Folk singer and park warden Charlie Maguire has one of the most unique
jobs in the world. In his brown outfit and wide-brimmed hat, he's a cross
between Woody Guthrie and a boy scout. Maguire greets the public with a winning
smile and a song all summer and fall in his new job for the Mississippi National
River Recreational Area.
"My job is to write songs about this Mississippi River area that have never
been written before, and then find places to sing," he says matter-of-factly
about the National Parks Service seasonal job. "I don't think there are too
many singing park wardens around. But it's a great way to educate people,
which has always been a goal of the park service."
Since moving to Minnesota in the early 1970s, Maguire has written about
30 songs about Mississippi. He's appeared many times on radio programs, recorded
seven albums, and is an adjunct professor of language arts at Hamline University.
It's obvious he loves what he does.
"You bring the river right into the room, and you give people who work
and live together along the river a shared sense of pride. This is really
the right time for the river. People realize the importance of the Mississippi
and are excited by seeing it interpreted culturally. This really is a special
historic place. I think that's partly why the National Park Service chose
this stretch of the river. We're here to interpret and fill in some gaps.
We help preserve stories of all the people who have lived and worked on the
riverfront."
The Mississippi may be the world's most musical river. "It gave us jazz,
it gave us the blues, it gave us folk songs. Folk singers especially
like to sing about people traveling. And this river is just a great big highway,
going back to the Native Americans and the trappers."
A different kind of workday greets Veronica Gonzales-Vest at Sequoia National
Park in California. Sequoia trees are the tallest living things in the world.
Gonzales-Vest spends her days patrolling the park and taking visitors on nature
hikes.
"I learned by observing the wildlife in the park and talking to other park
wardens. That's why, when I take people on nature hikes, I can tell them about
the plants and animals they'll see."
Other than a flashlight, the most important tools Gonzales-Vest uses on
the job are her eyes, ears, nose, hands and brain. "I use my senses: listening
for birds, smelling wildflowers and so on."
One of the most fascinating parts of her work involves determining the
exact age of an ancient sequoia tree. "Park wardens are skilled at reading
the rings. We take a core sample from the tree and then count the rings from
the center. One light-colored ring plus one dark ring equals one year's growth.
Sequoias can live to be 3,200 years old!
"There isn't anywhere else like Sequoia National Park. I love telling people
about the park. I see kids' eyes light up when they learn new nature facts.
Who knows, some of them may even decide to become park wardens."
Gerry Borden is a warden specializing in heritage and preservation.
Borden believes that teaching people about an area's history is critical.
"Preserving our cultural heritage is an important step in maintaining a sense
of who we are. But we also need to preserve the natural environment to give
us a greater context for the world we live in. Man is nothing but a latecomer
to this globe, and we must attempt to live in harmony with all other living
things. That's what I do in my job. I focus on preserving our natural heritage."