I am looking forward to 2021 with great hope and aspirations.  We have now made a smooth transition to the new Administration and they are thanking federal employees for their dedication and professional performance.  What a change from years past!  Our front line rangers are beginning to get vaccinated and other NPS employees will be vaccinated soon!  Our ANPR Board met for an all day zoom session on January 23, and among numerous items of business, developed a host of great ideas to help move ANPR forward.  You will see and read about these ideas in future issues of the newsletter, and in Ranger Magazine.  Also, don’t forget to check out the ANPR Website for current press releases on our activities, Board Meeting minutes and other opportunities to get involved with ANPR.
 
Thank you all for your hard work and perseverance during this difficult time.  Please stay safe and healthy, and have a wonderful and productive 2021!

The Park Law Enforcement Association (https://parkranger.com/) is offering a half-day of free training to members and non-members on March 2, 2021, on these topics:  "Emotional intelligence for natural resource officers," "Archaeological resource crime prevention, investigation and prosecution," "Developing patrol strategies in a post-COVID world," and "Dynamic leadership."  Pre-registration is required. 

 

There are many ways to support the Association of National Park Rangers that go beyond a simple donation. Check out our comprehensive (but perhaps not exclusive?) list of ways to support ANPR found here.

Please reach out to Bill Wade, ANPR Treasurer, with any questions.

 

Our new boss, President Biden, shares a warm welcome to all career staff. I'm proud to work with the National Park Service as part of the team! View the video here: https://youtu.be/KJbe_rg0GnE

As of Dec 24, 2020, a new Executive Order went into effect requiring two hurdles for applicants to pass, meaning a resume + occupational questionnaire are no longer enough. A second assessment type will be required, and the National Staffing Office will be using USAHire, an online assessment tool that evaluates your suitability for a position based on strategy questions. See sample questions here:
USA Hire (opm.gov)
 

This new assessment tool takes an average of 1.5 hours to complete and is due within 48 hours of a job closing. It will provide a rating that will be used in combination with your occupational questionnaire to evaluate your application and will impact whether you are found qualified or not. You can only take this assessment once per year, and will not be given another chance to take it for an entire calendar year.

Learn more on their website:

USA Hire Resource Center - USA_Staffing_Resource_Center
 

Bernie and his mittens have been traveling across the world. Soon after the inauguration he was spotted at the Pearl Harbor national Memorial watching the park film.

 

Park Film showing on the Education Lanai, Pearl Harbor National Memorial, NPS and PHP Composite Image

 

Would you like to be a member of a great team? The best times I had in my forty years with the NPS were the times I was a member of an excellent team. These teams included my times in parks as a ranger and superintendent and the teams I was on for emergency operations and special events. I will admit that I also had experiences on poorly functioning teams in my career. So how do we use our personal leadership to develop and participate in excellent teams during our careers? We will explore this in the coming months as we discuss excellent teamwork in the NPS.

Continue reading here….

Please let me hear from you and tell me what you think of this series. You can contact me at flamingo12az@aim.com and thank you for your time!

The Person Behind the Leadership Story:  Bill Pierce

Bill Pierce is a retired US National Park Ranger who served in numerous national parks, including Great Smoky Mountains NP to the east, and Point Reyes National Park to the west. Rising through the ranger ranks, he became Superintendent of Katmai National Park, Lake Clark National Park, and Redwoods National and State Parks before he retired. Bill was a superb leader and supervisor, and an outstanding team member. He served as a Planning Section Chief, Operations Section Chief and Incident Commander on several National Incident Management Teams, both for fire, and for all-hazards. He teaches supervision, leadership and teamwork both for the NPS and for other organizations around the country. Needless to say, he knows what he is talking about when it comes to leadership and teamwork! 
 
Bill writes this column for the ANPR Newsletter because he (and I) believe that the National Park Service employees need to better understand the responsibilities as well as the techniques of leadership and teamwork to be successful. His advice in these articles is tried and true, and followed by every good leader---in and outside of the NPS. Please spend a few minutes each month carefully reading through Bill’s column, identifying ideas that are meaningful to you, and putting them into practice. If you have questions about anything Bill writes, please contact him by email. He will be happy to work with you personally. The future of the NPS, and your future advancement through the NPS ranks depend on your actions.
 
Good luck!
 
Paul Anderson
President, Association of National Park Rangers

 

Since we were unable to go to Jacksonville FL last year for Ranger Rendezvous, our contract was extended to go there this year. The dates are October 12-18, 2021. We manage the RR using a “modified” incident management team. As the Rendezvous Manager, I have established the team to begin planning for RR44. I’m looking for volunteers to help with all aspects of the RR planning and on-site management, including:
 

• The Exhibition and identifying exhibitors - always looking for assistance and suggestions for presentations
• Information, marketing, advertising
• The pre-RR training program
• The field trips and associated transportation
• The hospitality functions
• Room-share, ride-share
• Documenting the presentations
• Videography of presentations
• The raffle and auction functions
• The audiovisual equipment and set up for presentations
• The RR registration function

 
And, we are always looking for suggestions/recommendations for program presentations.
 
If you are interested in any of these functions, either as a “manager” of the function or as a support person; or just to learn more about event management, send email to bwade@anpr.org by the end of November. I will contact you about your interest.
 

 

The holidays can be lots of fun, but many of us are now paying off our holiday debt.  It’s time to consolidate our payments to a low rate.  Why not consider transferring your balances to earn a 2.90% Intro APR for 6 months, and then the rate reverts to your approved rate, which is as low as 7.85% APR for Visa Platinum, and as low as 9.85 % APR for Visa^® Platinum Rewards (not all borrowers will qualify for the lowest rate).  New cards take about 5 – 7 days to receive and then you can schedule your balance transfers online, and we’ll take care of the rest!

Once you have your card, add it to our digital wallets plus your online accounts like Amazon™, iTunes™, Walmart™ and more! We make it easy for you to pay quickly and securely. The more transactions you make with your card, the sooner you can redeem a reward, like cash back or donations to a charity of your choice. If you have a debit card, you can combine your rewards with our Visa Member Rewards Card! Learn more about our Visa Card benefits and rewards program.


Interior FCU…Your Natural Resource for Financial Services 800-914-8619

---

Join Today | Refer Your Friends | Locations | Rates | eNews | Mobile Insiders

President:

• Attended meeting of North American IRF member organizations with the IRF North American Representative.  There were about 12 organizations represented. This group plans to meet every quarter or so to discuss common interests and issues.
• Received notification that WASO has approved the memo from Workforce and Inclusion that NPS will not be reclassifying any GS 0025 Park Ranger LE positions to GS 1801.  They have notified DOI and OPM of their decision.  ANPR was successful in working with NPS to achieve this desired outcome.

Fundraising:

• Led fundraising committee meeting Jan. 12
• Wrote thank you emails and letters to donors

 
Government Affairs:

• Contacted NPS Public Health Office expressing concerns about COVID protocols being followed, or not, on IMT for inauguration. While I did not receive a  formal reply I did hear from an employee on the IMT about what protocols were in place.

 
International Ranger Foundation Liaison:

• World Ranger Congress moved to June, 2023 in the Azores.

 
Strategic Planning:

• Thanks to everyone for making time for strategic planning sessions during the month of January.
• We’ve completed planning with everyone, and you can see our goals listed in the 2021 work plan.