By Stacy Ramsey
I lost my dream job on Friday, Feb. 14th.
I received the notice of termination around 3 p.m., and was immediately summoned to headquarters to sign papers. I was locked out of my government account before I could print off the email.
The decision to terminate was based on my “probationary” status. I was in the first year of a four-year, IRA-funded term position. The park had no say — they just received a list of four employees to terminate.
Did those who made the decision know or care the main objective of my position is to provide preventive search and rescue education, in order to keep park visitors safe?
Did they know I’ve assisted with at least 20 SARs and a few recoveries over the last five years?
Did they know I’m part of the visitor and resource protection division, and that I spent my days on the frontline, looking out for the safety of park visitors?
Did they know that I’ve worked in various roles in the park for five years, including my primary position of river ranger, upper district fee collector, emergency hire interpreter at Buffalo Point Visitor Center, and assisted the concessions division and maintenance divisions as well?
Did they know that I stayed in that GS 5 river ranger job, despite opportunities for more permanent positions because I loved looking out for the safety of people on the river. It’s a calling of sorts.
Did they know I spent countless hours picking up trash, filling at least 100 mesh bags over the last five years?
Did they know I spent countless hot summer days at Grinder’s Ferry, talking to campers and passing out mesh trashbags, and countless hot, dusty evenings at Gilbert, attempting to control the chaos?
Did they know that I truly loved my job? That I wholeheartedly love the river? That the river is home to me?
They had no idea.
The park also lost the one and only interpretive staff at the Buffalo Point Visitor Center, the only fee collector for the upper district, and one of only three maintenance staff in the middle district.
Tough times.
This was originally posted by Stacy Ramsey on Feb. 15, 2025. Stacy served five years as a seasonal park ranger at Buffalo National River in northern Arkansas, the first National River to be designated in the U.S.