Behind the Scenes with Seasonal Rangers
Guess who’s back? Our seasonal rangers! We are all eager and ready to welcome visitors to the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. This month has flown by as we have been training and working hard to prepare for the 2024 season.
Training on The Boston Harbor Islands
As part of our training, we visited several islands, including Spectacle, Georges, and Peddocks Islands. On our first day of island training, park rangers from both the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the National Park Service set sail for Spectacle Island. That first day of island training may have been rainy, but it sure didn’t dampen our spirits! Returning rangers, were excited to come back to the islands after six months. For new rangers, they took their first step on the islands.
Rangers get a rainy tour of Spectacle Island. | CREDIT: NPS Photo/ A. Benstead]
Spectacle Island looked as lush and green as ever. The North Drumlin greeted us as it continues to proudly stand as the highest point in the harbor. Later that day, the rain stopped, and one returning seasonal ranger led us on a small hike to the island’s “saddle” to give us an overview of the history of Spectacle Island.
On a beautiful, sunny day later that week, we set sail again, but this time to Georges Island. We went through the inner harbor and the Narrows until we saw the great, granite walls of Fort Warren that once protected Boston. From there, we had a few returning seasonal rangers guide us through the history of Fort Warren. We even went to the Dark Arch to pay a little visit to the Lady in Black!
For the final day of island training, we visited Peddocks Island to go over operations for the season. To end our training on the islands, we sailed through the outer harbor to catch a glimpse of the outer islands and to see Boston Light and Graves Light from a closer distance.
Rangers take a cruise of the Outer Harbor, including a visit to Boston Light. | CREDIT: NPS Photo/ A. Benstead]
On our final day of training, we prepared the Welcome Center for the season. We restocked essential supplies, including Junior Ranger booklets, badges, stickers, and most importantly, maps! After we set everything up, we kept the Welcome Center open for a couple of hours to tell visitors about Free Ferry Weekend and all the exciting programs and events we have planned for the season.
Saturday was the first day of Free Ferry weekend and despite some rain, we had a large line of visitors eager to get tickets. All weekend, Georges Island was bustling with happy visitors who were able to take tours and explore Fort Warren.
We are all happy to be back with a successful start to the season. Stay tuned for what else we have in store for you this summer!