PADUCAH, Ky. (March 11, 2024) – Corps of Engineers officials equipped park rangers throughout the Cumberland River Basin with the tools of the trade during a workshop March 5-7 at the West Kentucky Community and Technical College Emerging Technology Center in Paducah, Kentucky.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District park rangers received visitor assistance, safety, security, and other policy updates. They also received crisis services and de-escalation training from Kentucky State Police Trooper Sarah Burgess and a first aid refresher from Joe Campbell with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Tim Fudge, Nashville District Operations Division chief, spoke to the park ranger community of practice about how the Operations Division is taking care of people, focusing on readiness, fostering partnerships, and being innovative. He said the entire team is doing a great job of delivering for safety, reliability, national security, the public, customers, stakeholders, diversity, environment, innovation, meaningful change, and regional leadership.
“I want us to focus on the basics,” Fudge said. “I want to ask ourselves three things. What are we doing? Why are we doing it? And what value does it bring?”
Fudge said if employees of the Operations Division find that current processes are not bringing real value, he would encourage everyone to course correct and improve.
The Nashville District Park Ranger Workshop agenda served to reinforce the priorities Fudge discussed, especially readiness, which aligns with overall program delivery visitor assistance objectives, and supports fundamental park ranger responsibilities.
Topics covered throughout the workshop were based on mandatory requirements set forth by Corps of Engineers regulation.
“The objectives set forth for the workshop were effectively met, culminating in a successful and productive event,” said Trey Church, Operations Section chief.
Church explained that professional development initiatives like this workshop are important because they ensure the continued effectiveness and preparedness of park rangers in fulfilling their duties of safeguarding natural resources and providing exceptional visitor assistance.
During the workshop, park rangers also took advantage of the opportunity to visit the Kentucky Lock Addition Project and active navigation lock located on the Tennessee River in Grand Rivers, Kentucky, and the Bio-Acoustic Fish Fence at Barkley Lock on the Cumberland River. The BAFF is designed to deter or guide fish using sound, strobe lights, and air bubbles. It is located in the downstream approach channel and may deter invasive carp from using the lock to move into Lake Barkley.
Park rangers were able to practice, react, and learn during interactive visitor assistance training exercises at Canal Campground near the Barkley Canal.
Church said the tours and practical exercises provided information and scenarios that park rangers could practice skill sets they need when interacting with groups, stakeholders, and the public, especially during the recreation season.
“The inclusion of the lock and BAFF tours, along with interactive training sessions at Canal Campground served to provide participants with valuable insights and hands-on experiences relevant to their roles as park rangers,” Church stressed. “These activities facilitated a deeper understanding of key operational aspects and fostered a stronger sense of connection to the Corps of Engineers’ resources and mission."
Lake Barkley Park Ranger Joshua Skinner said this is his very first ranger workshop really laid out for him what everyone else deals with at all of the other projects.
“It gives a good baseline of knowledge that you can share with other people, and contacts, so you can rely on for the future,” Skinner said. “It’s very essential to be able to communicate and have a working relationship with other rangers from across district.”
Skinner added that he really appreciated that everyone could come together and talk about the essential training needed for self-defense, de-escalation techniques, and being able to go on the lock tours to understand those projects.
Cordell Hull Lake Park Ranger Hunter Humphrey said the networking, training, and exercise scenarios he participated in really helps him to do his job better.
“I really enjoyed the speakers and hands-on activities that helped me to learn new things,” Humphrey said.
Nashville District’s park rangers assist visitors, support environmental stewardship, conduct shoreline management, manage recreation areas and campgrounds, and promote water and boating safety at Lake Barkley, Lake Cumberland, Laurel River Lake, and Martins Fork Lake in Kentucky, and Cheatham Lake, J. Percy Priest Lake, Old Hickory Lake, Cordell Hull Lake, and Center Hill Lake in Tennessee. They also oversee these missions at Dale Hollow Lake, which is located in both Kentucky and Tennessee.
The Nashville District boasts the second most visited recreation sites in USACE with approximately 23 million visitors in fiscal year 2023. J. Percy Priest Lake and Old Hickory Lake were also in top 10 of most visited Corps lakes.
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities at https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district.