1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Guess what will? What's that mango? So I found this 2 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:06,000 Speaker 1: thread from Reddit on some of the stupidest things that 3 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:08,240 Speaker 1: park rangers have had to deal with every day, and 4 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: I just had to share some of these ridiculous stories. 5 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: So there are people who try to take selfies with bears. Yeah, 6 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 1: that's very stupid. There are people who try to take 7 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:20,439 Speaker 1: home baby gators from the Everglades because they think they're 8 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: so cute, which is partially done because these things obviously 9 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: grow up, but also because baby gators apparently cry and 10 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: that puts all the mama gators in the area in 11 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,879 Speaker 1: attack mode. And uh, there's a family who thought that 12 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: bear spray, which is like a heavy duty pepper spray, 13 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: was supposed to be applied on their bodies like mosquito spray. Yeah. 14 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: Actually that takes the crown. That's pretty bad. Yeah, I 15 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: should have made for a rough day. But the saddest 16 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 1: and funniest thing to me is the complaints that they get. 17 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:51,160 Speaker 1: So apparently one woman bawled out this park ranger because 18 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: the tree she traveled to visit looked exactly like the 19 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: trees in her backyard. I like that she was bawling 20 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: out of park range like I kind of don't think 21 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: that's the rain HER's fault exactly. Yeah, it is an 22 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: end ridiculous tourists at the least of what these heroic 23 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,199 Speaker 1: park rangers have to deal with today. We're talking about 24 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: how they foiled poachers, saved species, and yes, help plenty 25 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: of tourists along the way. Let's dive in heither. Podcast listeners, 26 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as 27 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: always I'm joined by my good friend Mangesh Ticketer and 28 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: on the other side of the soundproof glass decked out 29 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,240 Speaker 1: in a Smokey the Bear costplay man. This is just 30 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: going all out. That's our producer Tristan McNeil. He's even 31 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: wearing this fuzzy brown sweater. I guess is this is 32 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: this because Smokey always refuses to wear a shirt or what. Yeah, 33 00:01:56,880 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: but dressing like a bear is a pretty sharp look, 34 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: because trist And really pulls it off, and it really does. 35 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: You know. I didn't have the heart to tell him 36 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 1: that Smokey is actually a symbol of the National Forest Service, 37 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: not the National Park Service. Well, I think you have 38 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: to be fair here because the hat is part of 39 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: the National Park Rangers uniform. Now, speaking of hats, park 40 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 1: rangers wear a bunch of different hats figuratively speaking. And 41 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: and that's because national parks, no matter how safe they 42 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: might feel to us, there's still wild places and anything 43 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 1: can happen there, and that means park rangers have to 44 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: be prepared to serve the public in whatever way is needed, 45 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: whether that's teachers, tour guides, e m T. Search and 46 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 1: rescue workers, even law enforcement officers, and sadly even as 47 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: coroners you know, sometimes all in the same day. So, 48 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 1: with all the rigors of the rangers job in mind, 49 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 1: we thought we'd show a little appreciation by devoting an 50 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 1: entire episode to them. We'll talk about how park rangers 51 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,239 Speaker 1: got their start, how the job has changed over the 52 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:53,520 Speaker 1: last hundred years, and we'll also learn some of the 53 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 1: tricks rangers used to contend with whatever nature throws their way. 54 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:00,639 Speaker 1: And we're talking things like grizzly bears and even these 55 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: annoying tourists. So where do you want to start, Mango, Well, 56 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: believe it or not, I actually want to stick with 57 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: the hats for a second, because the ranger hat we've 58 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 1: been talking about, which is I guess that flat hat 59 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 1: with what's called a lemon squeezer on top. It's actually 60 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: a really interesting holdover from the earliest days of the 61 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: national parks. And this is back when they were patrolled 62 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: and protected by military soldiers rather than park rangers, which 63 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:26,399 Speaker 1: isn't something most people know, I imagine, so so Cluison 64 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: on this how did the military wind up in charge 65 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: of the national parks? So it was really out of 66 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: necessity Essentially. President Grant designated Yellowstone as the world's first 67 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: official national park, and this was way back in eighteen 68 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: seventy two, but the National Park Service wasn't established until 69 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: about forty years later, and in the meantime, there was 70 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 1: no specialized government agency task with overseeing national parks. Instead, 71 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: that responsibility felt to the Department of the Interior, where 72 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: you know, there were administrative duties that were passed from 73 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 1: one pointee to the next, but no one was particularly 74 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: skilled or even that interested in managing a stone properly, 75 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: and as a result, poachers just reeked havoc on the parks, 76 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: like they decipated the bison population, the elk population, the 77 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 1: deer population. And it wasn't just poachers like it was 78 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: a total free for all timber companies cut down forests there, 79 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:20,040 Speaker 1: vandals graffitied rock formations and the geysers, and visiting ranchers 80 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: even fed their herds there. And and there was also 81 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: this problem of former settlers who are now illegally squatting 82 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:28,559 Speaker 1: in a national park. So rather than leave quietly, these 83 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 1: furious locals would set fires and destroy hundreds of acres 84 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: of parkland. And this all kept the administrators scrambling to 85 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:38,600 Speaker 1: put it out. Like once word of all this chaos 86 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: reached Washington Congress, and the politicians were just so mad 87 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: that they refused to allocate any additional funding for Yellowstone. 88 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,840 Speaker 1: And for a minute, it actually seemed like the dream 89 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: of a national park system might not make it to 90 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: the twentieth century. And so is this swhere the military 91 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,839 Speaker 1: steps in or one that's right. So Congress basically reached 92 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: a compromise with the Department of the Interior, and it 93 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:02,479 Speaker 1: said Thatyellowstone would only continue to be funded as long 94 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:04,919 Speaker 1: as the day to day management shifted to the military. 95 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: So this is in eighteen eighty six, which is fourteen 96 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 1: years after Yellowstone's founding, But a troop of sixty U. S. 97 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: Cavalrymen came to stand guard there over the parks two 98 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,600 Speaker 1: point two million acres. Then you know, if you think 99 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: about a sixty people covering two point two million acres 100 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 1: of land, isn't a lot of people. But this was 101 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 1: still a major improvement over the park civilian run days 102 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: when there were only about ten people on patrol, and 103 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,160 Speaker 1: plus only about five d people were visiting Yellowstone each 104 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 1: year in the eighteen eighties, so a small staff kind 105 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 1: of worked well for the most part. And it's more 106 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:40,720 Speaker 1: people started visiting. The military's presence increased too, and by 107 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 1: nine ten there were actually a total of four sixty 108 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,280 Speaker 1: man troops in Yellowstone and the yearly park attendants had 109 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:50,279 Speaker 1: grown to nineteen thousand people. Wow, all right, but I 110 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: don't want us to to to lose track of the hats. 111 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:54,600 Speaker 1: We were talking about the hats earlier. So you're saying 112 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:57,239 Speaker 1: these cavalrymen, they were the first to wear the flat 113 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: hats that we associate with park rangers. That's right, But 114 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: it wasn't just a fashion choice. So the hats actually 115 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:06,200 Speaker 1: served a very practical purpose and it has a history 116 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: from this is when American cavalry had been sent to 117 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: fight in Cuba and the Philippines, and this is during 118 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,480 Speaker 1: the Spanish American War, and while they were there, they 119 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,280 Speaker 1: had to deal with intense tropical rains, you know, like 120 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 1: monsoons that would just soaked them to the bone. And 121 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: the soldiers wore army issue hats that were pretty similar 122 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:26,839 Speaker 1: to the modern ones worn by rangers. But according to 123 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: the regulations at the time, they were only supposed to 124 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:31,359 Speaker 1: decrease the hats in the front and back. But the 125 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:34,719 Speaker 1: soldiers found that if they pinched it in quadrants, it 126 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: actually shed the rain water off better. So so that's 127 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: where you get what you call that that lemon squeezer pinch. Yeah, 128 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:43,480 Speaker 1: that's right. So if you actually want to get technical, 129 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: that particular kind of hat pinch is known as the 130 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: Montana peak. Anyway, I definitely want to get technical if 131 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: it's called the Montana peak. Well, veterans of the Spanish 132 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 1: American War brought their hats back and other soldiers realized 133 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: it was worth doing the same squeeze and and by 134 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:03,840 Speaker 1: eleven the Montana peak was officially added to the troopers uniform. 135 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: And then a few years later, when civilian park rangers 136 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 1: took over, uh, the new recruits adopted that same fashion. 137 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: Well that's pretty cool, and I'm glad you directed us 138 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: to the military's early role in all of this, because 139 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 1: you know, not only did they set the bar for 140 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 1: the park ranger fashion, but they also pointed the way 141 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 1: forward in terms of the work that they did. You know, 142 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: for instance, pretty much from the moment troops arrived in Yellowstone, 143 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:29,640 Speaker 1: they started waging war with the poachers there. And from 144 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: what I've read, this was no easy task, especially because 145 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: you know, the military didn't really have legal authority to 146 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 1: punish these poachers, or at least not in any significant way. Right. 147 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 1: There weren't any national protections for wildlife at the time, 148 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 1: so soldiers basically had the authority to like confiscate gear, 149 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 1: or they could kick hunters out of the park, but 150 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 1: really there wasn't that much more they could do beyond that. Yeah, 151 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: and in most cases that wasn't enough to dissuade these 152 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 1: people from coming back with new supplies the next week. 153 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: So I asked Gabe to pull the numbers and and 154 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: a fresh bison scout could fetch you three hundred dollars 155 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: back in the eighteen nineties, and that was the equivalent 156 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: about eight grand today. So for poachers, a shot at 157 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: that kind of money was well worth. The stern talking 158 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:13,240 Speaker 1: two is that they might get from the military, And 159 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: of course the soldiers a Yellowstone felt a little deflated 160 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 1: about this, so they decided to get creative and sort 161 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 1: of stretch the limits of the legal penalties that they 162 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: could impose. Sometimes they'd lock poachers in the guardhouse for 163 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks, or you know, they'd forced them 164 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 1: to scrub graffiti off the rocks. But probably the most 165 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: effective practice I had heard about was that soldiers would 166 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: march a group of poachers to the south entrance of 167 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: the park and then informed them that all of their 168 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 1: guns and supplies they were, you know, available for pick 169 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: up at the park headquarters, which was conveniently located about 170 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 1: seventy five miles away at the park's north in Well, 171 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 1: I mean, it serves them right, And of course park 172 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: rangers have upheld that zero tolerance stance on poaching ever since, 173 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 1: so this actually has nothing to do with poaching. But 174 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:57,680 Speaker 1: I do have to mention it. Did you hear about 175 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: the park superintendent who kicked the KKK out of the park? No, 176 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:02,840 Speaker 1: but I definitely want to hear the story. So so 177 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: what happened? Well, to start, with it. It helps me 178 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 1: know that the clan was super active in Colorado during 179 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:10,959 Speaker 1: the mid nineteen twenties. And not only that, but the 180 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: group actually received like open acceptance from a number of 181 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: politicians like uh, I would say, the governor, the mayor 182 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 1: of Denver, even a U. S. Senator named Rice Means. 183 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:24,840 Speaker 1: And Senator Means held his pr event in Colorado's masa 184 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: Veryday National Park, and of course, like a bunch of 185 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 1: plansmen came out to support their boy. Some of them 186 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,640 Speaker 1: even tried to convince the park superintendent, this guy jesse 187 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: nus Bombed to join up with them. So let me 188 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 1: guess he declined the offer, at least I hope he did. Yeah, 189 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:40,560 Speaker 1: he did, And once the clan knew where he stood, 190 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 1: they started threatening to hold a torchlight parade through the 191 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:47,120 Speaker 1: park like it was supposed to culminate with this giant 192 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: rally and uh burning crosses right in front of the 193 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 1: ruins of this famous Native American settlement. But nuts Bomb 194 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 1: wasn't having any of it, so he told a clan 195 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:57,719 Speaker 1: they weren't welcome in masa Verday, and just to make 196 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 1: sure he got his point across, he armed his smallpark 197 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: staff with these pickaxe handles and other makeshift weapons, and 198 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: he positioned them where the klansmen could see them. And 199 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: for whatever reason, this intimidation tactic work because the clan 200 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:13,319 Speaker 1: left without incident. Wow, that's pretty amazing that it falls 201 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 1: completely in line with the ranger motto, which is to 202 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:19,679 Speaker 1: protect the park from people, the people from the park, 203 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 1: and the people from the people. Yeah, and well when 204 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:24,800 Speaker 1: en Us Bond did definitely take two of those boxes, 205 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 1: you know, preserving natural spaces really takes a lot of nerve. 206 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 1: And I mean I feel like sometimes park rangers are 207 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: almost viewed as being on the softer side when it 208 00:10:33,559 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 1: comes to law enforcement officers, but their jobs are really 209 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 1: really hard. Oh definitely. And actually, I think you'll love 210 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,160 Speaker 1: this story I read about from Glacier National Park and 211 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:44,440 Speaker 1: this happened in the seventies when the park was apparently 212 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:48,199 Speaker 1: overrun with a bunch of snowmobilers who just kept illegally 213 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:50,439 Speaker 1: cutting through a stretch of the park that runs along 214 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,480 Speaker 1: the Montana Highway. This really ticked off one ranger in particular, 215 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:57,160 Speaker 1: a guy named Art Sedlek, who he was just sick 216 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: of issuing these warnings over and over for this same 217 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,319 Speaker 1: stupid offense. So one night in December, the rangers stopped 218 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 1: yet another group of snowmobilers and gave them the usual speech, 219 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:07,880 Speaker 1: you know, to stay out of the area so they 220 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,400 Speaker 1: wouldn't get a ticket. And it was less than an 221 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:12,760 Speaker 1: hour later he heard the sound of snowmobiles and the 222 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:15,559 Speaker 1: distant so of course he hops on his four by 223 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:18,200 Speaker 1: four to go investigate, and when he caught up with them, 224 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:21,000 Speaker 1: he realized it was the same four offenders from earlier. 225 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: So of course, I think I was really mad and 226 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: just about to lose it. And so he pulls up 227 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:27,959 Speaker 1: alongside the lead vehicle and he starts trying to pull 228 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:30,599 Speaker 1: out all of its spark plugs and couldn't get a 229 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:32,920 Speaker 1: good enough group, and so he decided just like go 230 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:35,840 Speaker 1: all action movie on them, and he used a slightly 231 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 1: different approach. So he pulls out his standard issue thirty 232 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:44,280 Speaker 1: eight caliber pistol and fires it directly into the snowmobiles engine. 233 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:47,400 Speaker 1: That's insane, So, I mean I could identify with that 234 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:49,800 Speaker 1: sort of anger though. If that was happening over and 235 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:53,719 Speaker 1: over and over, you know, I guess. But uh, well, 236 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:57,440 Speaker 1: what happened to other purpose? Like did they just speed away? Well, 237 00:11:57,440 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: what do you think. I mean, they pulled over and 238 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 1: once they were in custody, each trespasser was forced to 239 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: pay a whopping twenty five dollars in fine, So that 240 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:11,120 Speaker 1: was totally worth it. But uh, what about the ranger, Like, 241 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:14,040 Speaker 1: I feel like that kind of behavior either you get 242 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,560 Speaker 1: a promotion or you get put in jail, like depending 243 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: on who your boss is. I guess it was actually 244 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:21,280 Speaker 1: neither of those. I mean, he was reprimanded for firing 245 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 1: the pistol, but he kind of became a hero among 246 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,600 Speaker 1: the other officers, which you know, I'm sure took away 247 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:28,760 Speaker 1: some of this thing from that, but he had the 248 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: locals on his side for sure, and for years after 249 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 1: the incident, the Montana Wilderness Association gave out this said 250 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 1: like award for displays of creativity and defense of public lands. 251 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 1: That's amazing. Well as exciting as arms standoffs and high 252 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,520 Speaker 1: speed snowmobile chases are. We we should probably talk a 253 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: little bit about some of the more low key but 254 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:51,520 Speaker 1: still super vital work that park rangers do, especially when 255 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 1: it comes to repopulating endangered species. Absolutely, before we do that, 256 00:12:55,120 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 1: why don't we take a quick break. They're listening to 257 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 1: part time genius, and we're talking about the highs and 258 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 1: lows of being an American park ranger. So I go, 259 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:16,920 Speaker 1: for as long as there have been national parks, there 260 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: have been poachers looking to exploit the wildlife there. And 261 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:22,800 Speaker 1: you know, one of the earliest species they targeted was, sadly, 262 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: the American bison. Now, a few centuries ago, tens of 263 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:29,120 Speaker 1: millions of bisons roam freely across the plains of North America, 264 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 1: but by the late eighteen eighties, excessive hunting and poaching 265 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:38,000 Speaker 1: had drastically reduced those numbers. In fact, by nineteen o two, yellowstones, 266 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:42,119 Speaker 1: once great herd, had decimated to just under two dozen animals. 267 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 1: I mean, that just feels absurd, especially when you consider 268 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:49,280 Speaker 1: that Native Americans had hunted bison for centuries, but you know, 269 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:51,960 Speaker 1: they didn't have guns and horses, so it made it 270 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 1: a bit of a fair fight. Also, Native Americans had 271 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,240 Speaker 1: always showed such a deep respect for buffalo and they 272 00:13:57,280 --> 00:13:59,560 Speaker 1: were careful to use every part of the animals they killed, 273 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 1: and this wasn't the case for American poachers, who were 274 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:04,600 Speaker 1: only interested in the body parts that commanded the highest 275 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 1: prices on the market. And you know, you just had 276 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:10,080 Speaker 1: these enormous carcasses that were left to rot in the 277 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 1: fields for some poor park rangers to stumble upon. Right. 278 00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:15,360 Speaker 1: I feel like that's an aspect of this we don't 279 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 1: think about much like the people who find the horror 280 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: shows that the poachers leave in their wake. The fact 281 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:22,800 Speaker 1: that it's usually people who have sworn to protect these 282 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:25,160 Speaker 1: animals and the land that they live on it actually 283 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 1: makes it that much more tragic. Yeah, but thankfully, the 284 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:31,680 Speaker 1: American bison story doesn't end in extinction, or at least 285 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: it hasn't yet, because once the park officials realized the 286 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:38,960 Speaker 1: sorry state of Yellowstones bison population, they immediately set to 287 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:41,840 Speaker 1: work on fixing the problem. And remember this was still 288 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:44,520 Speaker 1: a decade or so before the actual National Park system 289 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:47,400 Speaker 1: was formed. At the time, Yellowstone was still under the 290 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 1: jurisdiction of the U. S. Army, and it was actually 291 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:52,880 Speaker 1: these soldiers who helped launch one of the world's first 292 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 1: attempts to preserve a wild species solely through protection and 293 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,760 Speaker 1: also stewardship. I mean, that's pretty cool, But what did 294 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:03,120 Speaker 1: they do exactly? Well, the first step was to try 295 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:06,600 Speaker 1: and rebuild the bison's numbers. So to that end, Yellowstone 296 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:10,240 Speaker 1: bought twenty one bison from private owners, and they gradually 297 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:12,760 Speaker 1: started to mix them in with the free range population. 298 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: And when the NPS took over the operation, the rangers 299 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 1: kept up those husbandry methods while continue to crack down 300 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:21,720 Speaker 1: on poachers. And now they also had the backing of 301 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 1: new laws for a nature species from Congress, and these 302 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:29,040 Speaker 1: efforts ultimately proved super effective. By nineteen fifty four, the 303 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:33,480 Speaker 1: bison's numbers that skyrocketed to about animals, and today Yellowstone 304 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,320 Speaker 1: actually has about five thousand American bison, which makes it 305 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: both the largest and the oldest free roaming bison herd 306 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 1: in the whole country. Wow. So you know, so bison 307 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: are obviously on the larger end of the spectrum of 308 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: animals that the National Parks are helping to preserve. But 309 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 1: let's talk about a smaller animal that could still use 310 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: a lot of help, and that sea turtles. Because you know, 311 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:54,480 Speaker 1: at this point, just about every species of sea turtle 312 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:57,800 Speaker 1: on the planet is classified as endangered. We're talking all 313 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 1: over the world. Adult sea turtles are hunted for their eggs, 314 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 1: or their skin, or their meat and shells. I mean, 315 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:05,560 Speaker 1: all of this goes for big bucks on the black market, 316 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 1: and things aren't any easier for their offspring. I mean, 317 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: they have to run the gauntlet of these crabs and 318 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:13,760 Speaker 1: raccoons and seagulls just to get to the water after hatching. 319 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:16,320 Speaker 1: And even if they do make it to that like 320 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:19,280 Speaker 1: water like, the babies still have to dodge like nets 321 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: and pollution and predators like sharks. It's crazy. Well, in fact, 322 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 1: less than one percent of sea turtle eggs wind up 323 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:29,640 Speaker 1: producing a turtle that survives to adulthood. Isn't that crazy? 324 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 1: Less than one percent? Yeah, I mean such grim numbers. 325 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:35,320 Speaker 1: But what are the natural parks actually doing to help 326 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:37,600 Speaker 1: these little guys? Well, anything they can really. I mean, 327 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: for instance, at the Canaveral National Seashore in Florida, you've 328 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,960 Speaker 1: got specialists there who are helping the green turtle population recover, 329 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 1: and they do this by keeping local predators from chowing 330 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:50,400 Speaker 1: down on the unhatched eggs. Beyond that, the national parks 331 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:52,880 Speaker 1: work to keep the coastline as clean and safe as 332 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 1: possible for the sea turtles that are nesting there. And 333 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 1: I don't know if you noticed or not, but most 334 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:00,920 Speaker 1: of the threats to sea turtle survival we listed from humans, 335 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:03,640 Speaker 1: so being able to preserve a pristine stretch of beach 336 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 1: that's safe from developers and free of artificial noise and 337 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 1: light pollution. It goes a long way towards getting baby 338 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:13,960 Speaker 1: sea turtles into the water. And actually I've noticed, you know, 339 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,040 Speaker 1: several times when we go on trips down to the shore, 340 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:19,120 Speaker 1: especially if it's in more remote areas, you'll see these, 341 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:21,439 Speaker 1: you know, signs on the you know, on the buildings 342 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:23,080 Speaker 1: that you stay in or on the houses that you 343 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 1: stay in that will remind you to turn your outdoor 344 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:29,520 Speaker 1: lights off at night for that very reason. Yeah, but 345 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:32,119 Speaker 1: I mean, even with those protective measures, like those odds 346 00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:35,560 Speaker 1: still seem really slim, and you know, the rangers have 347 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:38,800 Speaker 1: to be a little despondent about this, right, like, like 348 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:41,760 Speaker 1: they're fighting this losing battle to some degree, especially when 349 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:44,960 Speaker 1: I guess, like one hungry shark or a careless fisherman 350 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:48,240 Speaker 1: could you know, destroy the effort of the little hatchling 351 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:50,760 Speaker 1: that finally makes it to the water. Well. And it's 352 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:54,080 Speaker 1: certainly stressful, but there's some encouraging signs, so staff members 353 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 1: that Canaveral counted fewer than a hundred nest each year 354 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:59,480 Speaker 1: back in the mid to late eighties, but since launching 355 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:02,640 Speaker 1: their pro am, those numbers have risen sharply. In fact, 356 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:05,720 Speaker 1: two thousand fifteen was a banner year for green sea turtles, 357 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 1: with more than thirty five hundred nests found along the 358 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,320 Speaker 1: shore there at Canaveral. But at the same time, park 359 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:13,640 Speaker 1: rangers aren't blind to what they're up against. I mean, 360 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:16,399 Speaker 1: they know they can't save all or even most of 361 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:18,959 Speaker 1: these animals, but it never stops them from doing what 362 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 1: they can. For instance, I read this account from a 363 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 1: former park ranger. Her name is Andrea Lankford, and she 364 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:26,919 Speaker 1: spent some time working at Cape Hatteras at the National 365 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 1: Seashore there in North Carolina, and she routinely proud the 366 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 1: beaches in search of sea turtle nest and then documented 367 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 1: the location so she could check back in from time 368 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 1: to time. One day, she comes across this tiny baby 369 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:42,080 Speaker 1: loggerhead turtle in the dunes, and the experience, which was 370 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,119 Speaker 1: early in her career, it really made her reflect on 371 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:48,280 Speaker 1: whether or not her work was truly worthwhile. So this 372 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:51,000 Speaker 1: is from an article in backpacker dot Com, and Andrea 373 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,719 Speaker 1: writes this. She says, holding this single turtle in my 374 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: hands brought my decision about being a park ranger into 375 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: sharp focus. How could I not fight to keep this 376 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:02,560 Speaker 1: endangered spec she's from becoming extinct? How could I not 377 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 1: risk my life jumping from helicopters or fording rivers so 378 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: this baby turtle could someday return and lay its own eggs, 379 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 1: retirement benefits, health insurance, decent housing. On my knees in 380 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:16,400 Speaker 1: the sand with a baby turtle struggling for its life 381 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 1: in the palm of my hand, I thought I had 382 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:21,679 Speaker 1: found the best and most important job in the world. 383 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,359 Speaker 1: That's such a beautiful thought. And you know that danger 384 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:28,720 Speaker 1: she mentions, like jumping out of helicopters and fording rivers. 385 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:31,280 Speaker 1: It's a part of the park rangers jobs that we 386 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:34,880 Speaker 1: don't even see often or think about, but it's so present. 387 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:38,280 Speaker 1: In fact, I read some statistics from the Department of Justice, 388 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 1: and apparently National Park Rangers are more likely to be 389 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: assaulted while on the job than any other federal officer, 390 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: and in terms of fatal accidents involving plane crashes and 391 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,760 Speaker 1: natural disasters, park rangers are up to twelve times more 392 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 1: likely to die in the line of duty than FBI agents. 393 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: That is unbelievable. Well, we really don't give them enough credit, 394 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:01,240 Speaker 1: and their search and rescue you work alone, should have 395 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:04,680 Speaker 1: us singing their praises. According to the NPS, park rangers 396 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:07,280 Speaker 1: came to the aid of over forty five thousand people 397 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:10,960 Speaker 1: between two thousand four and two thousand fourteen, and only 398 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 1: about fifteen hundred of those incidents resulted in fatalities. That's 399 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:18,280 Speaker 1: a pretty amazing track record, definitely, And and since we're 400 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 1: giving credit where it's due, I I do want to 401 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 1: make sure we're not overlooking one of the most unique 402 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 1: heroes to serve on the front lines of our parks, 403 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:28,800 Speaker 1: and that's the bark Ranger, which the Montana Glacier National 404 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 1: Park added to its team in two thousand sixteen. Wait, 405 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:35,359 Speaker 1: are we letting dogs be park rangers? Now? Bark rangers? 406 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:38,159 Speaker 1: And it's not just any dog that This one is 407 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:40,879 Speaker 1: a border calling named Gracey, and it's her job to 408 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 1: help keep wildlife at a safe distance from park visitors. 409 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: So apparently there's this particular parking lot where mountain goats 410 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:49,399 Speaker 1: and bighorn sheep like to gather, and this led to 411 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:51,920 Speaker 1: all kinds of problems, like sometimes the animals would lick 412 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,560 Speaker 1: the poisonous anti freeze they leaked out of people's cars, 413 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:57,159 Speaker 1: and of course they're the tourists who try to spook 414 00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:59,920 Speaker 1: the animals or get too close while trying to snap selfies. 415 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,480 Speaker 1: All right, but couldn't a good old fashioned human ranger 416 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 1: drive away the hers just as easily as a dog. 417 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:07,840 Speaker 1: So that's why I was wondering too, But apparently not. 418 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:09,800 Speaker 1: I mean, they tried this for a while, but the 419 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,840 Speaker 1: animals always came right back after being driven away by humans, 420 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:15,400 Speaker 1: and this is partially because they were getting so many 421 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:18,160 Speaker 1: mixed signals. I mean, you've got tourists trying to feed 422 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:21,880 Speaker 1: the animals and coax them closer for better pictures, and 423 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:23,719 Speaker 1: and then you've got these park rangers who are like 424 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:26,320 Speaker 1: simultaneously like shouting and waving their arms to scare the 425 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:28,760 Speaker 1: animals off. And it probably seemed almost like a game 426 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,800 Speaker 1: to the sheep and goats. But Gracie has changed all 427 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:33,960 Speaker 1: of that. Like the herds could tell when she barked, 428 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:36,560 Speaker 1: she met business, and now she and her handler visit 429 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:38,639 Speaker 1: the parking lot to scare off animals a couple of 430 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,240 Speaker 1: times a week, and it's with the hopes that eventually 431 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:43,240 Speaker 1: the wild sheep and goats will just deer clear the 432 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:47,440 Speaker 1: parking lot. Altogether. That's some pretty good inner species teamwork there. 433 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 1: That's that's that's pretty interesting. Well, I want to steer 434 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:51,560 Speaker 1: us back to the human side of things because there 435 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:53,639 Speaker 1: are a few more notable park rangers I want to 436 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:55,560 Speaker 1: make sure we get to. But before we do that, 437 00:21:55,640 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break. Okay, Well, so before we 438 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:13,040 Speaker 1: run down the list of park Ranger All Stars, I 439 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:14,800 Speaker 1: do want to just take a minute to talk about 440 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: some of the colorful lingo you might hear in the 441 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:20,720 Speaker 1: National Park. So we've already mentioned flat hats and lemon squeezers, 442 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:23,120 Speaker 1: which are actual nicknames that rangers used to talk about 443 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,879 Speaker 1: their headgear. But have you ever heard of code W? 444 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: I can't say that I have. Is is uh just 445 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 1: guessing as W for water is just like when a 446 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,960 Speaker 1: hiker gets dehydrated or something. So I mean code water 447 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:37,119 Speaker 1: is a pretty good guest. But the W actually stands 448 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:41,480 Speaker 1: for whimpy, and apparently code W is just a playful 449 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:44,400 Speaker 1: put down that some park rangers developed to describe these 450 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:47,200 Speaker 1: melodramatic tourists who call in for a rescue when there's 451 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:50,800 Speaker 1: no actual emergency. That's pretty great. Rangers actually waste a 452 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:53,439 Speaker 1: lot of time fielding calls about fake emergencies. You know, 453 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:55,719 Speaker 1: it's mostly from hikers who just bit off more than 454 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 1: they could chew. I do feel for the park rangers 455 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:01,919 Speaker 1: and east to situations because parsonally, because they have to 456 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:04,400 Speaker 1: put up with so many silly requests and all these 457 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:07,520 Speaker 1: weird questions that come from visitors. Actually read this one 458 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,240 Speaker 1: anonymous account from a park ranger at the Grand Canyon, 459 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:12,479 Speaker 1: and he listed out some of the ridiculous questions he's 460 00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:15,119 Speaker 1: had to field out from adult tourists, like is the 461 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:17,960 Speaker 1: Grand Canyon human made? And what time do you feed 462 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,680 Speaker 1: the animals? And when do you turn on the waterfalls. 463 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:24,040 Speaker 1: One time, this poor guy even caught a confused tourist 464 00:23:24,119 --> 00:23:27,399 Speaker 1: who had rolled his suitcase several miles into the Grand 465 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:31,920 Speaker 1: Canyon because he thought his hotel was that there. Oh no, well, 466 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:34,280 Speaker 1: I mean they also try to take measures to prevent 467 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,199 Speaker 1: that sort of thing. I read about this effort called PRS, 468 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:40,720 Speaker 1: which is uh, it's preventive search and rescue, and it's 469 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:43,080 Speaker 1: basically a way to make sure our visitors are prepared 470 00:23:43,119 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 1: before they go out on hikes. You know, it's mainly 471 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:48,560 Speaker 1: so rangers won't have to save them later on. But 472 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:50,640 Speaker 1: the program trains rangers to look out for all these 473 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,879 Speaker 1: telltale signs of novice hikers, like someone shows up in 474 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:56,960 Speaker 1: flip flops or heading into the wilderness without a backpack. 475 00:23:57,480 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 1: You know, when they see someone like that at the 476 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:02,080 Speaker 1: rangers make suggestions is like wear shoes, or stock up 477 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:05,520 Speaker 1: on water, try a shorter trail. And you know, they 478 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:08,280 Speaker 1: can't force tourists to take this advice. But the program 479 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:10,800 Speaker 1: does seem to be working. Since it was institute of 480 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 1: the Grand Canyon, the park has actually seen this dramatic 481 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:17,879 Speaker 1: drop in its search and rescue efforts. That's pretty cool. 482 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 1: And speaking of saving people from their own dumb choices, 483 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:22,639 Speaker 1: you remember that range where I mentioned that that that 484 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 1: really sweet moment with the turtles. Andrea Langford I'll never 485 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:29,080 Speaker 1: forget her. Well, she also worked a stretch at Yosemite, 486 00:24:29,119 --> 00:24:31,199 Speaker 1: and there was this one time she actually wound up 487 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 1: foiling of bank heist. I mean, this woman has done everything. 488 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 1: Apparently these robbers were just hiding out in the park 489 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:39,680 Speaker 1: after pulling a job, but they got lost in the 490 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 1: middle of the night and they got so scared that 491 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:44,200 Speaker 1: they ended up calling the police to come get them. 492 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:46,840 Speaker 1: That's amazing. So I feel like I want to hear 493 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:49,680 Speaker 1: all of Langford stories because she sounds like a park legend. 494 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 1: But perhaps the ranger who has had the roughest govid 495 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 1: all in the line of duty is Roy Sullivan, who 496 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:57,439 Speaker 1: has to be the most put upon render in history. 497 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:00,200 Speaker 1: And so what makes you say that? So do during 498 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:02,919 Speaker 1: his tenure at TENDO, he was actually struck by lightning 499 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:07,679 Speaker 1: seven different times. It's just crazy. It's hard not to 500 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:09,680 Speaker 1: laugh at that. I know, we shouldn't laugh at something. 501 00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:11,720 Speaker 1: I mean, the guy's been struck by lightning seven times 502 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 1: when we're laughing about it, but that just is crazy. 503 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:16,360 Speaker 1: And I have heard of this guy. I'm pretty sure 504 00:25:16,359 --> 00:25:18,719 Speaker 1: he actually holds the Guinness record for being struck by 505 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 1: lightning more than anyone else. At least I hope nobody 506 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:23,520 Speaker 1: has been struck more than that. Yeah, I mean, I 507 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 1: hope it's a record. No one's trying to break. And 508 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 1: if they did try, though, the odds wouldn't be easy. 509 00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:30,479 Speaker 1: So the odds of being struck by lightning are actually 510 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:34,359 Speaker 1: one and two eight million, but seven times like according 511 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:37,080 Speaker 1: to a George Washington University staff professor, the odds of 512 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:40,440 Speaker 1: that are actually four in Uh. I don't really know 513 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,000 Speaker 1: how to say this number, but it's one with thirty 514 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:46,040 Speaker 1: two zeros after it, so it's a pretty big number. Wow. 515 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:48,600 Speaker 1: And so did all seven of those strikes happened while 516 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:51,880 Speaker 1: he was a park ranger, so not exactly. The last 517 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:54,920 Speaker 1: one actually happened after his retirement, when Roy was trout 518 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,320 Speaker 1: fishing at a lake near his house. Poor talk about 519 00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:00,399 Speaker 1: bad luck, I know. So on the way back to 520 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:02,879 Speaker 1: his car, a black bear actually stole the fish he 521 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:06,959 Speaker 1: had hooked. But I think just survived this like lightning 522 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,399 Speaker 1: attack and his seventh lightning attack on top of that. 523 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:12,400 Speaker 1: Roy was in no mood to be messed with by 524 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:15,399 Speaker 1: a bear, so instead he just took a stick and 525 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:17,879 Speaker 1: he hit the bear and stole his fish back, and 526 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:20,400 Speaker 1: then he ran he high tailed it out of there, 527 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,479 Speaker 1: kind of dazed but triumphant. Anyway. Um, Roy Sullivan's kind 528 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:26,560 Speaker 1: of a legend and people call him the spark Ranger. 529 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 1: Oh that makes sense, all right. Well, we've talked a 530 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 1: lot today about the courage and the empathy that park 531 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 1: rangers bring to their preservation efforts. But there's one more 532 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:37,399 Speaker 1: rather unique preservation campaign that I want to mention, and 533 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:40,320 Speaker 1: that's the one headed up by ranger Doug Lean. So, 534 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:43,440 Speaker 1: first of all, you've probably seen those classic travel posters 535 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:46,120 Speaker 1: from you know, several of the national parks, and they're 536 00:26:46,119 --> 00:26:49,760 Speaker 1: those colorful silk screen posters that were used as promotional tools, 537 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 1: and this was all the boost tourism back in the 538 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:54,960 Speaker 1: nineteen thirties and forties. Yeah, I love this so much. 539 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:57,120 Speaker 1: It's kind of that like art deco style you see 540 00:26:57,119 --> 00:27:01,040 Speaker 1: on this old Disneyland attraction posters, and it's got such 541 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:04,840 Speaker 1: beautiful like light and shadows and muted colors. They're great. Yeah, 542 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: those are the ones, and the original posters were made 543 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,119 Speaker 1: by the w p A or the Works Progress Administration, 544 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:11,800 Speaker 1: and you know, if you remember, that was all part 545 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:14,280 Speaker 1: of Roosevelt's wide scale effort to get America up and 546 00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:17,560 Speaker 1: running following the Depression. And to this end, a nice 547 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:20,280 Speaker 1: chunk of the w p a's budget went to arts projects, 548 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,960 Speaker 1: including these four thousand public murals and over two million 549 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:28,040 Speaker 1: posters intended to promote art and education, health and travel. 550 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:30,000 Speaker 1: And you know, on the travel side, a team of 551 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:32,600 Speaker 1: Berkeley artists they were hired to produce more than fifty 552 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:36,280 Speaker 1: poster designs and they were all under this banner see America. 553 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:39,399 Speaker 1: And among these were a handful of designs representing the 554 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:43,639 Speaker 1: fourteen national parks. So were the sold is like souvenirs 555 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:46,840 Speaker 1: or just hung around town or what was the deal there? Well, 556 00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:49,119 Speaker 1: the silk screens used to make the posters were they 557 00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:51,879 Speaker 1: were pretty fragile, so only between fifty and a hundred 558 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:54,359 Speaker 1: of these posters were made for each park, and of 559 00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:56,159 Speaker 1: course that's way too few to be sold to the 560 00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:59,880 Speaker 1: general public. So instead the posters were distributed to places, 561 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:03,080 Speaker 1: you know, chambers of commerce or other local government buildings, 562 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:05,680 Speaker 1: and and then they were put in these communities surrounding 563 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:08,920 Speaker 1: each park. And so for a few years, the posters 564 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,800 Speaker 1: did their jobs. They started getting new people, new visitors 565 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 1: into the parks and really helping America get back on 566 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,480 Speaker 1: its feet. But then once their usefulness had kind of ended, 567 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:21,080 Speaker 1: the posters started disappearing, and once they were gone, nobody 568 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:24,359 Speaker 1: could find them, at least for several decades. That's crazy. 569 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:27,119 Speaker 1: So now obviously you can buy prints and postcards of 570 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:29,360 Speaker 1: all that old w p A art at the park, 571 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:33,120 Speaker 1: so obviously it must have resurfaced at some point, right well, 572 00:28:33,119 --> 00:28:35,200 Speaker 1: and that's where Ranger Doug comes in. This was back 573 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:37,760 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy one. He was working as a seasonal 574 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:41,239 Speaker 1: ranger at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and one 575 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:43,200 Speaker 1: day in the fall, the rangers were doing a general 576 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,400 Speaker 1: clean up of the park and this was after a 577 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,479 Speaker 1: pretty busy summer season. So Doug was working on clearing 578 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:50,560 Speaker 1: out an old horse stall when he came across this 579 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:53,800 Speaker 1: tattered w P a poster for this park. It was 580 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:56,640 Speaker 1: the very first design produced in the series. Now, the 581 00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:58,880 Speaker 1: poster would have just ended up on the park burnpile 582 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:01,600 Speaker 1: if not for Doug. He really took a liking to 583 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 1: it and actually got permission to keep it for himself. 584 00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:06,920 Speaker 1: But this was just the start for him. He actually 585 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:09,400 Speaker 1: figured that if Grand Titon Park had a poster like this, 586 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:13,480 Speaker 1: maybe others did too. So over the next couple of decades, 587 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:17,160 Speaker 1: Doug started piecing together this forgotten story of these now 588 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:22,120 Speaker 1: iconic posters, and his biggest breakthrough came in ninete. So 589 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:24,320 Speaker 1: that's the year Doug got in touch with the NPS 590 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,040 Speaker 1: archives and Harper's Ferry, West, Virginia, and he actually uncovered 591 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:31,320 Speaker 1: thirteen black and white poster negatives. They've just been tucked 592 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:34,640 Speaker 1: away in a file drawer for safe keeping, and using 593 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,960 Speaker 1: those Doug was able to reproduce the whole series, and 594 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:40,120 Speaker 1: that's why you can find all these postcards and Prince 595 00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:43,000 Speaker 1: you mentioned in the National park gift shops today. That's 596 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:45,760 Speaker 1: really incredible. And I think you said though that the 597 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 1: w p A only made like posters for fourteen parks, 598 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:51,320 Speaker 1: but you know, I've seen so many of those, and 599 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:54,000 Speaker 1: especially for parks that didn't exist in the thirties. How's 600 00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:56,840 Speaker 1: that come about? Well, that's the other really cool thing 601 00:29:56,840 --> 00:30:00,200 Speaker 1: about this. So once Doug started reproducing the original post as, 602 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:03,680 Speaker 1: other parks began commissioning new posters in that same style 603 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:06,240 Speaker 1: as the w p A ones. So today they're over 604 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:09,480 Speaker 1: fifty national parks and monuments represented in this collection, with 605 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:11,680 Speaker 1: more coming. And you know, none of that would have 606 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:13,800 Speaker 1: ever happened if not for Doug lem you know, the 607 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:17,320 Speaker 1: self proclaimed ranger of the lost art. I love that, 608 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:19,800 Speaker 1: you know. We we actually drove through Shando on the 609 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:23,040 Speaker 1: way back from Thanksgiving this year and I was just 610 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:26,000 Speaker 1: so floored by the beauty there. And every time I 611 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:28,280 Speaker 1: look at those little postcards that we bought, which are 612 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:31,040 Speaker 1: just these tiny replicas of that art, like it really 613 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:33,840 Speaker 1: makes me very happy. No, I completely agree, and the 614 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:36,760 Speaker 1: parks really are incredible, I mean not only do they 615 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 1: offer the chance to have these breathtaking or kind of 616 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:43,400 Speaker 1: life affirming experiences in our nation's most precious places, but 617 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:47,360 Speaker 1: they really offer that chance and equal measure to everybody. So, 618 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:49,920 Speaker 1: to quote Dayton Duncan, a former director of the National 619 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:54,160 Speaker 1: Park Foundation, quote, national parks are the declaration of independence 620 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:57,120 Speaker 1: expressed on the landscape. We were the first nation in 621 00:30:57,120 --> 00:30:59,600 Speaker 1: the history of mankind to say that the most special 622 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:02,480 Speaker 1: place is should be set aside, not for royalty, not 623 00:31:02,560 --> 00:31:05,040 Speaker 1: for the rich, not for the well connected, but for 624 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:08,440 Speaker 1: everyone and for all time. I mean, that sounds so 625 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:11,320 Speaker 1: America to me. But before we make a bee line 626 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:13,520 Speaker 1: for the closest park, let's salute a few more of 627 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:24,320 Speaker 1: our favorite rangers and today's backed off. H M. Did 628 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:25,800 Speaker 1: you know that before he went to law school with 629 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 1: Gerald Ford briefly worked as a park ranger. Apparently he 630 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:32,400 Speaker 1: was a seasonal ranger at Yellowstone, where he was assigned 631 00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 1: to work as an armed guard on a bear feeding 632 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:38,200 Speaker 1: truck and uh in years later he referred to it 633 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:41,080 Speaker 1: as one of the greatest summers of his life. So, 634 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:44,640 Speaker 1: the country's oldest park ranger is nineties six years old. 635 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:47,560 Speaker 1: Her name is Betty Reid. Saskin and she works at 636 00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:50,479 Speaker 1: the Rosie the Riveter World War Two home Front National 637 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:54,040 Speaker 1: Historical Park in California. Though she only got into her 638 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:56,840 Speaker 1: career a little over a decade ago. She's also been 639 00:31:56,880 --> 00:32:00,160 Speaker 1: a tremendous activist, from her civil rights work earlier to 640 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:03,360 Speaker 1: denouncing the defunding of parks, and she's won a presidential 641 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:06,640 Speaker 1: medal for her efforts. So while the least visited national 642 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:09,320 Speaker 1: parks might be in Alaska or American Samoa within the 643 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: contiguous US, the least visit park is actually in the 644 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:14,720 Speaker 1: middle of Lake Superior, and it's known as Isle Royal 645 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:18,360 Speaker 1: National Park. The problem is mainly accessibility, so you can 646 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:21,920 Speaker 1: actually only get there via seaplane or boat, and that 647 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 1: actually shows in the numbers the number of people who 648 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:27,760 Speaker 1: come there over years, about sixteen thousand people, and that's 649 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:30,120 Speaker 1: equal to the number of people that might visit Yosemite 650 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 1: on a single day in June. I've actually never heard 651 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:34,680 Speaker 1: of that park, but now I kind of want to 652 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:37,160 Speaker 1: go visit this. So did you know that for a while, 653 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:41,560 Speaker 1: Yellowstone was actually referred to as Wonderland. Like we said 654 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:43,360 Speaker 1: in the beginning of the show, only a few thousand 655 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:46,080 Speaker 1: visitors used to go to Yellowstone every year at first, 656 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:49,240 Speaker 1: but when the North Pacific Railroad was completed in eighteen 657 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:53,080 Speaker 1: eighty three, suddenly the accessibility of the park changed, and 658 00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 1: so to boost train travel, the railroad decided to launch 659 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 1: this ad campaign for Yellowstone, kind of building off the 660 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:01,880 Speaker 1: popularity of the Allison Underland books. So they talked about 661 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:05,920 Speaker 1: Yellowstone as wonderland. They even handed out pamphlets using Alice 662 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:08,520 Speaker 1: as a fictional tour guide of the parks and pointing 663 00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:10,600 Speaker 1: out places you should visit. In fact, one of the 664 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:13,120 Speaker 1: quotes from the brochure that I saw has her gushing 665 00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:16,360 Speaker 1: and saying, tell me, is this not wonderland? So I'm 666 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:18,320 Speaker 1: going to tell you about the bear lunch Counter. So 667 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,160 Speaker 1: I guess Yellowstone used to have an open air garbage 668 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:23,800 Speaker 1: dump at the park, which we're definitely not the prettiest 669 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:26,360 Speaker 1: thing at the parks, but it was an easy place 670 00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:28,239 Speaker 1: to gin up a wild animal show if you ever 671 00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:31,400 Speaker 1: wanted to see scavenging animals, and of course this meant 672 00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:34,680 Speaker 1: big birds, but it also included black bears and grizzlies, 673 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:37,760 Speaker 1: which is how the dump got called the bear lunch Counter. 674 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:39,760 Speaker 1: But the weirdest part of it is that in the 675 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:42,520 Speaker 1: ninety twenties and thirties. The park operators decided to take 676 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:44,880 Speaker 1: advantage of this, and they put bleachers around the trash 677 00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:47,960 Speaker 1: pit so visitors could sit and watch, And they also 678 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:50,440 Speaker 1: put up signs that said lunch counter for bears only, 679 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:52,440 Speaker 1: which you know, I'm not sure why they had to 680 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:56,960 Speaker 1: clarify right day. Actually, since we're on a Yellowstone tear, 681 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:59,520 Speaker 1: I'm going to throw one more here. So did you 682 00:33:59,560 --> 00:34:01,480 Speaker 1: know that of the reason we've got Yellowstone as a 683 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 1: national park is thanks to an artist. His name is 684 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:07,920 Speaker 1: Thomas Moran, and in eighteen seventy one, Moran was part 685 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:11,120 Speaker 1: of a federally funded expedition to document the area along 686 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:15,319 Speaker 1: with geologists, botanists, and zoologists. His sketches and watercolors gave 687 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:18,960 Speaker 1: America its first view of Yellowstone. But the real story 688 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:21,919 Speaker 1: is that his work was exhibited in Congress later that year, 689 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:25,000 Speaker 1: and that's where the sheer beauty of the depicted cliffs 690 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 1: and geysers and rivers. This convinced politicians to protect the 691 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:31,880 Speaker 1: land and turn it into what they called a national playground. 692 00:34:32,120 --> 00:34:34,120 Speaker 1: Oh I like that. Well, I want to do another 693 00:34:34,120 --> 00:34:36,640 Speaker 1: show later on, specifically on the parks, because there's just 694 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:39,319 Speaker 1: so much wondering beauty there. But why don't you take 695 00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:41,360 Speaker 1: home today's trophy? I mean it kind of sounds like 696 00:34:41,400 --> 00:34:43,439 Speaker 1: you're just giving it to me, like I didn't really 697 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:46,840 Speaker 1: earn it, but but I'll take it either way. And listeners, 698 00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:49,680 Speaker 1: I'm sure we forgot some great facts about the National Parks. 699 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:51,080 Speaker 1: We would love to hear those from it. You can 700 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:53,600 Speaker 1: always email us part Time Genius at how stuff Works 701 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:56,759 Speaker 1: dot com or call us on our seven fact hot line. 702 00:34:56,760 --> 00:34:59,359 Speaker 1: We always love hearing your messages. That's one eight four 703 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:01,840 Speaker 1: four pe Genius, or you can hit us up on 704 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:08,479 Speaker 1: Facebook or Twitter. But thanks so much for listening, yea, 705 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:20,840 Speaker 1: thanks again for listening. Part Time Genius is a production 706 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:23,280 Speaker 1: of How Stuff Works and wouldn't be possible without several 707 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:25,839 Speaker 1: brilliant people who do the important things we couldn't even 708 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:29,200 Speaker 1: begin to understand. Tristan McNeil does the editing thing. Noel 709 00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:31,239 Speaker 1: Brown made the theme song and does the mixy mixy 710 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:34,879 Speaker 1: sound thing. Jerry Rowland does the exact producer thing. Gabe 711 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,440 Speaker 1: Bluesier is our lead researcher, with support from the Research 712 00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:40,600 Speaker 1: Army including Austin Thompson, Nolan Brown and Lucas Adams and 713 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,280 Speaker 1: Eve Jeff Cook gets the show to your ears. Good job, Eves. 714 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:45,360 Speaker 1: If you like what you heard, we hope you'll subscribe. 715 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:47,239 Speaker 1: And if you really really like what you've heard, maybe 716 00:35:47,239 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 1: you could leave a good review for us. Do we 717 00:35:49,280 --> 00:36:01,320 Speaker 1: do we forget Jason? Jason who