Why we need more rangers
This month's
Washington Trails features a detailed article
looking at the implications of the Pinnacle Lake murders. Even though
the odds of a violent attack on a National Forest hiking trail is
miniscule, the article makes clear that because of declining budgets,
rangers are increasingly stretched thin in their duties. Law
enforcement in places like the Darrington Ranger District remains a
challenge, particularly because the number of law enforcement rangers
is inadequate to the task. Budget cuts have decimated National Forest
law enforcement.According to a New York Times article published in July (full article by subscription only):
"...the number of rangers with police
power has been nearly halved in the last decade, to 550 from more than
980 because of budget cuts and because some rangers have been assigned
to other duties. There is now one law enforcement ranger for every
291,000 acres, or one for every 733,000 visitors, according to Forest
Service figures."
The decline, when one considers the challenges--from violent crime to illegal ORV use, to rowdiness and drug-related crime--is simply unacceptable.
Jordan Fisher Smith, a former ranger and author of Nature Noir, thinks we're letting our National Forests become no-man's lands. In the Washington Trails article, he says
"We're leaving people to their own
devices. And when you do that, you risk turning the land into a
law-free zone"
What are your thoughts? Do we need more rangers, more law enforcement
on our public lands?Photo of Pinnacle Lake trailhead by Steve Spickard.
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