Wednesday medley

This week's questions from Terri:

The National Day Calendar gave us an INTERNATIONAL DAY!!  Since many of these don't really apply to our blogging friends in the UK and other countries, I was happy to see this one come up!!

Everything below this line comes from the National Day Calendar.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WORLD RANGER DAY – July 31

WORLD RANGER DAY

On July 31st, World Ranger Day honors the dedication, and crucial work rangers do every day around the globe.  The day offers an opportunity to show support to rangers for the services they provide. Every day, their unwavering commitment protects our national parks, wildlife, and forested heritage.

“A park ranger is a protector. You protect the land from the people, the people from the land, the people from each other and the people from themselves.” Kurt Caswell (author/writer)

Park rangers hold a variety of roles. As the front line of preservation and conservation, all park rangers are integral to national park systems. In the United States, the National Park Service (NPS) employs rangers to provide both law enforcement and cultural and educational services. Around the world, a park ranger’s role may vary depending on the environment they serve.

While the day recognizes the contributions of rangers, it also highlights their sacrifices. According to professional groups, at least 1,000 park rangers have been killed in the line of duty over the past 10 years – 75% by commercial poachers and armed militia groups. Accordingly, the day commemorates rangers killed or injured in the line of duty.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Participate in the Thin Green Line Foundation promotion. The Thin Green Line Foundation supports the work of Rangers and honors their memories. Put your name and location on the sign provided by the Foundation. Have your picture taken while holding the poster. You can also take a photo with rangers or in a protected area, and post it on social media sharing the photo to the International Ranger Federation (INF) and The Thin Green Line Foundation Facebook page.

Use #TheThinGreenLine and #WorldRangerDay to share on social media.

HISTORY

In 2007, the International Rangers Foundation and The Thin Green Line Foundation celebrated the first World Ranger Day on the 15th anniversary of the founding of the International Rangers Foundation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything above this line is from the National Day Calendar website.

1.  Is there a National Park near where you live?  

I live on Long Island, where we are lucky to have two properties run by the National Park Service.

The first I will mention is Sagamore Hill, home of Theodore Roosevelt.  Roosevelt was known for his conservation efforts and his efforts in developing our national park system.  It is fitting to honor him on World Ranger Day.

Sagamore Hill was known as "the summer White House" during Roosevelt's presidency.  Lovely old home.

The other site I must mention is the Fire Island National Seashore.  Fire Island is a long, thin barrier beach.  At the eastern end of the island is Smith Point County Park. Robert Moses State Park is at the western end of the island.  Summer communities such as Ocean Beach, Saltaire, Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines are in the middle of the island.  The National Seashore separates the state park from the community of Kismet.  It is also the home of the Fire Island Lighthouse, which was part of a Coast Guard  station until the mid 1980's, but is now a historic site.

2.  How many National Parks and which ones have you visited?  Is there one you would really like to visit?

I have visited many national monuments, historic sites, etc.  I work in NYC, not too far from Federal Hall, St. Paul's Church and Castle Clinton, and I've been to the Statute of Liberty several times.  

Outside of NYC I've been to Saratoga National Historic Park, Everglades National Park, Fort McHenry in Maryland, Gettysburg National Military Park, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in Virginia, Independence National Historic Park in Philadelphia, Valley Forge, Virgin Islands National Park, El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico, and most of the monuments and historic sites in Washington, DC (the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, etc.).

I would love to see Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon.  I'm sure they are amazing in person.

Independence Hall:

Lady Liberty:  

And from DC:

Lincoln

the Washington Monument

WW II Memorial

Jefferson Memorial

3.  The Park Rangers are protectors of the environment, of the wildlife, and visitors in the parks.  Is there someone (human) in your life who you count on as a protector or are you someone's protector?

I will go all mama bear on you if you threaten my children.  'Nuff said.

4.  Have you ever had an up-close-and-personal experience with a wild animal that you can tell us about?

My back yard borders on an 18 acre nature preserve.  Lots of critters in the woods, including raccoons, possums, foxes, rabbits, chipmunks, bats....one morning there were two deer in the street in front of my house, but they ran back to the woods when they saw my car coming toward them.

But I think my most interesting encounter was in the national park in the Virgin Islands in 2013.. The park is located on the island of  St. John  -- most of the island is pristine parkland. 

We took a safari bus ride up the mountain, stopping frequently at lookout points for views of white sand beaches, blue waters and distant islands. The highlight of the tour was the ruins of a sugar plantation.  I've seen many old forts and churches and etc., but this was my first sugar plantation.

And as I was walking back to the bus I saw a mongoose!  The sugar cane planters imported mongoose from India into the islands of the Eastern Caribbean, hoping the mongoose would control the rat population in the cane fields.  The mongoose have made themselves at home in these islands.

Now, I'm sure I've seen a mongoose in the zoo, but to encounter one on the road . . .and this one gave me a look, as if to say "This is my home, but what are you doing here?"

5.  It is certainly an honor to show value to this profession by giving them a day of remembrance.  What is another profession that you like to see honored by a "day" of their own?

I work about half a mile from the World Trade Center.  The first responders who answered the call on 9/11 are on my mind lately. I guess it's because of the issues raised by Jon Stewart, and how  the government has agreed to fund their health care without limit. 

There's talk around here about honoring them with a ticker tape parade.  Some feel it is long overdue, others believe that a parade isn't appropriate and that some other way of honoring them should be found.  I'm certain that they should be honored, but I'm not sure a parade is the right way to do it. Your thoughts?

6.  On this last day of July, please tell us something about your week so far.

It's been a pretty dull week so far.  Hazy, hot and humid...I'd rather be at the beach.