Jim Burnett


Biography

Jim Burnett has had the unusual opportunity to enjoy not one, but two "dream careers." Three decades as a ranger with the National Park Service took him to eight parks: Grand Canyon, Lake Mead, Glacier, Buffalo River, Big Thicket, Lincoln Boyhood, National Capital Parks and Colonial. Most of his career was spent in "protection" duties (fire, search & rescue, emergency medical services, and law enforcement), but he also had the chance to work in natural resource management and interpretation.

Following his retirement from the NPS, Jim embarked on a new adventure as a writer. In addition to on-line pieces and several short articles in national periodicals, he's the author of two books: Hey Ranger! True Tales of Humor and Misadventure from America's National Parks and the sequel, Hey Ranger 2: More True Tales …. Jim writes primarily about the lighter side of life in the parks and sometimes describes his books as examples of what can happen "when you head west but your trip goes south." He and his wife now live in East Texas.

Homepage:
http://www.heyranger.com


Jim's Most Recent Comments (view all)
  • 11/17/2008 2:07 pm - Mammoth Cave National Park Produces Its Master Trails Plan : The increased cost is bound to be a concern for the park, but the best news I read into this story is the fact the park listened to the public, and ditched their preferred alternative and took a different approach after reviewing the public comments. That's a refreshing contrast to ...
  • 11/16/2008 3:41 pm - Do You Care About Energy Exploration Near Our National Parks? : To go back to the title of Kurt's story that started this discussion: "Do You Care About Energy Exploration Near Our National Parks?" My answer is "yes," and it sounds like quite a few others share that view. It is encouraging to read the comments in favor of a combination ...
  • 11/16/2008 2:47 pm - End of a Curious Era at Mount Rainier National Park : I hope the new building won't come with some of the maintenance headaches I understand plagued the "flying saucer," and the new one should certainly be more energy efficient.
  • 11/16/2008 9:41 am - That Ringing Heard by Backcountry Visitors in Glacier National Park Wasn't in Their Ears : Your question is an excellent one! Whether or not these bells in the backcountry would be considered "appropriate" today is a philosophical question, and involves the same opinions we see voiced on a lot of topics posted on the Traveler. People who visited – and managed – the parks in ...
  • 11/14/2008 9:39 am - President-Elect Obama's Team Hints At Reversing BLM Leasing Decisions in Utah : Lone Hiker - An interesting summary of our relationship with the rest of the world in terms of energy, and our overall "energy policy." I agree with much of what you say. I certainly agree with you on the need to emphasize development of alternative energy sources. That, along with ...
  • 11/13/2008 9:43 pm - At Big Thicket National Preserve, a Combative Drug Dealer Changes His Mind When Ranger Stafford Shows Him His Taser : Brandon - Well said! Most readers of this site have never been to the Big Thicket, and it's therefore hard for them to grasp the difficult situation rangers there often face. Many parks have similar issues with inadequate staff and backup for rangers, but they seem to be amplified at ...
  • 11/13/2008 1:58 pm - Zion National Park Planning To "Rehabilitate" Mount Carmel Highway : Here's a short excerpt about the project, which I find encouraging: [quote]Pavement rehabilitation would likely involve in-place recycling of the existing deteriorated pavement, followed by an overlay of new asphalt paving. The new pavement would later be covered with a red cinder chip-seal.[/quote] In-place recycling of the existing pavement at ...
  • 11/12/2008 10:59 pm - Zion National Park Planning To "Rehabilitate" Mount Carmel Highway : Frank – Although I certainly respect the high regard you hold for areas such as parks, Vince has a good grasp of the political realities involved in setting those areas aside in the first place – along with the even more pressing realities confronting those areas today. A broad constituency ...
  • 11/11/2008 3:14 pm - President-Elect Obama's Team Hints At Reversing BLM Leasing Decisions in Utah : One of our major problems is that we've never had a truly viable and comprehensive national energy plan. I'm not interested in which label is attached to the party currently in power, nor in the personalities, but I am interested in the results. I can only hope that the incoming ...
  • 11/11/2008 2:37 pm - New Solar Power System Puts This Park in the Forefront of Alternative Energy Use : I see some reasons to hope that attitudes about alternative energy are beginning to change - as illustrated by the private investment in this system at Death Valley and your example of T. Boone Pickens, who made his fortune in oil and gas, but now sees the potential for wind ...


Jim's Most Recent Articles (view all)

Welcome to "Paradise on Earth, California style"

Here's some good news as we near the end of 2008—you're part-owner of a spot described as "Paradise on earth, California style." Your on-site managers are working on a plan for the place, and you're welcome to give them your ideas.

"Don't Shoot Yourself in the Foot" is Still Good Advice

A recent report from the Buffalo National River in Arkansas confirms the validity of the old expression about shooting yourself in the foot, although in this case a would-be hunter's miscue had both a literal and figurative outcome.

The Ex-Soldier Who Bought a Battlefield

Throughout history, military leaders have inevitably been linked to the scenes of their battles. General Douglas MacArthur is remembered for his "I shall return" pronouncement, but one famous American military figure went even further. He returned as a civilian and purchased a battlefield where he had fought—and lost—an engagement sixteen years earlier.

That Ringing Heard by Backcountry Visitors in Glacier National Park Wasn't in Their Ears

Julie Andrews made some Austrian mountains come alive with the sound of music, but for seventeen years visitors to the backcountry in Glacier National Park played a different kind of tune. That ringing sound heard in some pretty remote sections of the park wasn't exactly melodious, since it was limited to a single note from a large bell, but it was apparently dramatic.

This Park Wins the "Most Visits by a President" Award

Which unit in the national park system outside of Washington, D.C., has received the most visits by presidents and other heads of state? Here are two clues: An answer to the question, "Where in blue blazes…" is found in this park, and in years past Shangri-La was just up the road.

New Solar Power System Puts This Park in the Forefront of Alternative Energy Use

If you had to select a national park in the United States where solar power could reduce consumption of electricity from traditional energy sources, which one would you choose? In one Western park a major system is already up and running.

Colonial America and the Other San Juan Capistrano

When we hear the term "Colonial America," locations west of the Mississippi aren't often the first to come to mind. Long before the Liberty Bell became a symbol of the United States, however, a story involving a European power other than Great Britain was already well underway in another part of our country.

Upon Further Review - How Wet Is a Rain Forest?

Most people have a mental picture of what to expect on their first visit to a new location, and that was definitely the case for a woman at Olympic National Park. However, one of the things that makes travel interesting is that expectations and reality sometimes take different paths in the Great Outdoors.

Poets, Ports and Politics – The Long Battle for a New Kind of Park

According to this park's administrative history, it was the first area considered for addition to the newly-established national park system by the agency's first director, Stephen T. Mather. Mather visited the area in October 1916, but fifty years would elapse before a bill authorizing the park was finally passed.

NPS Entrance Fees Waived on November 11th for Veterans, Military Personnel and Their Families

In honor of Veterans Day, U.S. military veterans, members of the U.S. armed forces and their families will be admitted without charge on November 11th to public recreation lands managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Forest Service.