I was a U.S. Forest Service park ranger at Mendenhall Glacier for 14 years until I retired in 2018. Having lived in Juneau since 1969, I have watched the dramatic changes in glacial ice and the surrounding landscape.
Like many of you, as tourism increased I stayed away from the glacier to avoid the crowds — until I became a ranger. I didn’t realize the magical place we have in our backyard until that time. I also didn’t understand the complexity of operating a popular tourist destination that this year anticipates a million people on site.
My biggest concern now is that all but one park ranger has been fired without cause under the federal administration’s sweeping dismissal of employees. Park rangers’ jobs are to keep people safe, respond to medical emergencies (which happen often), ensure traffic and buses follow careful rules, and to keep bears and visitors apart.
Avoiding human-bear conflicts was a key focus of my work and other Forest Service park rangers. Educating people about bears also gave me immense joy as we introduced visitors and residents to respectful coexistence with bears. While fear gripped some people, pursuit motivated others. Photographers and visitors, sometimes with children in tow, chased after bears and their cubs. At first that seemed unbelievable, but I soon learned it was true. When a bear was sighted rangers were prepared to manage both humans and bears for each species’ safety.
Bears are a delight and a danger at the glacier. Despite an average 20-24 black bears each summer, there has not been an incident between bears and humans. Fences, platforms and trained park rangers are the reasons why. As locals, we benefit from calm bears when we visit the Steep Creek platforms and wait with our friends and neighbors for the bears to catch salmon. The animals have become habituated to humans not interfering with their needs. We have been able to watch a mother bear nurse her cubs and listen to their loud mechanical purring sound as they contentedly suckle.
Due to all but one ranger being wrongfully fired that preventative aspect at Mendenhall is in question along safe vehicle speeds so our kids can ride their bicycles, stable trails exist for hikers and open restrooms are available for all. It is because of the firings that Juneau’s biggest attraction could be in jeopardy along with the many jobs and local businesses that support the tourism industry.
We need Forest Service park rangers reinstated under an emergency exemption as soon as possible. The first cruise ship arrives in Juneau on Monday, April 14, about six weeks from now. There could be 4,000 passengers on board.
The reason we don’t know more about the desperate situation at the glacier is that remaining Forest Service employees are forbidden to speak publicly, and those who have been fired are traumatized. In our society, our personal value is strongly tied to our professional work. Now many crucial federal employees have been fired despite productive careers and ethical service. It’s my duty and honor to advocate for them.
This is a tragedy, but we can help. Reach out to our congressional delegation and tell them we need park rangers rehired at the glacier.
Contact Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Nick Begich by phone or email to let them know we are concerned about our safety and that of thousands of summer visitors to Mendenhall Glacier.
• Laurie Craig is a former part-time Juneau Empire employee who has written local history articles. She was a park ranger at Mendenhall Glacier from 2004-2018 when she retired.
