{"id":17147,"date":"2018-08-06T11:00:38","date_gmt":"2018-08-06T18:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=17147"},"modified":"2018-07-30T16:36:27","modified_gmt":"2018-07-30T23:36:27","slug":"keeping-your-river-ranger-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2018\/08\/06\/keeping-your-river-ranger-happy\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping Your River Ranger Happy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last season I made the work transition from being a whitewater river guide to being a River Ranger in one of our nation\u2019s spectacular National Parks. Working as a river ranger isn\u2019t \u201ca walk in the park\u201d as the saying goes. Many a hot buggy work day was spent at the boat ramp checking river permits and equipment or planting\/watering trees or cleaning up campsites. I learned a lot during last year\u2019s season, including what made my fellow rangers and me happy. And a happy ranger is a friendly ranger that can make the whole process go smoother. Here are some tips on how to keep your river ranger happy and make sure your trip starts off on the right foot.<\/p>\n

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1. Be ready at the ramp with your government-issued photo identification (aka driver\u2019s license) in-hand and ready to show.<\/strong> I don\u2019t mean to sound preachy right off the bat, but this is the first interaction you will have with your river ranger and we all know what they say about first impressions. If you\u2019re one of the unfortunate souls who realize you left your ID on the kitchen table at home, just fess up. Rummaging around in the piles of expedition gear looking for your non-existent ID wastes everyone\u2019s time, including the other groups waiting at the ramp for their inspection. So, be ready with your ID.<\/p>\n

Pro tip: if you want to earn some extra brownie points with your ranger, having a signed copy of the permit along with your ID generally tells the ranger you\u2019ve read and understood the rules and regulations for groups boating on our National Parks\u2019 rivers.<\/p>\n

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2. Ditch the kitty litter and have all the required (and approved) river equipment organized and ready for inspection.<\/strong> Keep in mind that the requirements for fire pan, toilet system, spare equipment, repair kit, pump, first aid kit, etc. are somewhat different for different regions, so do your homework and read the particular rules and regulations for your river before showing up at the put-in ramp. Don\u2019t be that permit holder who makes their river friends mad because the unhappy river ranger doesn\u2019t allow them access.<\/p>\n

In this past season, one of the biggest, and most common mistakes I saw were parties not having an approved toilet system. If the area you\u2019re visiting allows a \u201cbag system\u201d for human waste, make sure yours is one of the officially approved systems, and no, a gallon bag of kitty litter is not an approved human waste disposal system! I was a surprised and not a happy river ranger when I had to ask several different groups, \u201chow are you going to dispose of this bag of kitty litter and human waste?\u201d And yes, I did deny access to the river because groups didn\u2019t have an approved human waste disposal system.<\/p>\n