If a trail is to be blazed, it is "send a ranger." If an animal is floundering in the snow, a ranger is sent to pull him out; if a bear is in the hotel, if a fire threatens a forest, if someone is to be saved, it is "send a ranger." If a Dude wants to know the why of Nature's ways, if a Sagebrusher is puzzled about a road, his first thought is, "ask a ranger."
Steven T. Mather Director, National Park Service From: "Oh, Ranger!" (1928)
I have asked a lot of questions of a lot of Rangers during my decades of visits to Yosemite National Park. Questions such as: How many bears are there in Yosemite? (300-500), When are fawns born? (late May, early June), Where do Steller’s Jay’s nest? (typically, in conifers), and so on.
Since answering questions and being helpful embody a Ranger’s job description, Rangers generously share their knowledge willingly. That’s been my experience. I cannot remember ever meeting a disgruntled Ranger, or one not willing to assist. Most Rangers choose to become a ranger to help others and to share the natural environment with park visitors in the best way possible.
Yosemite Rangers, however, do not always find themselves in a position to help. Multiple “ranger duties” and unexpected events may need to be attended to, thus occupying their thoughts and actions.
For example, the Yosemite Bear Management Team faces certain challenges while monitoring bear activity, particularly in Yosemite Valley. Black bear management may keep them extremely focused as they do their best to monitor dynamic bear movement and how it impacts the hordes of human visitors.
A primary area of attention pertains to minimizing bear exposure to human food. It’s been said that a “fed bear is a dead bear.” If bears acclimate (or get addicted) to the strong flavors of human food and their easy accessibility, they will exhibit problematic behavior related to learning new ways to get that food. If this behavior becomes severe, such as in damaging automobiles, cabins, or people, they may need to be euthanized.
A specific risk of food exposure arises in the campgrounds where careless campers may violate food storage requirements. Plus, food preparation typically occurs outdoors in the open and odors can waft quickly to the specialized nose of a bear. Bears have a strong sense of smell, so the whiff of a familiar tasty morsel, such as cheese puffs, pastries, or marshmallows, lures them and directs their olfactory senses to that source of food.
Of course, the sighting of a bear can create not only excitement but all sorts of unpredictable human behavior. This heightens the risks of a negative bear/human incident which could result in property damage or human injury (although black bear violence towards humans is rare). So, tracking bears and keeping them out of the campgrounds remains one of those duties that can keep Rangers occupied.
Over the years different means of tracking bears have existed. This includes visual tracking and alerts from campers while the Rangers communicate via walkie-talkies, to radio telemetry collars that are attached around the neck of ‘repeat-offender’ bears, and to the more recent the use of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) collars. The GPS collars provide the exact whereabouts of a bear’s movement in real-time as it goes from location to location.
Despite the improved techniques used to track bears and keep Park visitors safe, some difficulties remain. For example, once a bear enters a campground, chasing down the bear can be like running through a maze. Huge recreational vehicles may impair the Rangers’ view. Picnic tables, campfire grills, tents, bicycles, restrooms, automobiles, and people all act as obstacles in moving about to redirect a bear away from a campground. A bear’s impressive mobility allows it to make a quick raid on abandoned edibles before Rangers can use their influence to chase it off.
Yet, at each campsite in Yosemite, one object exists that can actually work toward the Rangers’ advantage when tracking an intransigent bruin. Before 2015, the three primary campgrounds in Yosemite Valley (Upper, Lower, and North Pines Campgrounds), received new and highly visible food storage lockers (AKA as “bear boxes”--see photos below). The front side of these brown-colored bear boxes displayed a white number to identify each campground site.
Consequently, as a bear rambles through a campground, pursuing Rangers need only to call out the number on the bear box to identify its location. Since the sprawling Upper Pines campground has 238 campsites, this unique “fingerprint” on each bear box enhances a Ranger’s ability to zero in on a troublesome bear on the move.
Unfortunately, having only one side of the bear box numbered hampered campsite identification if a Ranger’s position approached from the rear or sides of the bear box.
In time, the Rangers themselves presented a question: “Couldn’t a campsite number be put on each side of the bear box to assist us Rangers when following a bear through the campground?”
Hey, that’s one question I’d be happy to answer for a Ranger! Of course, that can be done! How hard could that be? That’s a reasonable and doable request!
And others agreed. So, during the summer of 2015, about six volunteers from the Yosemite Conservancy received an assignment to “fingerprint” each bear box at Upper, Lower, and North Pines campgrounds with a number on every side. By doing so, Rangers could readily identify a bear’s location from any angle and communicate it via walkie-talkies. Who would turn down a request like that from Rangers who rarely ask for anything? Not me!
Fortunately for me, I became part of the team of volunteers to receive that assignment. With stencils and spray cans in hand, we readily set out to transform the bear boxes from barriers to beacons! Over the course of three days, we carefully sprayed white numbers on the bear boxes knowing this would go toward giving back to Rangers and assist them in their endeavors to track and monitor bears while keeping Yosemite’s visitors safe. The work progressed smoothly as every side of every bear box came to prominently display a campsite number that could be read from a distance. This included the 238 sites in Upper Pines, the 60 sites in Lower Pines, and 80 sites in North Pines campgrounds.
Doing something for others always makes time go by quicker. Once completed, however, I suddenly felt the need to have a Ranger present. I mean, all of these questions began to well up inside of me about the newly numbered bear boxes. Questions such as: How much easier would this make bear chasing? What additional steps could be done to assist Rangers in this task? Do bears recognize a Ranger when they see one (like a dog and a mail deliverer)?
Can somebody summon a Ranger? I’d surely recognize one if I saw one! They are the ones that have an answer to any question I might pose, even questions about bear-chasing made easier!
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