Jace Ritchey never dreamed of becoming a park ranger. In 2020, wildfires blazed through their community in the Santa Cruz Mountains. To heal, they "turned to the trees." Now, you'll find Ranger Jace greeting visitors and starring in social media posts from Muir Woods National Monument.
When I committed to a career shift towards ecosystem stewardship, interpreting the redwoods of Muir Woods was the goal—but the park wasn't hiring. I applied to over 80 NPS units but only heard back from two. After years as a seasonal at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, Point Reyes, and Yosemite, the stars aligned for me to join the team here. Inspired by the beauty of forests and networks of care that sustains ecosystems, I was called to become an interpreter: those who connect people to these special places.
It takes a team to run this site! We open and close the park, swear-in junior rangers, check-in service animals, cover up social trails [unauthorized paths off established trails], train staff and volunteers, develop interpretive signage, greet dignitaries, plan events, build relationships in the community...the list goes on!
This project is a response to decades of management that created imbalances within this ecosystem. Now, our vegetation crews are returning more than 3,000 plants to the ecosystem. Over time, the natural movement of water will continue transforming Redwood Creek to a more complex, natural, and healthy stream.
Newly installed logs provide features for water to flow around and through. This will naturally increase critical fingerling habitat, a big win for the lil’ fish. Park guests may see spawning coho after the first winter rains, and their young swimming in ripples year-round.
