View larger image

100th anniversary of the National Park Service

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

This August, the National Park Service celebrated its 100th anniversary. Today more than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 400-plus national parks, monuments, battlefields, scenic rivers and similar areas, and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Appalachian alumni Marinell Chandler ’13, a sustainable development major with a concentration in environmental studies; Tim Federal, a 2012 graduate of Appalachian’s master’s program in geographic information science (GIS); and Dan McLendon ’12, who earned his bachelor’s degree in geography and planning, have all become rangers within the NPS – no easy task by all accounts. Read more

Ranger Daniel McLendon ’12

Passionate about the outdoors, McLendon came to Boone to escape city life. He became a biological-science technician after a trip to Peru with Appalachian’s Dr. Baker Perry. Headquartered in Boulder City Nevada, he works several desert regions. Automotive experience prior to college comes in handy in the backcountry where he maintains a fleet of service vehicles.

Ranger Tim Federal ’12 MA

Earned his master’s in geography with a concentration in geographic information science. He worked four seasons in Alaska national parks, starting with an internship in 2010. He now leads the data management crew for Lake Mead Exotic Plant Management Team and hopes to continue in the field of restoration ecology and natural resource management.

Ranger Marinell Chandler ’13

The BP oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico her senior year of high school piqued an interest in environmental conservation; an alternative service experience in the Virgin Islands led her to the NPS. She worked summers at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska since 2014 and two seasons at Denali’s Sled Dog Kennels. She now staffs the entire East district of the park.