Park Service wasn't established until about forty years later, 70 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 1: and in the meantime, there was no specialized government agency 71 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: task with overseeing national parks. Instead, that responsibility felt to 72 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: the Department of the Interior, where you know, there were 73 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 1: administrative duties that were passed from one pointee to the next, 74 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: but no one was particularly guild or even that interested 75 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 1: in managing Yellowstone properly, and as a result, poachers just 76 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: waked havoc on the parks, like they decimated the bison population, 77 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: the elk population, the deer population. And it wasn't just poachers, 78 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 1: like it was a total free for all timber companies 79 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: cut down forests there, vandals graffitied rock formations and the geysers, 80 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 1: and visiting ranchers even fed their herds there. And and 81 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: there was also this problem of former settlers who are 82 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: now illegally squatting in a national park. So rather than 83 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: leave quietly, these furious locals would set fires and destroy 84 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: hundreds of acres of parkland. And this all kept the 85 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: administrators scrambling to put it out. Like once word of 86 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:43,600 Speaker 1: all this chaos reached Washington Congress, and the politicians were 87 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 1: just so mad that they refused to allocate any additional 88 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,679 Speaker 1: funding for Yellowstone. And for a minute, it actually seemed 89 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: like the dream of a national park system might not 90 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 1: make it to the twentieth century. And so is this 91 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: s where the military steps in or one that's right? 92 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: So Congress basically reached a compromise with a Department of 93 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: the Interior, and it said that Yellowstone would only continue 94 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 1: to be funded as long as the day to day 95 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: management shifted to the military. So this is in eighteen 96 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: eighty six, which is fourteen years after Yellowstone's founding, But 97 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: a troop of sixty U. S. Cavalrymen came to stand 98 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 1: guard there over the parks two point two million acres. 99 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 1: And you know, if you think about a sixty people 100 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: covering two point two million acres of land, isn't a 101 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:27,160 Speaker 1: lot of people. But this was still a major improvement 102 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: over the parks civilian run days when there were only 103 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,480 Speaker 1: about ten people on patrol, and plus only about five 104 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: people were visiting Yellowstone each year in the eighteen eighties, 105 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 1: so small staff kind of worked well for the most part. 106 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 1: And it's more people started visiting. The military's presence increased too, 107 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 1: and by nine there were actually a total of four 108 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: sixty man troops in Yellowstone and the yearly park attendants 109 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:52,599 Speaker 1: had grown to nineteen thousand people. Wow, alright, but I 110 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:54,719 Speaker 1: don't want us to to to lose track of the hats. 111 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:56,920 Speaker 1: We were talking about the hats earlier. So you're saying 112 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: these cavalrymen, they were the first to wear the flat 113 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,600 Speaker 1: hats that we associate with park rangers. That's right, But 114 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: it wasn't just a fashion choice. So the hats actually 115 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 1: served a very practical purpose and it has a history 116 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: from this is when American cavalry had been sent to 117 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: fight in Cuba and the Philippines, and this is during 118 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 1: the Spanish American War, and while they were there, they 119 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,600 Speaker 1: had to deal with intense tropical rains, you know, like 120 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 1: monsoons that would just soak them to the bone. And 121 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,400 Speaker 1: the soldiers wore army issue hats that were pretty similar 122 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:29,159 Speaker 1: to the modern ones worn by rangers, but according to 123 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: the regulations at the time, they were only supposed to 124 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 1: crease the hats in the front and back. But the 125 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,039 Speaker 1: soldiers found that if they pinched it in quadrants, it 126 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 1: actually shed the rain water off better. So so that's 127 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: where you get what you call that that lemon squeezer pinch. Yeah, 128 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:45,840 Speaker 1: that's right. So if you actually want to get technical, 129 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: that particular kind of hat pinch is known as the 130 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: Montana peak. Anyway, I definitely want to get technical, it's 131 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 1: called the Montana peaks. Well, veterans of the Spanish American 132 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,919 Speaker 1: War brought their hats back and other soldiers realized it 133 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: was worth doing the squeeze and and by nineteen eleven, 134 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:06,160 Speaker 1: the Montana peak was officially added to the troopers uniform. 135 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:08,839 Speaker 1: And then a few years later, when civilian park rangers 136 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: took over, uh, the new recruits adopted that same fashion. 137 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: Well that's pretty cool. And I'm glad you directed us 138 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: to the military's early role in all of this, because 139 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: you know, not only did they set the bar for 140 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: the park ranger fashion, but they also pointed the way 141 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: forward in terms of the work that they did. You know, 142 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: for instance, pretty much from the moment troops arrived in Yellowstone, 143 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 1: they started waging war with the poachers there. And from 144 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,720 Speaker 1: what I've read, this was no easy task, especially because 145 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 1: you know, the military didn't really have legal authority to 146 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 1: punish these poachers, or at least not in any significant way. 147 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 1: Right there weren't any national protections for wildlife at the time, 148 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: so soldiers basically had the authority to like confiscate gear, 149 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 1: or they could kick hunters out of the park, but 150 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 1: really there wasn't that much more they could do beyond that. Yeah, 151 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 1: and in most cases that wasn't enough to dissuade these 152 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: people from coming back with new supplies the next week. 153 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: So I asked Gabe to pull the numbers and and 154 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 1: a fresh bison scout could fetch you three hundred dollars 155 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:06,800 Speaker 1: back in the eighteen nineties, and that was the equivalent 156 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 1: about eight grand today. So for poachers, a shot at 157 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 1: that kind of money was well worth the stern talking 158 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:15,560 Speaker 1: two is that they might get from the military, And 159 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 1: of course the soldiers a Yellowstone felt a little deflated 160 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: about this, so they decided to get creative and sort 161 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: of stretch the limits of the legal penalties that they 162 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: could impose. Sometimes they'd lock poachers in the guardhouse for 163 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks, or you know, they'd forced them 164 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 1: to scrub graffiti off the rocks. But probably the most 165 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: effective practice I had heard about was that soldiers would 166 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 1: march a group of poachers to the south entrance of 167 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:39,319 Speaker 1: the park and then informed them that all of their 168 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:41,920 Speaker 1: guns and supplies they were, you know, available for pick 169 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 1: up at the park headquarters, which was conveniently located about 170 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 1: seventy five miles away at the park's north inser. Well, 171 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: I mean, it serves them right, And of course park 172 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: rangers have upheld that zero tolerance stands on poaching ever since, 173 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 1: so this actually has nothing to do with poaching. But 174 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: I do have to mention it. Did you hear about 175 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,280 Speaker 1: the park superintendent who kicked the KKK out of the park? No, 176 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: but I definitely want to hear the story. So so 177 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 1: what happened? Well, to start with, it. It helps me 178 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: know that the clan was super active in Colorado during 179 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: the mid nineteen twenties. And not only that, but the 180 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:16,560 Speaker 1: group actually received like open acceptance from a number of 181 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: politicians like uh, I would say, the governor, the mayor 182 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:22,680 Speaker 1: of Denver, even a U. S Senator named Rice Means. 183 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 1: And Senator Means held his pr event in Colorado's masa 184 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: Veryday National Park, and of course, like a bunch of 185 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:32,360 Speaker 1: plansmen came out to support their boy. Some of them 186 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:34,960 Speaker 1: even tried to convince the park superintendent, this guy Jesse 187 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 1: nuss Bombed to join up with them. So let me 188 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: guess he declined the offer, at least I hope he did. Yeah, 189 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:42,880 Speaker 1: he did, And once the clan knew where he stood, 190 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 1: they started threatening to hold a torchlight parade through the 191 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:49,440 Speaker 1: park like it was supposed to culminate with this giant 192 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:52,199 Speaker 1: rally and uh burning crosses right in front of the 193 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:55,680 Speaker 1: ruins of this famous Native American settlement. But nuts Bomb 194 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 1: wasn't having any of it, so he told a clan 195 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 1: they weren't welcome in masa Verday, and just a sure 196 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 1: he got his point across, he armed his small park 197 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 1: staff with these pick axe handles and other makeshift weapons, 198 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 1: and he positioned them where the klansmen could see them. 199 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:11,839 Speaker 1: And for whatever reason, this intimidation tactic work because the 200 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:15,320 Speaker 1: clan left without incident. Wow, that's pretty amazing that it 201 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: falls completely in line with the ranger motto, which is 202 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:22,000 Speaker 1: to protect the park from people, the people from the park, 203 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:24,760 Speaker 1: and the people from the people. Yeah, and well when' 204 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:27,840 Speaker 1: us bond did definitely take two of those boxes, you know, 205 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 1: preserving natural spaces really takes a lot of nerve. I mean, 206 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,439 Speaker 1: I feel like sometimes park rangers are almost viewed as 207 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:36,240 Speaker 1: being on the softer side when it comes to law 208 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:40,560 Speaker 1: enforcement officers, but their jobs are really really hard. Oh definitely, 209 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:42,439 Speaker 1: And actually, I think you'll love this story I read 210 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 1: about from Glacier National Park and this happened in the 211 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 1: seventies when the park was apparently overrun with a bunch 212 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 1: of snowbob dealers who just kept illegally cutting through a 213 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,880 Speaker 1: stretch of the park that runs along the Montana Highway. 214 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:57,040 Speaker 1: This really ticked off one ranger in particular, a guy 215 00:10:57,120 --> 00:11:00,160 Speaker 1: named Art Sedlek, who he was just sick of issueing 216 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 1: these warnings over and over for the same stupid offense. 217 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:06,160 Speaker 1: So one night in December, the rangers stopped yet another 218 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: group of snowmobilers and gave them the usual speech, you know, 219 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:10,679 Speaker 1: to stay out of the area so they wouldn't get 220 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,320 Speaker 1: a ticket. And it was less than an hour later 221 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 1: he heard the sound of snowmobiles and the distant on 222 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:18,080 Speaker 1: so of course he hops on his four by four 223 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,560 Speaker 1: to go investigate, and when he caught up with them, 224 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,320 Speaker 1: he realized it was the same four offenders from earlier. 225 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:25,480 Speaker 1: So of course the guy was really mad and just 226 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:28,280 Speaker 1: about to lose it, And so he pulls up alongside 227 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:30,480 Speaker 1: the lead vehicle and he starts trying to pull out 228 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 1: all of its spark plugs and couldn't get a good 229 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:35,680 Speaker 1: enough group, and so he decided just like go all 230 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:39,239 Speaker 1: action movie on him, and he used a slightly different approach. 231 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:42,560 Speaker 1: So he pulls out his standard issue thirty eight caliber 232 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 1: pistol and fires it directly into the snowmobiles engine. That's insane, So, 233 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:50,680 Speaker 1: I mean I could identify with that sort of anger though, 234 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,280 Speaker 1: if that was happening over and over and over, you 235 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:57,400 Speaker 1: know ues But uh, well, what happened to the other perpose? 236 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:00,280 Speaker 1: Like did they just speed away? Well? What you think. 237 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 1: I mean, they pulled over and once they were in custody, 238 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:05,760 Speaker 1: each trespasser was forced to pay a whopping twenty five 239 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:12,319 Speaker 1: dollars in fines, So that was totally worth it. But uh, 240 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:14,559 Speaker 1: what about the ranger, Like, I feel like that kind 241 00:12:14,559 --> 00:12:17,600 Speaker 1: of behavior either you get a promotion or you get 242 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:19,720 Speaker 1: put in jail, like depending on who your boss is. 243 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 1: I guess it was actually neither of those. I mean, 244 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 1: he was reprimanded for firing the pistol, but he kind 245 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 1: of became a hero among the other officers, which you know, 246 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 1: I'm sure took away some of this thing from that, 247 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:32,600 Speaker 1: but he had the locals on his side for sure, 248 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 1: and for years after the incident, the Montana Wilderness Association 249 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:39,440 Speaker 1: gave out this said like award for displays of creativity 250 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: and defense of public lands. That's amazing. Well as exciting 251 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 1: as arms standoffs and high speed snowmobile chases are. We 252 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 1: we should probably talk a little bit about some of 253 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:51,720 Speaker 1: the more low key but still super vital work that 254 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 1: park rangers do, especially when it comes to repopulating and 255 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: endangered species. Absolutely, before we do that, why don't we 256 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:12,959 Speaker 1: take a quick break. They're listening to part time genius, 257 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: and we're talking about the highs and lows of being 258 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:17,800 Speaker 1: an American park ranger. So I go, for as long 259 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,000 Speaker 1: as there have been national parks, there have been poachers 260 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:22,760 Speaker 1: looking to exploit the wildlife there. And you know, one 261 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: of the earliest species they targeted was, sadly, the American bison. Now, 262 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 1: a few centuries ago, tens of millions of bisons roamed 263 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:32,200 Speaker 1: freely across the plains of North America, but by the 264 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:36,800 Speaker 1: late eighteen eighties, excessive hunting and poaching had drastically reduced 265 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,560 Speaker 1: those numbers. In fact, by nineteen o two, yellowstones, once 266 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:44,439 Speaker 1: great herd, had decimated to just under two dozen animals. 267 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:47,880 Speaker 1: I mean, that just feels absurd, especially when you consider 268 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:51,600 Speaker 1: that Native Americans had hunted bison for centuries, but you know, 269 00:13:51,679 --> 00:13:54,280 Speaker 1: they didn't have guns and horses, so it made it 270 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,960 Speaker 1: a bit of a fair fight. Also, Native Americans had 271 00:13:56,960 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 1: always showed such a deep respect for buffalo and they 272 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:01,880 Speaker 1: were careful to use every part of the animals they killed, 273 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 1: and this wasn't the case for American poachers, who were 274 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 1: only interested in the body parts that commanded the highest 275 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,080 Speaker 1: prices on the market. And you know, you just had 276 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:12,400 Speaker 1: these enormous carcasses that were left to rot in the 277 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:15,719 Speaker 1: fields for some poor park rangers to stumble upon. Right. 278 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 1: I feel like that's an aspect of this we don't 279 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:20,200 Speaker 1: think about much like the people who find the horror 280 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:23,000 Speaker 1: shows that the poachers leave in their wake. The fact 281 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:25,120 Speaker 1: that it's usually people who have sworn to protect these 282 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: animals and the land that they live on it actually 283 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 1: makes it that much more tragic. Yeah, but thankfully, the 284 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: American bison story doesn't end in extinction, or at least 285 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 1: it hasn't yet, because once the park officials realized the 286 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: sorry state of Yellowstones bison population, they immediately set to 287 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 1: work on fixing the problem. And remember this was still 288 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 1: a decade or so before the actual National Park system 289 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: was formed. At the time, Yellowstone was still under the 290 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 1: jurisdiction of the U. S. Army, and it was actually 291 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 1: these soldiers who helped launch one of the world's first 292 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 1: attempts to preserve a wild species solely through protection and 293 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:02,080 Speaker 1: also stewardship. I mean, that's pretty cool, But what did 294 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:05,400 Speaker 1: they do exactly? Well, the first step was to try 295 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: and rebuild the bison's numbers. So to that end, Yellowstone 296 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,560 Speaker 1: bought twenty one bison from private owners, and they gradually 297 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: started to mix them in with the free range population. 298 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:18,520 Speaker 1: And when the NPS took over the operation, the rangers 299 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 1: kept up those husbandry methods while continue to crack down 300 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,040 Speaker 1: on poachers. And now they also had the backing of 301 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 1: new laws for a nature species from Congress, and these 302 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:31,360 Speaker 1: efforts ultimately proved super effective. By nineteen fifty four, the 303 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: bison's numbers that skyrocketed to about animals, and today Yellowstone 304 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:38,640 Speaker 1: actually has about five thousand American bison, which makes it 305 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 1: both the largest and the oldest free roaming bison herd 306 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 1: in the whole country. Wow. So you know, so bison 307 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 1: are obviously on the larger end of the spectrum of 308 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 1: animals that the National Parks are helping to preserve. But 309 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 1: let's talk about a smaller animal that could still use 310 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: a lot of help, and that sea turtles. Because you know, 311 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:56,800 Speaker 1: at this point, just about every species of sea turtle 312 00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 1: on the planet is classified as endangered. We're talking all 313 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:02,320 Speaker 1: all over the world. Adults sea turtles are hunted for 314 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:04,880 Speaker 1: their eggs, or their skin, or their meat and shells. 315 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: I mean, all of this goes for big bucks on 316 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:10,200 Speaker 1: the Black market, and things aren't any easier for their offspring. 317 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 1: I mean, they have to run the gauntlet of these 318 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 1: crabs and raccoons and seagulls just to get to the 319 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: water after hatching. And even if they do make it 320 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 1: to that like water like, the babies still have to 321 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: dodge like nets and pollution and predators like sharks. It's crazy. Well, 322 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 1: in fact, less than one percent of sea turtle eggs 323 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:31,560 Speaker 1: wind up producing a turtle that survives to adulthood. Isn't 324 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:34,640 Speaker 1: that crazy? Less than one percent? Yeah, I mean such 325 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,400 Speaker 1: grim numbers. But what are the natural parks actually doing 326 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:39,720 Speaker 1: to help these little guys? Well, anything they can really. 327 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: I mean, for instance, at the Canaveral National Seashore in Florida, 328 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: you've got specialists there who are helping the green turtle 329 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:48,600 Speaker 1: population recover, and they do this by keeping local predators 330 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:51,960 Speaker 1: from chowing down on the unhatched eggs. Beyond that, the 331 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:54,680 Speaker 1: national parks work to keep the coastline as clean and 332 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: safe as possible for the sea turtles that are nesting there. 333 00:16:57,960 --> 00:16:59,320 Speaker 1: And I don't know if you noticed or not, but 334 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:02,160 Speaker 1: most of the threats to see turtle survival we listed 335 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:05,160 Speaker 1: come from humans, So being able to preserve a pristine 336 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:07,919 Speaker 1: stretch of beach that's safe from developers and free of 337 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,760 Speaker 1: artificial noise and light pollution. It goes a long way 338 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:15,280 Speaker 1: towards getting baby sea turtles into the water. And actually 339 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:17,359 Speaker 1: I've noticed, you know, several times when we go on 340 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:19,480 Speaker 1: trips down to the shore, especially if it's in more 341 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:22,879 Speaker 1: remote areas, you'll see these, you know, signs on the 342 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: you know, on the buildings that you stay in or 343 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: on the houses that you stay in that will remind 344 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:29,440 Speaker 1: you to turn your outdoor lights off at night for 345 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:32,840 Speaker 1: that very reason. Yeah, but I mean, even with those 346 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:36,080 Speaker 1: protective measures, like those odds still seem really slim. And 347 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 1: you know, the rangers have to be a little despondent 348 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:42,679 Speaker 1: about this, right, like like they're fighting this losing battle 349 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:45,680 Speaker 1: to some degree, especially when I guess, like one hungry 350 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:48,920 Speaker 1: shark or a careless fisherman could you know, destroy the 351 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:51,359 Speaker 1: effort of the little hatchling that finally makes it to 352 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,320 Speaker 1: the water. Well. And it's certainly stressful, but there's some 353 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,600 Speaker 1: encouraging signs, so staff members that Canaveral counted fewer than 354 00:17:57,640 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: a hundred nest each year back in the mid to 355 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:03,199 Speaker 1: late eighties, but since launching their program, those numbers have 356 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:06,639 Speaker 1: risen sharply. In fact, two thousand fifteen was a banner 357 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:09,280 Speaker 1: year for green sea turtles, with more than thirty five 358 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 1: hundred nests found along the shore there at Canaveral. But 359 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:14,840 Speaker 1: at the same time, park rangers aren't blind to what 360 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:17,280 Speaker 1: they're up against. I mean, they know they can't save 361 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:20,240 Speaker 1: all or even most of these animals, but it never 362 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 1: stops them from doing what they can. For instance, I 363 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: read this account from a former park ranger. Her name 364 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 1: is Andrea Lankford, and she spent some time working at 365 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 1: Cape Hatteras at the National Seashore there in North Carolina, 366 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:33,920 Speaker 1: and she routinely proud the beaches in search of sea 367 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:37,040 Speaker 1: turtle nest and then documented the location so she could 368 00:18:37,119 --> 00:18:39,600 Speaker 1: check back in from time to time. One day, she 369 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:42,600 Speaker 1: comes across this tiny baby loggerhead turtle in the dunes, 370 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 1: and the experience, which was early in her career, it 371 00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:48,520 Speaker 1: really made her reflect on whether or not her work 372 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:51,399 Speaker 1: was truly worthwhile. So this is from an article in 373 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,879 Speaker 1: backpacker dot Com, and Andrea writes this. She says, holding 374 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:57,480 Speaker 1: this single turtle in my hands brought my decision about 375 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:00,600 Speaker 1: being a park ranger into sharp focus. How could I 376 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 1: not fight to keep this endangered species from becoming extinct? 377 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 1: How could I not risk my life jumping from helicopters 378 00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:09,880 Speaker 1: or fording rivers so this baby turtle could someday return 379 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:14,720 Speaker 1: and lay its own eggs, retirement benefits, health insurance, decent housing. 380 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: On my knees in the sand with a baby turtle 381 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 1: struggling for its life in the palm of my hand, 382 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:22,919 Speaker 1: I thought I had found the best and most important 383 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:26,120 Speaker 1: job in the world. Um, that's such a beautiful thought. 384 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,360 Speaker 1: And you know that danger she mentions, like jumping out 385 00:19:29,359 --> 00:19:32,320 Speaker 1: of helicopters and fording rivers. It's a part of the 386 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:35,080 Speaker 1: park rangers jobs that we don't even see often or 387 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: think about, but it's so present. In fact, I read 388 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:41,840 Speaker 1: some statistics from the Department of Justice and apparently National 389 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:44,639 Speaker 1: Park Rangers are more likely to be assaulted while on 390 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:48,680 Speaker 1: the job than any other federal officer, and in terms 391 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:52,360 Speaker 1: of fatal accidents involving plane crashes and natural disasters, park 392 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:54,720 Speaker 1: rangers are up to twelve times more likely to die 393 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: in the line of duty than FBI agents. That is unbelievable. Well, 394 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:01,640 Speaker 1: we really don't of them enough credit and and their 395 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:04,800 Speaker 1: search and rescue work alone should have us singing their praises. 396 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:07,560 Speaker 1: According to the NPS, park rangers came to the aid 397 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:10,920 Speaker 1: of over forty five thousand people between two thousand four 398 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:14,560 Speaker 1: and two thousand fourteen, and only about fifteen hundred of 399 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:19,680 Speaker 1: those incidents resulted in fatalities. That's a pretty amazing track record, definitely. 400 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:22,080 Speaker 1: And and since we're giving credit where it's due, I 401 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:24,440 Speaker 1: I do want to make sure we're not overlooking one 402 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 1: of the most unique heroes to serve on the front 403 00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:29,600 Speaker 1: lines of our parks, and that's the bark Ranger, which 404 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 1: the Montana Glacier National Park added to its team in 405 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:35,440 Speaker 1: two thousand sixteen. Wait, so are we letting dogs be 406 00:20:35,560 --> 00:20:39,480 Speaker 1: park rangers? Now bark rangers? And it's not just any 407 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:41,720 Speaker 1: dog that This one is a border calling named Gracey, 408 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,359 Speaker 1: and it's her job to help keep wildlife at a 409 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:47,480 Speaker 1: safe distance from park visitors. So apparently there's this particular 410 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:50,320 Speaker 1: parking lot where mountain goats and bighorn sheep like to gather, 411 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,280 Speaker 1: and this led to all kinds of problems, like sometimes 412 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:55,960 Speaker 1: the animals would lick the poisonous anti freeze that leaked 413 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,680 Speaker 1: out of people's cars, and of course they're the tourists 414 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: who try to spook the animal or get too close 415 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: while trying to snap selfies. All right, but couldn't a 416 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:05,760 Speaker 1: good old fashioned human ranger drive away the hers just 417 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:08,639 Speaker 1: as easily as a dog. So that's why I was 418 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,399 Speaker 1: wondering too, But apparently not. I mean, they tried this 419 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:13,560 Speaker 1: for a while, but the animals always came right back 420 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: after being driven away by humans, and this is partially 421 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:18,880 Speaker 1: because they were getting so many mixed signals. I mean, 422 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:21,840 Speaker 1: you've got tourists trying to feed the animals and coax 423 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:24,719 Speaker 1: them closer for better pictures, and and then you've got 424 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 1: these park rangers who are like simultaneously like shouting and 425 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 1: waving their arms to scare the animals off. And it 426 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:32,280 Speaker 1: probably seemed almost like a game to the sheep and goats. 427 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 1: But Gracie has changed all of that. Like the herds 428 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:37,760 Speaker 1: could tell when she barked, she met business, and now 429 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:39,920 Speaker 1: she and her handler visit the parking lot to scare 430 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,480 Speaker 1: off animals a couple of times a week, and it's 431 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 1: with the hopes that eventually the wild sheep and goats 432 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:47,439 Speaker 1: will just deer clear the parking lot. Altogether. That's some 433 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:51,600 Speaker 1: pretty good inner species teamwork there. That's that's that's pretty interesting. Well, 434 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:53,280 Speaker 1: I want to steer us back to the human side 435 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:55,200 Speaker 1: of things because there are a few more notable park 436 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 1: rangers I want to make sure we get to. But 437 00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:12,600 Speaker 1: before we do that, let's take a quick break. Okay, Well, 438 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:14,800 Speaker 1: so before we run down the list of park Ranger 439 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:16,680 Speaker 1: All Stars, I do want to just take a minute 440 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 1: to talk about some of the colorful lingo you might 441 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:21,600 Speaker 1: hear in the national parks. So we've already mentioned flat 442 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:24,760 Speaker 1: hats and lemon squeezers, which are actual nicknames that rangers 443 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:27,120 Speaker 1: used to talk about their headgear. But have you ever 444 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:30,199 Speaker 1: heard of code W? I can't say that I have. 445 00:22:30,320 --> 00:22:33,399 Speaker 1: Is is uh just guessing as W for water is 446 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 1: just like when a hiker gets dehydrated or something. So 447 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:38,199 Speaker 1: I mean code water is a pretty good guest. But 448 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:42,960 Speaker 1: the W actually stands for whimpy, And apparently code W 449 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:45,600 Speaker 1: is just a playful put down that some park rangers 450 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:48,639 Speaker 1: developed to describe these melodramatic tourists who call in for 451 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:52,840 Speaker 1: a rescue when there's no actual emergency. That's rangers actually 452 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:55,400 Speaker 1: waste a lot of time fielding calls about fake emergencies. 453 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:57,720 Speaker 1: You know, it's mostly from hikers who just bit off 454 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:01,240 Speaker 1: more than they could chew. I do feel for the 455 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:04,119 Speaker 1: park rangers in these situations because, parsonally, because they have 456 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:06,520 Speaker 1: to put up with so many silly requests and all 457 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:09,639 Speaker 1: these weird questions that come from visitors. Actually read this 458 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:12,560 Speaker 1: one anonymous account from a park ranger at the Grand Canyon, 459 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:14,800 Speaker 1: and he listed out some of the ridiculous questions he's 460 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:17,439 Speaker 1: had to feel out from adult tourists, like is the 461 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:20,280 Speaker 1: Grand Canyon human made? And what time do you feed 462 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,000 Speaker 1: the animals? And when do you turn on the waterfalls. 463 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:26,359 Speaker 1: One time, this poor guy even caught a confused tourist 464 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:29,640 Speaker 1: who had rolled his suitcase several miles into the Grand 465 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:34,240 Speaker 1: Canyon because he thought his hotel was that there. Oh no, well, 466 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:36,600 Speaker 1: I mean they also try to take measures to prevent 467 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:39,480 Speaker 1: that sort of thing. I read about this effort called PRS, 468 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 1: which is uh, it's preventive search and rescue, and it's 469 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:45,399 Speaker 1: basically a way to make sure our visitors are prepared 470 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:47,879 Speaker 1: before they go out on hikes. You know, it's mainly 471 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:50,879 Speaker 1: so rangers won't have to save them later on. But 472 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:52,960 Speaker 1: the program trains rangers to look out for all these 473 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:56,159 Speaker 1: telltale signs of novice hikers, like someone shows up in 474 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:59,280 Speaker 1: flip flops or heading into the wilderness without a backpack. 475 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 1: You know, when they see someone like that at the 476 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:04,840 Speaker 1: rangers make suggestions like wear shoes, or stock up on water, 477 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:08,080 Speaker 1: or try a shorter trail. And you know they can't 478 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:10,800 Speaker 1: force tourists to take this advice. But the program does 479 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: seem to be working. Since it was institute of the 480 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:17,080 Speaker 1: Grand Canyon Park has actually seen this dramatic drop in 481 00:24:17,119 --> 00:24:20,879 Speaker 1: its search and rescue efforts. That's pretty cool. And speaking 482 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,679 Speaker 1: of saving people from their own dumb choices, you remember 483 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:26,040 Speaker 1: that ranger I mentioned that that that really sweet moment 484 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:29,360 Speaker 1: with the turtles. Andrea Langford, I'll never forget her. Well, 485 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:31,720 Speaker 1: she also worked a stretch at Yosemite, and there was 486 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:34,919 Speaker 1: this one time she actually wound up foiling of bank heist. 487 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:38,439 Speaker 1: I mean, this woman has done everything. Apparently these robbers 488 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:40,640 Speaker 1: were just hiding out in the park after pulling a job, 489 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:42,720 Speaker 1: but they got lost in the middle of the night 490 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,040 Speaker 1: and they got so scared that they ended up calling 491 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:48,240 Speaker 1: the police to come get them. That's amazing. So I 492 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:50,439 Speaker 1: feel like I want to hear all of Langford's stories 493 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 1: because she sounds like a park legend. But perhaps the 494 00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:55,320 Speaker 1: ranger who has had the roughest govid all in the 495 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:57,879 Speaker 1: line of duty is Roy Sullivan, who has to be 496 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:01,000 Speaker 1: the most put upon ranger in history. So what makes 497 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,639 Speaker 1: you say that? So during his tenure at TENDO, he 498 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:08,360 Speaker 1: was actually struck by lightning seven different times. It's just crazy. 499 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:10,919 Speaker 1: It's it's hard not to laugh at that. I know, 500 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:12,560 Speaker 1: we shouldn't laugh at something, and the guy has been 501 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:15,159 Speaker 1: struck by lightning seven times when we're laughing about it, 502 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:17,600 Speaker 1: but that just is crazy. And I have heard of 503 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:19,840 Speaker 1: this guy. I'm pretty sure he actually holds the Guinness 504 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:22,760 Speaker 1: record for being struck by lightning more than anyone else. 505 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:25,360 Speaker 1: At least I hope nobody has been struck more than that. Yeah, 506 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:27,080 Speaker 1: I mean, I hope it's a record. No one's trying 507 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:29,399 Speaker 1: to break. And if they did try, though, the odds 508 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:32,320 Speaker 1: wouldn't be easy. So the odds being struck by lightning 509 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:36,119 Speaker 1: are actually one and two eight million, but seven times 510 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 1: like according to a George Washington University staff professor, the 511 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:42,560 Speaker 1: odds of that are actually four in uh. I don't 512 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:44,240 Speaker 1: really know how to say his number, but it's one 513 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: with thirty two zeros after it, so it's a pretty 514 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:50,000 Speaker 1: big number. Wow. And so did all seven of those 515 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:53,560 Speaker 1: strikes happened while he was a park ranger, so not exactly. 516 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:56,640 Speaker 1: The last one actually happened after his retirement, when Roy 517 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,760 Speaker 1: was trout fishing at a lake near his house. Poor cock, 518 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:02,400 Speaker 1: talk about bad luck, I know. So on the way 519 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:04,800 Speaker 1: back to his car, a black bear actually stole the 520 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:08,479 Speaker 1: fish he had hooked, but I think just survived this 521 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:11,440 Speaker 1: like lightning attack and his seven lightning attack on top 522 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:14,359 Speaker 1: of that, Roy was in no mood to be messed 523 00:26:14,359 --> 00:26:17,159 Speaker 1: with by a bear, so instead he just took a 524 00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 1: stick and he hit the bear and stole his fish back, 525 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:22,720 Speaker 1: and then he ran he high tailed it out of there, 526 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,800 Speaker 1: kind of dazed but triumphant. Anyway. Um, Roy Sullivan's kind 527 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:28,879 Speaker 1: of a legend and people call him the spark Ranger. 528 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:31,600 Speaker 1: Oh that makes sense. All right. Well, we've talked a 529 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:33,880 Speaker 1: lot today about the courage and the empathy that park 530 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:37,160 Speaker 1: rangers bring to their preservation efforts. But there's one more 531 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:39,720 Speaker 1: rather unique preservation campaign that I want to mention, and 532 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,639 Speaker 1: that's the one headed up by ranger Doug Lean. So, 533 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:45,760 Speaker 1: first of all, you've probably seen those classic travel posters 534 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,440 Speaker 1: from you know, several of the national parks, and they're 535 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:51,639 Speaker 1: those colorful silk screen posters that were used as promotional 536 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:54,040 Speaker 1: tools and this was all the boost tourism back in 537 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:57,280 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties and forties. Yeah, I love this so much. 538 00:26:57,359 --> 00:26:59,440 Speaker 1: It's kind of that like art deco style you see 539 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:03,360 Speaker 1: on this old Disneyland attraction posters, and it's got such 540 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:07,160 Speaker 1: beautiful like light and shadows and muted colors. They're great. Yeah, 541 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 1: those are the ones, and the original posters were made 542 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:12,440 Speaker 1: by the w p A or the Works Progress Administration, 543 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 1: and you know, if you remember, that was all part 544 00:27:14,119 --> 00:27:16,600 Speaker 1: of Roosevelt's wide scale effort to get America up and 545 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:19,880 Speaker 1: running following the Depression. And to this end, a nice 546 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:22,600 Speaker 1: chunk of the w p a's budget went to arts projects, 547 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:26,280 Speaker 1: including these four thousand public murals and over two million 548 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:30,360 Speaker 1: posters intended to promote art and education, health and travel. 549 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:32,320 Speaker 1: And you know, on the travel side, a team of 550 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:34,919 Speaker 1: Berkeley artists they were hired to produce more than fifty 551 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 1: poster designs and they were all under this banners see America. 552 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:41,720 Speaker 1: And among these were a handful of designs representing the 553 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:45,919 Speaker 1: fourteen national parks. So were these sold is like souvenirs 554 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:49,160 Speaker 1: or just hung around town or what was the deal there? Well, 555 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,399 Speaker 1: the silk screens used to make the posters were they 556 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:54,199 Speaker 1: were pretty fragile, so only between fifty and a hundred 557 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:56,720 Speaker 1: of these posters were made for each park, and of 558 00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:58,480 Speaker 1: course that's way too few to be sold to the 559 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:02,200 Speaker 1: general public. So instead the posters were distributed to places 560 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:05,359 Speaker 1: like you know, chambers of commerce or other local government buildings, 561 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:07,920 Speaker 1: and and then they were put in these communities surrounding 562 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 1: each park. And so for a few years, the posters 563 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:14,080 Speaker 1: did their jobs. They started getting new people, new visitors 564 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:16,800 Speaker 1: into the parks and really helping America get back on 565 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:19,800 Speaker 1: its feet. But then once their usefulness had kind of ended, 566 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:23,400 Speaker 1: the posters started disappearing, and once they were gone, nobody 567 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:26,679 Speaker 1: could find them, at least for several decades. That's crazy. 568 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:29,440 Speaker 1: So now obviously you can buy prints and postcards of 569 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:31,680 Speaker 1: all that old w p A art at the park, 570 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:35,440 Speaker 1: so obviously it must have resurfaced at some point, right Well, 571 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:37,520 Speaker 1: and that's where Ranger Doug comes in. This was back 572 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:40,120 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy one. He was working as a seasonal 573 00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:43,560 Speaker 1: ranger at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and one 574 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:45,520 Speaker 1: day in the fall, the rangers were doing a general 575 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:47,680 Speaker 1: clean up of the park and this was after a 576 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:50,760 Speaker 1: pretty busy summer season, so Doug was working on clearing 577 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:52,880 Speaker 1: out an old horse stall when he came across this 578 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:56,200 Speaker 1: tattered w P A poster for this park. Was the 579 00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 1: very first design produced in the series. The poster would 580 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:01,560 Speaker 1: have just ended up on the park burnpile if not 581 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:04,080 Speaker 1: for Doug, and he really took a liking to it 582 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:07,120 Speaker 1: and actually got permission to keep it for himself. But 583 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 1: this was just the start for him. He actually figured 584 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:11,720 Speaker 1: that if Grand Titon Park had a poster like this, 585 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:15,800 Speaker 1: maybe others did too. So over the next couple of decades, 586 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:19,480 Speaker 1: Doug started piecing together this forgotten story of these now 587 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 1: iconic posters, and his biggest breakthrough came in nine So 588 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:26,640 Speaker 1: that's the year Doug got in touch with the NPS 589 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:30,360 Speaker 1: archives and Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, and he actually uncovered 590 00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:33,640 Speaker 1: thirteen black and white poster negatives. They've just been tucked 591 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:37,400 Speaker 1: away in a file drawer for safe keeping, and using those, 592 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,480 Speaker 1: Doug was able to reproduce the whole series and that's 593 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:42,560 Speaker 1: why you can find all these postcards and Prince you 594 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:46,120 Speaker 1: mentioned in the National park gift shops today. That's really incredible. 595 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:48,520 Speaker 1: And I think you said though that the w p 596 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 1: A only made like posters for fourteen parks, but you know, 597 00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:54,640 Speaker 1: I've seen so many of those, and especially for parks 598 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,760 Speaker 1: that didn't exist in the thirties. How's that come about? Well, 599 00:29:57,800 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 1: that's the other really cool thing about this. So one 600 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:04,160 Speaker 1: Doug started reproducing the original posters, other parks began commissioning 601 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:06,840 Speaker 1: new posters in that same style as the w p 602 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:09,760 Speaker 1: A ones. So today they're over fifty national parks and 603 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 1: monuments represented in this collection, with more coming. And you know, 604 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:15,040 Speaker 1: none of that would have ever happened if not for 605 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:17,840 Speaker 1: Doug lem you know, the self proclaimed ranger of the 606 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:20,880 Speaker 1: lost art. I love that, you know. We we actually 607 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:23,640 Speaker 1: drove through Shando on the way back from Thanksgiving this 608 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 1: year and I was just so floored by the beauty there. 609 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,760 Speaker 1: And every time I look at those little postcards that 610 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:32,480 Speaker 1: we bought, which are just these tiny replicas of that art, 611 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:35,840 Speaker 1: like it really makes me very happy. I completely agree. 612 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,840 Speaker 1: And the parks really are incredible. I mean, not only 613 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:41,480 Speaker 1: do they offer the chance to have these breathtaking or 614 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:45,560 Speaker 1: kind of life affirming experiences in our nation's most precious places. 615 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:49,640 Speaker 1: But they really offer that chance and equal measure to everybody. So, 616 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,240 Speaker 1: to quote Dayton Duncan, a former director of the National 617 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:56,480 Speaker 1: Park Foundation, quote, national parks are the declaration of independence 618 00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:59,440 Speaker 1: expressed on the landscape. We were the first nation in 619 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:01,520 Speaker 1: the history of a kind to say that the most 620 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:04,800 Speaker 1: special places should be set aside, not for royalty, not 621 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:07,400 Speaker 1: for the rich, not for the well connected, but for 622 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:10,760 Speaker 1: everyone and for all time. I mean, that sounds so 623 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:13,640 Speaker 1: America to me. But before we make a bee line 624 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:15,840 Speaker 1: for the closest park, let's salute a few more of 625 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:26,640 Speaker 1: our favorite rangers in today's fact off h M. Did 626 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:28,440 Speaker 1: you know that before he went to law school, Gerald 627 00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:31,840 Speaker 1: Ford briefly worked as a park ranger. Apparently he was 628 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:34,800 Speaker 1: a seasonal ranger at Yellowstone, where he was assigned to 629 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:37,680 Speaker 1: work as an armed guard on a bear feeding truck 630 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:40,640 Speaker 1: and uh in years later he referred to it as 631 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:43,560 Speaker 1: one of the greatest summers of his life. So, the 632 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:47,560 Speaker 1: country's oldest park ranger is nineties six years old. Her 633 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:49,960 Speaker 1: name is Betty Reid Saskin, and she works at the 634 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:53,360 Speaker 1: Rosie the Riveter World War Two home Front National Historical 635 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:56,640 Speaker 1: Park in California. Though she only got into her career 636 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:59,280 Speaker 1: a little over a decade ago, she's also been a 637 00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:03,080 Speaker 1: tremendous activists from her civil rights work earlier to denouncing 638 00:32:03,080 --> 00:32:06,000 Speaker 1: the defunding of parks, and she's won a presidential medal 639 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:09,200 Speaker 1: for her efforts. So while the least visited national parks 640 00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:12,600 Speaker 1: might be in Alaska or American Samoa within the contiguous US, 641 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:14,640 Speaker 1: the least visit park is actually in the middle of 642 00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:17,720 Speaker 1: Lake Superior, and it's known as Isle Royal National Park. 643 00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:21,240 Speaker 1: The problem is mainly accessibility, so you can actually only 644 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:24,920 Speaker 1: get there via seaplane or boat, and that actually shows 645 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:27,320 Speaker 1: in the numbers the number of people who come there 646 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:30,440 Speaker 1: over years, about sixteen thousand people, and that's equal to 647 00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:32,640 Speaker 1: the number of people that might visit Yosemite on a 648 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:36,080 Speaker 1: single day in June. I've actually never heard of that park, 649 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 1: but now I kind of want to go visit this. 650 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:40,280 Speaker 1: So did you know that for a while, Yellowstone was 651 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:44,000 Speaker 1: actually referred to as Wonderland. Like we said in the 652 00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:46,400 Speaker 1: beginning of the show, only a few thousand visitors used 653 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:49,040 Speaker 1: to go to Yellowstone every year at first, but when 654 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:52,320 Speaker 1: the North Pacific Railroad was completed in eighteen eighty three, 655 00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:55,680 Speaker 1: suddenly the accessibility of the park changed, and so to 656 00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:58,640 Speaker 1: boost train travel, the railroad decided to launch this ad 657 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:01,720 Speaker 1: campaign for Yellowstone kind building off the popularity of the 658 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:06,280 Speaker 1: Alice in Wonderland books, so they talked about Yellowstone as Wonderland. 659 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:08,920 Speaker 1: They even handed out pamphlets using Alice as a fictional 660 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:11,480 Speaker 1: tour guide to the parks and pointing out places you 661 00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:13,480 Speaker 1: should visit. In fact, one of the quotes from the 662 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:16,400 Speaker 1: brochure that I saw has her gushing and saying, tell me, 663 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,120 Speaker 1: is this not Wonderland? So I'm going to tell you 664 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:22,080 Speaker 1: about the bear Lunch Counter. So I guess Yellowstone used 665 00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:24,240 Speaker 1: to have an open air garbage dump at the park, 666 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:27,000 Speaker 1: which we're definitely not the prettiest thing at the parks, 667 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:29,240 Speaker 1: but it was an easy place to gin up a 668 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:32,160 Speaker 1: wild animal show if you ever wanted to see scavenging animals, 669 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:35,280 Speaker 1: and of course this meant big birds, but it also 670 00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:38,320 Speaker 1: included black bears and grizzlies, which is how the dump 671 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:41,560 Speaker 1: got called the bear lunch Counter. But the weirdest part 672 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:43,240 Speaker 1: of it is that in the ninety twenties and thirties, 673 00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:45,560 Speaker 1: The park operators decided to take advantage of this, and 674 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:48,320 Speaker 1: they put leachers around the trash pits so visitors could 675 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:50,960 Speaker 1: sit and watch. And they also put up signs that 676 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:53,960 Speaker 1: said lunch counter for bears only, which you know, I'm 677 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:57,920 Speaker 1: not sure why they had to clarify right day, right, Actually, 678 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:00,160 Speaker 1: since we're on a Yellowstone tear, I'm gonna throw one 679 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:02,520 Speaker 1: more here. So did you know that part of the 680 00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:05,000 Speaker 1: reason we've got Yellowstone is a national park is thanks 681 00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:09,040 Speaker 1: to an artist. His name is Thomas Moran, and in eightee, 682 00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:12,440 Speaker 1: Moran was part of a federally funded expedition to document 683 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:16,600 Speaker 1: the area along with geologists, botanists, and zoologists. His sketches 684 00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:20,360 Speaker 1: and watercolors gave America its first view of Yellowstone. But 685 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:22,880 Speaker 1: the real story is that his work was exhibited in 686 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:26,120 Speaker 1: Congress later that year, and that's where the sheer beauty 687 00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:29,600 Speaker 1: of the depicted cliffs and geysers and rivers. This convinced 688 00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:32,360 Speaker 1: politicians to protect the land and turn it into what 689 00:34:32,440 --> 00:34:35,399 Speaker 1: they called a national playground. Oh I like that. Well, 690 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:37,880 Speaker 1: I want to do another show later on, specifically on 691 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:40,520 Speaker 1: the parks, because there's just so much wondering beauty there 692 00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:42,920 Speaker 1: but why don't you take home today's trophy. I mean, 693 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:45,000 Speaker 1: it kind of sounds like you're just giving it to me, 694 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:47,600 Speaker 1: like I didn't really earn it, but but I'll take 695 00:34:47,640 --> 00:34:50,279 Speaker 1: it either way. And listeners, I'm sure we forgot some 696 00:34:50,360 --> 00:34:52,520 Speaker 1: great facts about the National Parks. We would love to 697 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:54,560 Speaker 1: hear those from it. You can always email us part 698 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:57,000 Speaker 1: Time Genius at how Stuff Works dot com or call 699 00:34:57,080 --> 00:34:59,680 Speaker 1: us on our seven fact hot line. We always love 700 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:03,320 Speaker 1: hearing messages. That's one eight four four pt Genius, or 701 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:05,319 Speaker 1: you can hit us up on Facebook or Twitter. But 702 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:21,640 Speaker 1: thanks so much for listening, yea, thanks again for listening. 703 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:24,000 Speaker 1: Part Time Genius is a production of How Stuff Works 704 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,600 Speaker 1: and wouldn't be possible without several brilliant people who do 705 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:29,720 Speaker 1: the important things we couldn't even begin to understand. Tristan 706 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:32,319 Speaker 1: McNeil does the editing thing. Noel Brown made the theme 707 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:35,320 Speaker 1: song and does the mixy mixy sound thing. Jerry Rowland 708 00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:38,560 Speaker 1: does the exact producer thing. Gabeluesier is our lead researcher, 709 00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:41,600 Speaker 1: with support from the Research Army including Austin Thompson, Nolan 710 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:43,920 Speaker 1: Brown and Lucas Adams and Eve. Jeff Cook gets the 711 00:35:43,920 --> 00:35:46,080 Speaker 1: show to your ears. Good job, Eves. If you like 712 00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:48,000 Speaker 1: what you heard, we hope you'll subscribe, And if you 713 00:35:48,040 --> 00:35:50,040 Speaker 1: really really like what you've heard, maybe you could leave 714 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:52,480 Speaker 1: a good review for us. Do we do we forget Jason? 715 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:53,400 Speaker 1: Jason who