Great Basin Love Letter

This article, written by Karen Zavora, was published in the Reno Gazette Journal on March 12, 2025 

My dad's old park ranger hat hangs on my wall above my desk, a reminder of when he had his dream job as a park ranger at Great Basin National Park. My dad passed away nearly three years ago but the sight of his hat floods my mind with the wonderful memories of the time I shared with him while he worked as a ranger.

Together we watched the rare western fireflies in the campground meadows dance in the vanishing light of day. We went on cave tours of Lehman Caves (my dad was a hilarious and enthusiastic tour guide), hiked to Wheeler Peak (which took forever because he chatted with every hiker) and delighted in the native animals we inevitably saw from the travel trailer where my mom and dad lived during his time as a ranger. I listened to his evening talks in the campgrounds where he stayed late to answer every question, especially from kids; camped out under the most beautiful blanket of stars in the world (Great Basin is an International Dark Sky Park); and heard him speak passionately to anyone who would listen about the incredible bats in the park that he helped count. We met other first-rate, smart, dedicated rangers, and of course, marveled at the beauty and age of the ancient bristlecone pine. 

Recently, Great Basin National Park lost five of its rangers to the mass federal firings (20 percent of its staff). This represents a terrible loss not only for the park, but for the rangers, their families and the small town of Baker, Nevada, population 41. 

When I heard the news about the firings, I couldn't help but imagine my dad being told he was being let go from his dream job and asked to take off his ranger hat when there was still important work to do.

Incredibly, Great Basin National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner for the park, has stepped in to save the rangers' jobs by creating a Temporary Park Operations Team with a $25,000 investment so they can hire back the rangers. Park rangers don't get paid a lot and often live in modest housing, but they give their entire hearts to the job. I know because I am the proud daughter of a park ranger. 

As I gaze at my dad’s well-worn ranger hat and contemplate the loss of five rangers in Great Basin and countless others throughout the country, I think of the importance of the park ranger in American history and what we have today because of them. Today’s modern rangers can trace their roots to Galen Clark, a mountain man appointed to become the “Guardian of Yosemite” in 1866 after President Lincoln signed the Yosemite Valley Grant. Clark spent the rest of his life in service to Yosemite until his death at age 96. Clark is buried in the park; indeed, they say his spirit is still there. Countless other men and women have followed in Clark’s path, giving of themselves to protect and preserve the beauty and history of our parks for our country. Like Clark, I believe every ranger leaves a bit of their spirit in the parks they are honored to serve. I know my dad did.

While it is discouraging to see rangers fired, I am encouraged that Nevadans can come together and become guardians of the parks themselves and ensure our rangers can keep wearing their hats.

By donating to park foundations that support parks and rangers, like the Great Basin National Park Foundation, calling and writing to our representatives and letting them know we care about the parks and their employees, volunteering for park clean ups, visiting the parks and thanking a ranger, we can all be part of our county’s long tradition of protecting our parks.

Please consider taking action in honor of my dad, Ranger Bob, and the countless other park rangers who are the guardians of our country's most beautiful treasures and deserve our support.

Karen Zavora grew up in Elko, spent many summer weekends in her early 20s at Great Basin National Park where her father, Robert Palmer was a park ranger, and now lives with her husband and two children in Reno.

Photo: Robert "Ranger Bob" Palmer pictured at work in front of the Lehman Caves Visitor Center, Great Basin National Park