On March 29, 2023, the Rocky Mountain Ranger Association held its annual member meeting at the Jefferson County Open Space (JCOS) building in Golden. It was the Association’s first annual meeting to be held in person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, though members who could not get to Golden could still attend virtually. Matt Gray from the Rocky Mountain Innovation Lab facilitated the meeting.

About 60 RMRA members from 16 agencies attended the meeting. Billy Hall (Park Ranger, JCOS) opened the meeting and welcomed attendees on behalf of Jefferson County. Next, Association Chair Benjamin White-Patarino (Senior Ranger Naturalist, City of Louisville) addressed attendees with a speech that highlighted the risks rangers face – including risks to mental and emotional health – and emphasized the role of RMRA in helping them face those risks successfully.

Outgoing Association Vice Co-Chair Pryce Hadley (Senior Watershed Ranger, City of Longmont) emceed board elections, which saw two new candidates elected to the board and a third re-elected. Lucero Torres (Senior Ranger, Boulder County Parks and Open Space) who has previously served on the Training Committee but has never held a board position, was elected to the post of Association Vice Chair. Madeline Fraser (Lead Park Ranger, South Suburban Recreation District) was elected to the vacant position of Chief Communications Officer, marking her first position with the board. Incumbent Association Treasurer Mike Bowman (Corral Bluffs Ranger, City of Colorado Springs) ran for and won a second term.

Once elections were concluded, Hadley coordinated a presentation of RMRA’s accomplishments by the Association’s Committee Chairs. Drew Sprafke (Park Supervisor, City of Lakewood) presented for the Training Committee, Hall presented for the Awards Committee, Bowman presented for the Fundraising Committee, and Alec Moore (Park Ranger Supervisor, City and County of Denver) presented for the Events Committee. White-Patarino presented for the Website and Branding Committee on behalf of Sarah Moore, for the Membership Committee (no current chair) and for the International Ranger Federation Committee on behalf of Bevin Carithers (Ranger Supervisor, Boulder County Parks and Open Space).

With the Association’s 2022 accomplishments enumerated, White-Patarino presented the Association’s goals for 2023. Highlights included expanding RMRA’s role at Ranger Excellence School and holding a banquet or other social event at the Colorado Open Space Alliance (COSA) conference. Other key goals included transitioning to a professional member management service and increasing outreach to young professionals.

Attendees took a break for a catered lunch provided by JCOS and ice breaker activities planned and organized by Alec Moore and his Events Committee.

After lunch, attendees reconvened for a four-hour training presented by Max Woodfin and Selina Giacinto on behalf of Lauren Hassan and the Colorado First Response Coalition. The training, titled “Cultivating Resilience: Living and Thriving in Exposure to Adversity, Stress, and Trauma,” taught a basic understanding of traumatic stress and provided attendees with tools and strategies to cope with it.

With a successful and informative member meeting in its rearview mirror, RMRA is ready for a busy year!