RMRA Welcomes its 25th Agency Membership!
Rocky Mountain Ranger Association recently welcomed its 25th member agency, the City of Durango Parks and Recreation Department! Besides contributing what might be the coolest agency patch in the Association (do you see that train?), this relatively new agency brings three new members to RMRA, Natural Resources Manager Amy Schwarzbach, Ranger Craig Beauchamp, and Sr. Open Space and Trails Maintenance Technician Tom Bunter.
We sent our new Durango members a few questions to get to know them better
and learn how they might benefit from joining RMRA:
How did the City of Durango come to establish its ranger program?
The City of Durango Parks and Recreation Department started an educational and stewardship-oriented program around 2005 with staff members being referred to as “rangers”. These individuals did not have law enforcement capacity, and their patrols focused on high-use areas where their tasks were predominantly trash pickup and Leave No Trace messaging. With the growth of Durango’s population and parkland acquisitions, the need for enforcement of municipal codes has also increased which necessitated the creation of the Police Department’s Open Space and Parks Ranger program launched on May 1 of 2023. The Parks and Recreation Department renamed its crews as “stewards”, and focused efforts on stewardship and maintenance. While the two programs touch on similar duties, the new iteration of the Park Ranger program adds the ability to cite for code violations. The new program started with one operational OSP Ranger, with the desire to have a total of four by summer 2024.
What unique challenges and opportunities does your jurisdiction present?
Durango, because of its geography and seasonal population changes, presents some unique opportunities and challenges. With more than 3,000 acres of City-owned parks and open space, more than 100 miles of natural surface trails, and management of the 1,900-acre Lake Nighthorse Recreation Area (owned by the Bureau of Reclamation), there is quite a bit of territory to cover and much of it is quite rugged. With all of that, there is a great opportunity to educate the public about the trails and the river. Whether biking or hiking, there are always plenty of people to meet and greet. Perhaps because of the amazing resources, we also have a challenge with a growing homeless population. The threat of fire along the Wildland Urban Interface is also very real, further necessitating the enforcement of the city’s municipal codes.
What questions or problems can RMRA member agencies provide advice and experience to help you solve?
Membership in RMRA will allow us to share information on just how our agencies deal with the ever-growing population in Colorado and the growing popularity of our open spaces and how we, as Rangers, enforce the codes that protect our resources. What are each agencies SOPs and how does each agency handle continuing education? What certifications do each agency require/prefer?
Tell us more about yourselves and your work experiences!
Craig Beauchamp has a medical and fire service background having worked with Durango Fire Protection District. He also has 25+ years of experience in exotic and native animal husbandry.
Amy Schwarzbach has worked in natural resources management for municipal and federal agencies, as well as private land trust organizations, for 20 years.
Tom Bunter recently joined the team to serve as crew lead for the open space and trails stewards bringing over 8 years of trail build and open space stewardship experience with him.