View definitions and links discussed in this episode at go.nps.gov/WhatWeDoPodcast
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TRANSCRIPT:
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Ashton: From Yellowstone National Park. This is what we do. I'm Ashton Hooker.
Brett: And I'm Brett Raeburn.
Ashton: Hey, Brett.
Brett: Hey, Ashton. How's it going?
Ashton I'm good. How are you doing today?
Brett: I'm doing awesome. It's getting close to lunch, so my stomach might rumble a little bit here.
Ashton: Um, mine is seriously rumbling as well. I hope you can't hear it through the microphone.
Brett: Yeah, I have this big lunch box behind me. I'll try not to rummage in it too much. So, we'll see.
Ashton: Well, today we have Addy Falgoust who is a park guide here in Yellowstone. We're going to talk to her a little bit more about her job and what it's like. And so as a part guide, you know, if you're a visitor to Yellowstone, you might see them out and about either in the visitor center, roaming park trails, park-guided walks and talks, things like that. So along those same lines, we have the Junior Ranger program and it's pretty popular.
Brett: Yes, I've heard of it.
Ashton: It's in a bunch of different parks, Yellowstone as well. So my question for you, do you happen to know how many Junior Ranger badges are awarded here in Yellowstone?
Brett: Every year?
Ashton: Every year.
Brett: Number of Junior Ranger badges... so not just people who, like, get the books and don't go through to graduate?
Ashton: Correct.
Brett: I'm going to say... I'm trying to see if Miles would give me any hints here because he orders the badges. I think it's like I'm going to say 160,000.
Ashton: Oooh. Wow, That's more than I thought you're going to guess. But really, you're not too far off. So in the past couple of years, you know, we've had a few weird years with COVID and the flood and stuff, so it's been a little lower the past few years, but it's been about 50,000.
Brett: Okay. I'm like, So come on, Junior Rangers, step up.
Ashton: Yeah, Yeah.
Brett: But this year is going to be the year know 160,000.
Ashton: But in a normal year, it's about 50,000 to 100,000. So, you're not too far off.
Brett: That's that is a lot of Junior Rangers being sworn in.
Ashton: It's a lot more than I thought.
Brett: It's a lot of oath-takers.
Ashton: Yeah.
Brett: We're in good hands.
Ashton: Yes, we are. All the Junior Rangers out there. So, anyway, we're going to talk with Addy more about she does in the park. So, Addy, thanks for joining us.
Addy: Yeah, thanks for having me.
Ashton: How are you doing?
Addy: I'm doing well.
Ashton: Good, good. So, ready to dive in?
Addy: Absolutely.
Ashton: Okay. So how did you get your start with the National Park Service?
Addy: So I got my start in 2017 as an intern in Glacier Bay National Park.
Ashton: And that's in Alaska?
Addy: That's correct. Yeah. It often gets mistaken for a glacier in Montana. So often I do specify Glacier BAY in Alaska.
Brett: I heard that emphasis on BAY. Yeah.
Ashton: Cool. And so what drew you to that? Did you always know you wanted to be a park ranger?
Addy: So growing up, my family traveled to national parks. I think a lot of people in this career and they kind of, you know, was really interested. I fell in love with the Tetons and I was like, I want to live where they are one day. And the way to live there is to become a park ranger. So simple enough, I'll just just do that. And, you know, it got a little bit more complicated than that. But in high school and college, I started to look more seriously into pursuing a career in that direction. I actually visited Yellowstone in college and spoke to some Rangers on that trip and asked them, "Hey, how do I get into this field?" And they gave me some good information on internship programs like the SCA and also how to find jobs in USA Jobs.
Brett: What is that, SCA, just for those who don't know?
Addy: Yeah. So the SCA is the Student Conservation Association, and the internship that I did in Glacier Bay was through them. Ashton: Okay. And so what exactly did you do?
Addy: Yeah. So the position there was an education intern, and Glacier Bay has pretty few visitors that actually set foot on the land there. And the number of visitors in the winter is pretty much nonexistent. And so most of the visitation is in the summer on cruise ships. So in the winter, they have a pretty robust distance learning program. So we were actually using Zoom before COVID and before Zoom really became a thing and essentially taking students on virtual whale-watching tours and field trips to the park.
Ashton: Wow.
Brett: Wow. That sounds like a good gig. Yeah. So you're on a boat, like, while you're doing this?
Addy: No. So we were in an office with a green screen that made it look like we were on a boat. I did get to go out with the oceanography team, though, which was really fun one day and we got to take water samples. So I did get to have that experience in the bay, but most of the time was spent in the office.
Ashton: Okay, so did you go from Glacier Bay and then Yellowstone or were there other stops in between?
Addy: There are few steps in between, yeah. So after Glacier Bay, I did a couple of seasonal positions as an interpretive park ranger and also an education position in Grand Teton National Park. And then I was pretty fortunate to get offered a permanent job pretty early on in my career. And that was in Hot Springs, Arkansas. That was also a park guide position. I was there for a few months and then took a lateral reassignment to a part guide position here, and I've been here since it's been about four and a half years, I think.
Ashton: Okay. So tell us a little bit about being in Yellowstone. A lot of people don't know that there are actually park Ranger rangers that live on the interior of the park. So what that means is like, you know, not at any of the park entrances. And so Yellowstone closes down in the winter. So you're you know, you're at Lake Lake Village outside Yellowstone Lake. So tell us what that is like. Like, how did you even get here this morning? Talk us through what that is like.
Addy: Yeah. So essentially, we kind of get snowed in and the winter and often we, you know, things are complicated, but there's a lot of snowmobiling to your car and then transitioning to take your car to a location. Currently we have less snow this year, which you think would make traveling easier, but it's actually made things more complicated because my car is at one location, but there's not enough snow for me to snowmobile from the roads. I have enough snow on them to my car, so I have to take like an in-between car to get to my car. So to get to the studio this morning, I took a snowmobile and a couple of vehicles. So and it took about 2 hours. Whereas normally if I could just snowmobile straight here, it would have been probably 30 minutes faster than that.
Brett: So, wow, that is dedication and confidence that we appreciate you.
Addy: Yeah, but those of us in the interior look for excuses to get out. So I was very happy to be out here today.
Ashton: Wow. Well, we're glad you're joining us and that you took the long trek to come all the way up here.
Brett: What's your typical like? How often do you get out to get groceries and things like that?
Addy: So it really varies depending on the year. Typically, I try to stockpile groceries in the fall so that I never need to go out specifically for a grocery trip. But if I happen to be out for another reason, then I always get groceries. But I'd say usually in a normal year I probably leave twice a month each winter. So every two weeks.
Ashton: Okay. So I've seen some park rangers who live in the interior in winter. They do a lot of canning. Are you into that?
Addy: No, I am the unhealthy ranger that lives off of pasta and frozen pizza.
Brett: Ramen!
Ashton: Hey, it's delicious.
Addy: I don't do any canning, but, you know, if you just eat a lot of pasta, dry goods, that stays really well. So I can really stock up in the fall.
Ashton: Wow. So in a typical winter, like one that we're not having now with not as much snow, you would normally just snowmobile everywhere, correct?
Addy: Yes. Yeah, I snowmobile to my vehicle at whatever entrance it's located at. And typically it's not a big deal. You know, I actually really enjoy snowmobiling most of the time and there's incredible opportunities to see wildlife along the way. Amazing scenery. The sunrises and sunsets in the winter are always really special. So although it has its challenges, overall, I really like living at Lake. There's incredible opportunities for skiing around the neighborhood. But it's not to say it doesn't come without its challenges.
Ashton: Mmhmm, for sure. So in your current position as part guide, do you have a typical day? Can you tell us a little bit what that's like? I know it probably varies from day to day.
Addy: I'd say my I have a typical summer day and a typical winter day. Would you like to know about both of those or just one of the seasons?
Ashton: Sure!
Addy: Okay, so in this summer, a typical day, a third of it is usually spent working the visitor center, front desk, answering questions, helping people plan their trips, answering questions about what birds they're seeing, animals they're seeing, like the number of questions we get. You know, you never know what's going to come out of someone's mouth. Search me all over the place. Another third of the day is typically spent leading a ranger guided program. So that can be a talk, a campfire program, a walk. And the remaining third of the day is typically spent out in the field roving and so talking to visitors on boardwalks and some of the thermal areas, interacting with people at wildlife jams, making sure no one's petting bison.
Brett: Very important.
Addy: Yeah. So that's kind of a typical summer day in the winter. My job is kind of unique and then I staff a building called a Warming Hut and so, you know, most people are kind of putting out figurative fires in their day to day work. And my job is literally to go and start a fire. So I go to the warming head, start a fire. And the purpose of that is to serve as a place for snowmobile groups to stop in and warm up. That's the sole source of heat for the building. So depending on the day, if it's really cold out, it could be ten degrees inside. When I get there, it take a few hours to get up to temperature, but we try to get at about 60 degrees in the building and interact with groups as they stop by throughout the day. The fishing bridge warming hut is a quieter location, so on average we've got about 20 to 40 people that stop per day and in between groups. Surprisingly. And cell service is actually really good at that location. So I'm able to plug into a mobile hotspot and respond to visitor trip planning emails. I've helped with social media at times as well, and so I can stay connected and do other work in between groups. So it's more kind of office and admin work mixed in with splitting firewood.
Ashton: Wow. Wuite a variety of skills required.
Addy: Yes.
Ashton: And so where do you live? Like what are your living accommodations like? I'm sure a lot of people are wondering.
Addy: That's the number one question I get asked at the Warming Hut. And what I usually tell those visitors that are asking is that we have housing at each of the developed locations in the park. So my housing area is only a couple of miles away, so it's just a couple-mile snowmobile ride to the warming hut. Often groups get there and like, how did you get here? And I'm like, well, I snowmobiled here just like you, but like I had the easy commute. Like they're snowmobiling 26 miles just to get to me. I only did two.
Brett: I just crawled out of the lake.
All: [laughter]
Ashton: Which you probably could this winter because it's not frozen.
Addy: Yeah, I did a training once in the park where I spent the night in a snow trench and sometimes I do consider telling people that when they ask, where do you live? Where do you sleep at night? I'm like, Yeah, just in a trench in the snow over there.
Brett: I've been here a few years, so they moved me to the three-bedroom snow trench. Yeah, they take care of us here.
Ashton: So what's the most important skill you'd say for your job?
Addy: Yeah, the most important skill in my position is probably communication. So as an interpretive position, it's really important to communicate these messages and try to foster a connection between the people that are visiting Yellowstone and the resources that we have here in the park. And so being able to tailor messages for specific audiences is really important in order to communicate that effectively and try to hopefully inspire the next generation of stewards for these lands.
Brett: What's one of the like hardest or most memorable questions that you've had asked?
Addy: Oooh. That's a good one. So this is a funny one. But the most memorable question, there was a girl. She was probably about 12 years old and she was really shy. I was at Mud Volcano and I could tell she was kind of embarrassed to ask this question. Her mom was like, She has a question. And I was like, Sure. And she was like, I don't know if I want to ask. I was like, No, like, go for it. No judgment. And her question was, how do you bison poop in such perfect circles?
All: [laughter]
Addy: And I loved it because so often we get the same question over and over again. And so that I'd never gotten that once before, and I've never gotten that one since. And so, you know, I took a moment and I was like, well, it has to come. It has to do with the consistency in which the poop comes out. So it's like pancake batter, if you think of it like that. Yeah, like spreads out in a circle, I'm like, it doesn't come out that shape. Yeah. So I think that helped her out. So I wonder if she thinks about that.
Brett: Eating your pancakes that you bring to the office. But it's a great way of explaining it.
Ashton: Yeah, I'm going to think about that every time I see some bison poop out there. So what is your favorite part of the job? Addy: My favorite part of the job is probably getting to re-experience the magic of Yellowstone through the eyes of first time visitors. I've literally had kids jumping up and down for joy when they saw Grizzly Bear for the first time. And I've seen adults like cower when they hear a bull bison grunt during the ride. And those moments just remind me of like, how special this place is. They allow me to remember why I fell in love with this place and why it's worth protecting. That's great. Yeah.
Ashton: Yeah. And so on the other side of that coin of that, you know, there's great parts of the job, maybe some that are not so great or just a little tough. What's like the toughest part of your job?
Addy: I would say I think the toughest part of my job is probably dealing with angry and frustrated visitors. You know, people are coming here on vacation and everything supposed to go right for them. And when it doesn't go right and they're on vacation, they really want someone to blame and someone to give them answers for that. And being a frontline staff member, we're kind of the face for the park. So we're often the person that receives the brunt of that anger and aggression. And especially in the middle of the summer, if you're receiving that day after day, multiple times a day. And often these complaints are about things that we have little to no control over. Sometimes they're because of natural disasters like floods. It can be really hard to deal with that.
Brett: Yeah. Yeah. It takes patience.
Addy: Yes.
Ashton: Yes, lots of patience.
Ashton: So even with those kind of tougher parts of the job, why do you still want to work as a park guide or work for the Park Service? What is it that keeps bringing you back?
Addy: Yeah, although there can be tough days and those negative people, I think the good days and the good people really outweigh it. You might have someone who's mad at you one moment and then you have a really special connection with a junior ranger the next. And it just reminds you kind of why we were doing this. Also, just having an opportunity to live here is something that I try not to take for granted. There's incredible recreational opportunities that I have right in my backyard, and I've also had incredible wildlife sightings, literally from my couch, like I've seen bears and coyotes. I think the only thing I haven't seen out of my back window is a wolf. But there's not a lot of places in the world where you have opportunities for recreation like you do in a national park and opportunities for these really incredible wildlife sightings. And so I think those moments remind me of why I'm here, why I'm doing this. They're incredibly rewarding personally, but they also remind me of the importance of protecting that so that other people can experience that too.
Brett: My gosh, like being at lake in the winter when it's slower has got to be so quiet and peaceful.
Addy: Yeah, I mean, the other morning actually Sunday, I went to the warming hut and there were four wolves in the road.
Ashton: Wow.
Addy: And that was like on my two-mile snowmobile commute to work, got to my office and I saw four wolves at my office. And I've seen foxes and coyotes passing in front of that building as well. And I was all alone. No one else was there. And so it's a really special moment when you have moments like that. And those moments always kind of take me back to why I'm here. And I, I find that some of my best moments in the park, best sunrises, sunsets, rainbows, wildlife sightings have occurred on some of my most difficult days. And so it's like even though there are those tough days, the park always finds a way to remind me of why why I'm here.
Ashton: Yeah, that reminds me of a time few years ago I was driving home. It was a Friday at the end of the work day, just trying to get back to the office, and I got stuck in this bison jam for 2 hours, so I didn't get home till, like, 8 p.m. Yeah, but it's moments like that, like a lot of those people are experiencing that for the first time and it's super cool. They get to be in a place like that where you get to have those types of experiences. And sightings.
Addy: And when you're frustrated in that bison jam, but you look over at like a little kid who's just glued to the window, can't believe what's happening. Kind of makes it a little easier. At least you're not stuck on an interstate somewhere.
Ashton: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. So do you have a defining moment? You've talked about some cool, like, sightings and things, so you get to experience living in the interior in winter. Is there like, one moment that really stands out to you as, like, a career-defining moment?
Addy: Yeah. I don't know if this is a defining moment, but when I thought about this a moment that made me feel like I was really in the right place and doing a good job and something that I was really proud of happened a couple of summers ago. I had a father and daughter asking questions, and the daughter, the father is the main one, asking the questions. And the daughter was really curious and she started chiming in and so she'd ask a question. I'd give her an answer. She'd ask another question. And so a really natural flow of conversation began. I even went and got a bear skull and brought it out to show her. And I was sitting on the porch with this bare skull talking to her about it. And I remember she looked up at me and said, Ranger Addy, I love learning with you.
Ashton: Awww.
Addy: And it really just melted my heart because it felt like all of this was worth it. And I really was having an impact and inspiring the next generation of stewards for these lands. And after that, her father pulled me aside and was like, I just want to tell you, like, I really appreciate that you took the time to speak with her and answer all her questions. He was like, I know she had a lot of questions and he's like, I don't know if you know that the impact that that had on her. And I didn't even realize that the time or tell him, but I don't think they realized the impact that they also had on me because that was just reminded me of why I'm here and why I'm doing this.
Brett: And that's kind of one of the interesting things about your job is it's less like quantifiable all the impacts that you have. And so like, who knows what that little girl is going to grow up to be or do?
Addy: I know you were talking about Junior Ranger badges in the intro and after I answered all those questions for her, I was like, Well, you you're working on a Junior Ranger book, right? She said she'd never heard of the program. And so I got her a book and she was like, I want you to be the Ranger to swear me in. Like, When are you working again? Tomorrow at 10 a.m. is the one hour that I'll be there. Got a deadline for this because I'm going to be on my weekend backpacking. And she was like, I'm finishing it. And so she came back. I think she was only six, but she did all of her work that day and came back the next morning and I got to swear her in. So maybe she'll be in this position in the future, you know? Maybe she'll be a Ranger one day.
Ashton: That's awesome. And that's a lasting impact, too. Yeah, it's really cool.
Ashton: So we'll get into the nitty gritty of your job. The park guide position that you're in, do you know what the series is on USA Jobs? So if people want to go apply, what should they look for?
Addy: Yeah, the series is 0090.
Ashton: And do you know, are those like entry level jobs? How far up the ladder can they go with those?
Addy: Yeah. So part guide positions are typically more entry level and mine is a GS-5 position.
Ashton: And do you need any formal training or anything like that?
Addy: There's no formal training needed for this position. Just having experience in education and interpretation is helpful. Ashton: Okay. So if you were to give somebody advice, like what type of experience they should get, yeah, what would you tell them?
Addy: My recommendation would be just get experience where you can, whether that's like volunteering at your local environmental center, which is something that I did, or working at a nearby state park. If you can get experience in interpretation and environmental education, that's going to be a really good way to get your foot in the door.
Brett: And how did you I mean, obviously you have to know a lot about the resource to answer all those questions about circular bison poop. So so how I mean, is that just the stuff that you research kind of on the job or on your own just because you're curious? How how do you get that knowledge?
Addy: I'd say a combination of both. I had visited here I don't know how many times before working here, probably five times with my family and so from that I just had a lot of basic knowledge of what are the popular sites to see and how do you be a visitor here? Because I had visited, so I kind of had some of that background knowledge. I had some knowledge on the ecosystem that I learned when working in Grand Teton National Park. Some of that was on the job learning, some of that was reading before I did that position. And then since I've been here, I'd say more of the knowledge that I've acquired has been on the job, either reading different references, learning from fellow Rangers is probably one of the biggest ways that I learn and just answering questions. It's really scary as your first day being a ranger, working at the front desk, having to answer questions, But that's the only way that you're going to know what people are asking and know what information you need to know.
Brett: Yeah, I've worked the front desk a few times and I'm just like, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know that one either.
All: [laughter]
Addy: And then you're one of the main people that is contributing to the research that we're using.
Ashton: Well, in Yellowstone, there's so much information to possibly know too.
Addy: So that's another thing that's like really kept me in Yellowstone for so long is that it's hard to get bored here because one day I'm getting questions about circular bison poop. The next day I'm getting questions from a microbiologist who knows more about the thermophiles in these features than I do. Yeah, but yeah, there's just endless knowledge to know. And so, yeah, there's still questions that I get that I don't know the answer to. And I tell them I'll go look it up and get back to you. And sometimes I it's hard to find an answer, but yeah, I try.
Ashton: Well, that's really cool. And so the last thing we like to ask people, what is your favorite memory that you've had? It could be here in Yellowstone or any other national park since it sounds like you've you've worked and visited lots of different national parks. Do you have a favorite moment you've had?
Addy: So something that stands out to me as a moment I had here in Yellowstone and it doesn't involve wildlife or hiking or thermal features like you might expect it to. It actually involves the ice on Yellowstone Lake, which I know some of you here have heard me go on and on about the ice on Yellowstone Lake. Yellowstone Lake freezes in the winter and living at lake. This is something that is a pretty exciting event to us. Like what day is ice going to free or the lake in a free is what day is it going to melt? Sometimes it sings as well, so you can't really like live our lives by the seasons of the lake and ice-off day is like my favorite day of the year. I just think it's so incredible and it doesn't happen every year. But if conditions are right as the ice breaks up, it gets pushed out of the lake at Yellowstone River, which is the only outlet to the lake, and it flows down underneath fishing bridge. And as that happens, those chunks of ice all kind of get compressed into each other. And you can stand on fishing bridge and look underneath your feet. And it's just mesmerizing, watching this like, icy slushy move. It sounds really cool, too. It's like a bunch of shards of glass almost. And usually it occurs late May, like Memorial Day weekend. And a couple of years ago, I was actually out of the park on a temporary work assignment. And I wasn't scheduled to get back until June. And I was like, there's no way I'm going to make it back in time for ice-off. And I was I was pretty sad about it because it only happens once a year. Like, it's not like, Old Faithful, it's not happening every 90 minutes. So I was really bummed that I was going to miss ice-off day and I was moving back into the park on June 3. And as I'm driving along the lake, I see that the ice is still there and it's starting to break up. And I rushed to fishing bridge, got to fishing bridge in time. I'm standing there watching the ice and listening to the sounds and I look up and there is a double rainbow!
All: Woah, cool.
Brett: [sings]
Addy: Yeah, yeah. It just felt like the lake had waited for me. And that was, that was Yellowstone's way of welcoming me back home.
Ashton: That's really cool.
Brett: I would like Yellowstone to you to welcome me back home with a double rainbow next time down there, too. So if you could, I'll try to make that happen, that'd be great.
Addy: I'll try. [laughter]
Brett: And I have to go back to one other thing you said real fast before we go, because you said it sings?
Addy: Yeah. So as the ice cracks and forms the those sound waves are kind of sent through the ice and you get these really unique sounds. It kind of sounds like lightsabers. It doesn't happen often. Conditions have to be just right, but it's really cool when it does occur.
Brett: Sorry, can you give us a like, what does it sound like? Can you give us your best impression?
Addy: Yeah, it's like, pew! Pew! Pew! There's other sounds too, but those are the coolest sounds.
Brett: That's cool. I'll be listening for light sabers next time I'm down there.
All: [laughter]
Ashton: Well, thank you so much for joining us, Addy.
Brett: Yes, thank you.
Addy: Thanks for having me today. Yeah, this was really fun.
Ashton: Well, that's it for this week's episode of What We Do. Thanks again to our guest, Addy Falgoust. If you like what we do, write and review the show wherever you listen. Every positive review helps do listeners find the show. If you have questions or want to learn more about a particular job, contact us using the form at go.nps.gov/WhatWeDoPodcast. Thanks for listening!
