Rick Smith


Biography

Rick is a retired National Park Service employee. He served in 6 national parks, 2 regional offices, and in the Service's headquarters office in DC. Prior to his NPS career, he was a Peace Corps Volunteer, serving as a professor in the philosophy department in Paraguay's National University. He has worked extensively in Latin American as a protected area specialist.



Rick's Most Recent Comments (view all)
  • 1/07/2009 2:13 pm - NPCA, Park Retirees File Lawsuit to Halt Change in National Park Gun Rules : Not only that, Kurt, but Senator Crapo, R-Id, admits that the NRA drafted the letter that Senators signed and sent to Kempthorne. I think Ted is underestimating the capacity of the NRA to drive campaigns like this. But, as you point out, so what? Does it surprise anyone? My only ...
  • 1/06/2009 7:08 pm - This Park Combines Scenery and History on a Desert Island : One of Nevada Barr's novels, [i]Flashback,[/i] is set at Dry Tortugas NP. Most NPS employees whom I know who worked at the park always felt there was something strange about the Fort. I visited the park at least 4 times a year when I was stationed at Everglades. Besides being ...
  • 1/06/2009 9:29 am - Resolved: I’ll Visit at Least These Five National Parks in 2009 : Bob-- I would urge you to rethink your A-list and add the Gates. It is one of the most breath taking areas in the System. Other than the periodic airplane flying above, it hasn't changed that much since Bob Marshall went to visit there because it was the last blank ...
  • 1/02/2009 12:11 pm - Yosemite National Park Officials Looking For Suggestions on Preserving Badger Pass Ski Lodge : I was the ranger at Badger for a couple winters. There is a lot of park history tied up in downhill skiing at the park. I am inclined to vote for keeping it as a low-key, family-oriented place. It's also a great jumping off point for day ski tours to ...
  • 12/31/2008 11:09 am - Happy New Year from the Traveler! : Kurt, Bob, Jim, Chance, etc-- Thanks for all you do to keep us up-to-date on NPS issues. NPT is a "must visit" when I open my conputer. It is a fascinating mix of points of view on how best to preserve and protect the areas of the National Park System. ...
  • 12/24/2008 8:52 am - Elk Population Growing at Great Smoky Mountains National Park : Ted--- Check the history of Channel Islands. There have been various campaigns to eliminate exotic species on the islands. Don't forget the burros of Grand Canyon. The granddaddy of all such programs goes on at the Galapagos. Rick Smith
  • 12/20/2008 10:23 am - Bush Administration Publishes Proposed Rule For Mountain Biking in National Parks : My goal as an NPS employee, supervisor and manager was to attempt to accomplish in every park to which I was assigned three fundamental tasks: preserve and protect resources; provide high quality visitor services; and to maintain productive relationships with park interest groups. Among those interest groups were the communitiies ...
  • 12/15/2008 9:24 am - What's the Latest On The Search for An Interior Secretary? : I agree with d-2. One of the attractive features for Democrats of the suggestion that Raul Grijalva from Arizona be appointed is that there is little chance that they would lose that seat in a new election. I heard Rep. Grijalva speak this weekend at the annual meeting of the ...
  • 12/08/2008 3:58 pm - The Green Blood of the Coalition of NPS Retirees : No, Frank, we don't like that either. I was a seasonal for 11 years, so maybe my blood isn't much bluer than yours. As to your claim that we toe the "neo-liberal agenda of the Democratic party": all we really care about are the parks and programs managed by the ...
  • 12/03/2008 5:10 pm - 28 Years Ago, the National Park System Gained Millions of Acres : In 1979, I was one of a small group of NPS rangers (21 in total, I believe) sent to Alaska in the summer to establiish an NPS "presence" in President Carter's new national monuments. We held public meetings, gave countless interviews, did monument patrols, answered dozens of phone calls from ...


Rick's Most Recent Articles (view all)

National Park System Quiz 32: Survival

This week’s quiz is about surviving – or even better, avoiding – dangerous situations in national parks. Answers are at the end. This is serious stuff, so you’re welcome to peek all you like.

National Park System Quiz 29: Diving

It doesn't get much publicity, but some of the most interesting scuba diving in the U.S. takes place in our national parks. So grab your fins, masks, snorkels and regulators and have a go at this week's quiz. Answers are at the end. If we catch you peeking, we’ll put sand in your wetsuit.
Review

Submerged: Adventures of America's Most Elite Underwater Archeology Team

Submerged: Adventures of America I always liked the acronym, SCRU, the best, I thought, in the federal government. It stood for the Submerged Cultural Resources Unit, a collection of National Park Service world-class divers stationed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, who also happened to be professional archaeologists, anthropologists, and illustrators.