Earth Systems Science, Inc.

Expo Rangers in the 'News'

Jul 16, 2003

Earth Systems Science, Inc. (ESSI) actively supports the Expo Ranger youth program of the Expo Neighbors Environmental Group (ENEG). The ESSI innovative, non-traditional community-based curriculum and training have been at the heart of that support. And some of the results are amazing!

What follows is a copy of the entire article by Michelle Burkhart appearing in the first official newsletter of the National Park Service's Pacific West Region's Public Land Corps program, Summer 2003, Volume 1. The article features the Expo Ranger PLC grants at Manzanar National Historic Site (MANZ) and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SAMO). And if being in the first issue wasn't honor enough, the Expo Rangers filled the whole front page!! And if that wasn't the "cat's meow", the article comprised 3 1/2 pages of the 8 page newsletter!

Our hats go off to Michelle Burkhart of the National Park Service, Columbia Cascades Support Office, Seattle, WA. Thanks for featuring the Expo Rangers and their effort to implement the Cultural Diversity Program of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). Thanks also to the Los Angeles Community Partners (LACP, the local affiliate of the NPCA; Both ESSI and ENEG are LACP members) for providing access to resources to support ESSI, ENEG, and the Expo Rangers in the PLC effort. And special thanks to Frank Hays, Superintendent, Manaznar NHS and Charles Taylor, Chief of External Affairs, Santa Monica Mountains NRA, for their efforts coordinating the Expo Ranger PLC grants.

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The official newsletter of the Pacific West Region's Public Land Corps program, Summer 2003 Volume 1

Public Land Corps: Integrating Urban Communities and National Parks,
Santa Monica Mountains NRA and Manzanar NHS Reach Out to LA Partners

Access to starry nights may seem like water: something that everyone should have the right to enjoy. However, as the world evolves into sprawling cityscapes and suburbs, the ever-stretching wonder of a star-filled night becomes increasingly difficult to access for many urban people.

Juan Martinez, an Expo Ranger with the Los Angeles Community Partners (LACP), said that it was the stars that really awed him the first time he visited a national park. "Here, in the city, it's so smoggy, so polluted, that if I'm lucky, maybe I'll get to see a couple of stars," Martinez said. "But being out there and watching more stars than I could count for the first time in my life, was like, 'wow.' It's what I call Mother Nature's therapy for the soul."

Martinez moved to Los Angeles (LA) from Mexico City at the age of five. He never traveled outside of an eight-mile radius from his neighborhood in South Central LA until he was 16 years old. He had never visited a national park and knew nothing about the parks beyond Smokey Bear. "I saw Smokey the Bear in commercials and I knew that he was in the national parks or the forest service," Martinez said. He had also heard of rangers, but did not understand what they did. Now, Martinez cannot imagine a month passing without a visit to the mountains.

The Eco-Club at Martinez's school introduced him to the national parks when the club awarded him a scholarship to visit the Teton Science School in Wyoming. "That's where I got hooked on all this outdoor stuff and I started looking for opportunities wherever I could," Martinez said. When he returned to LA, a teacher introduced him to LACP and from there he met Patrick McCullough, one of the co-founders of the Expo-Rangers.

Gregory Lee, the other co-founder/ described the Expo Rangers as a dynamic mix of junior high to college age students, from various neighborhoods, socio-economic classes, ethnicities/cultures, and genders. Both Manzanar National Historic Site (MANZ) and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SAMO) are working with the Expo Rangers through a Public Land Corps (PLC) grant. This partnership is proving to benefit the national parks and the local community in many ways.

For Martinez, the benefits have been far reaching. Expo Rangers brought Martinez to SAMO for his first time at the age of seventeen. Prior to this, he had no idea that places like SAMO, located 45 minutes from LA, existed close to his home. "My first experience was in Wyoming (at the Teton Science School) and I thought that you had to go all the way out there to experience nature," Martinez said. "Then when I came back home, I figured out that it was right down the street from me."

According to Alan Spears, representative for the Enhancing Cultural Diversity Program at the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), this is a common scenario.

"Unfortunately, there is a kind of disconnect between communities of color and the National Park Service," Spears said. "Both entities have stereotypes." He found that some Park Service employees believe that the issue of cultural diversity does not affect them. They feel that people who desire to visit the parks will do so. On the other side of the issue, Spears said that some communities of color feel that national parks are exclusive areas for recreation with no cultural components. Or they feel that the national parks are not welcoming. "Whether the stereotypes are real or perceived, they exist as barriers between closer cooperation," Spears said. "So we've got to knock them down."

Martinez also hears stereotypes. He hears that the national parks are for wealthy, white people. "I tell people that I am going camping and they say, 'you must be rich, and I'm like, 'no, I'm poor, poorer than you,'" he said.

When Martinez reflects on why he did not know about the parks four years ago, he feels that it stems from a lack of outreach from the national parks toward inner cities. "I've never seen a park ranger around here and in the schools, they don't talk much about it," Martinez said. "Even by the media, you don't hear much about it."

Lee said that if you knocked door to door in some of the neighborhoods where Expo Rangers work, probably a vast majority of the people have heard of the parks, but have never visited one. "Parks are in out of the way places, so for most people, transportation becomes an issue," Lee said. "In lower economic groups, going to the parks is a luxury type of thing." In addition to transportation, parks with entrance fees also make these parks increasingly difficult for lower-income families to access. Martinez's family exemplifies how leisure time is also a luxury. His parents work full time and go to night school, so his family had to sacrifice to go on one of the Expo Ranger outings.

Beyond lack of economic resources and stereotypes, social scientists find additional barriers that cut off communities of color. These barriers include historical discrimination, differences in values and socialization patterns, and perceived, actual, and institutional discrimination (Floyd, 1999). People may argue over which barrier they believe is the number one cause of low cultural diversity in parks. However, regardless of the source, statistics clearly demonstrate that a large gap exists between Caucasians and communities of color when it comes to park visitation and employment.

Even in parks near ethnically diverse areas like LA, visitors continue to be primarily Caucasian. According to the US Census 2000, Caucasians are the minority in Los Angeles at 47 percent. However, Caucasians are found in nearly every visitor group at SAMO, while only eight percent of visitor groups include Hispanic Americans, four percent include African Americans, and ten percent include "other" minority groups (Floyd, 1999).

This lack of cultural diversity in park visitation could partly be due to park staff, which also tends to be predominantly white. Currently, eighty percent of national park employees are Caucasian; this can lead to a racially exclusive feeling to communities of color. By the year 2050, ethnic minorities are expected to comprise over 47 percent of the US population (Floyd, 1999). These evolving demographics mean that parks need to aggressively work to heighten their cultural diversity or else they will rapidly fall further from reflecting the true demographics of our country.

Increasing the cultural diversity in parks is not only important for the inherent reason that these natural and cultural treasures should be accessible to all people, but also because threats to the national parks are increasing. Spears pointed out that as the demographics change in our country, the number of traditional park and environmental advocates in me United States decrease. Therefore, enhancing the cultural diversity of the parks is a park issue, because in order to preserve these natural and cultural resources, it is important to build a wide base of support.

Spears believes that in order for the parks to become more culturally diverse, park staff needs to make a deliberate effort to introduce themselves to these communities and engage them in park stewardship activities. He points out that it is important to design stewardship activities in ways that are relevant to communities of color. As a result of this realization, NPCA created the Community Partners Program, which includes the Los Angeles Community Partners (LACP). "The LACP group is a true representation of ethnically diverse Los Angeles," Charles Taylor, Chief of External Affairs at SAMO, said. The Expo Rangers are part of LACP through an intricate web of partnerships.

Now, the parks and Expo Rangers partnership is beginning to dismantle some of the cultural barriers that are intricately woven into our society. Beyond this, the partnership has many additional benefits.

For the parks, this partnership offers an opportunity to complete backlogged projects and creates an opportunity for inner-city youth to experience national parks. At MANZ, Expo Rangers are using Global Positioning System (GPS) to map out the cultural landscape. Last year, they mapped out culturally important trees threatened by the dropping water table. This year, Expo Rangers are mapping out the historical road network. Frank Hays, Superintendent at MANZ, said that the road network at MANZ has become overgrown and it is hard to tell that an internment camp of over 10,000 people used to exist there. This was during World War II, when MANZ was a War Relocation Center for Japanese-American citizens and resident Japanese aliens.

In 1992, MANZ was established as the Manzanar National Historic Site to be preserved for future generations. It is a good example of the cultural and historical significance that parks can carry. There are also other layers of history and culture in the soils of MANZ. At the base of these layers are the Paiute Indians, who gathered roots and farmed the valley for centuries. Then, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries Euro-Americans moved into the valley to ranch and farm fruit orchards.

Visiting a park with such historical significance proved to be a meaningful experience for many Expo Rangers. One of Martinez's peer Expo Rangers, Tatsunori Ikeda, a Japanese exchange student, visited MANZ for the first time with the Expo Rangers. Ikeda's grandmother, uncles, and aunts lived under the bombing of World War II and he grew up listening to his grandfather's (who was in the Japanese army) wartime stories. "As a young child, I was always wondering about the wartime stories of the other side, the people who won the war," Ikeda said. "A decade later there I was standing in front of one of a few graves left at the site, witnessing the other side of the story told by Americans who looked like me and spoke like me."

Ikeda found it difficult to visit the park, but also very meaningful and broadening for his view. "Because of this experience, I became aware of what is going on in the world," he said. As a result, Ikeda became involved in human rights organizations. Later this year, he will exhibit his MANZ photography in Tokyo at an Amnesty Japan exhibition.

Another element of cultural and historical learning and sharing could stem from the Expo Rangers connecting with the local Paiute tribal group. Lee hopes that in the future, the Expo Rangers can recruit some members from this community to help with the MANZ project.

Closer to Los Angeles, the Expo Rangers are also completing a trail assessment project at SAMO. "Santa Monica [SAMO] has been working with LACP for a long time," Taylor said. However, this is the first time that PLC has funded one of LACP's projects at SAMO. This project will examine appropriate uses for the park's trail systems. "It's work that we would have had to have done ourselves, so it's a creative solution," Taylor said. He said that the park would not have been able to complete a trail assessment with their current financial priorities, but that SAMO would have eventually done a trail assessment at the expense of other park programs.

In addition to the completion of this backlogged project, Taylor is also pleased about how the Expo Rangers will benefit. "We're excited that we get the chance to be a part of this positive experience for these young people, particularly because we get to work with young people that live in the area," Taylor said. "Whether they come to work for us, or they become good land stewards or camping enthusiasts, I'm just glad to know that we've done something good along the way."

Lee and McCullough designed the Expo Rangers program in a holistic and innovative way to create these positive outcomes and more. "It's not only a skills oriented program, but it also helps kids think about careers in environmental advocacy," Spears said. He said the program helps Expo Rangers with a number of marketable skills, including conflict-resolution skills, peer monitoring, and a heightened understanding about NPS employment. Additionally, professionals, such as botanists and historical and cultural staff, visit the young folks in the field, Spears said.

Furthermore, to help meet NPCA's goals of heightening the cultural diversity in the parks, Lee designed the Expo Rangers curriculum to ready Expo Rangers for entry-level NPS jobs. To do this, he included lessons from his geography classes at Pasadena City College, such as measuring slope angle, doing field mapping, and using rudimentary GPS. "They're taking college-level curriculum and passing it on to high school folks," Spears said. "It's one of the most progressive, dynamic and thorough programs I've ever heard of."

Martinez found the trail survey project to be different than what he expected of an NPS job. "Most of the time when I think of working for the national parks, I think of cleaning up trails or doing hard labor," Martinez said. He was excited to find that the Expo Rangers work was academically based. "It feels nice to know that I have that knowledge and I can share it with other people," he said.

To complement these lessons, Lee also found documents that detailed the qualities sought in employees for certain jobs. This included entry-level NPS job descriptions and the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). Lee explained that SCANS is a checklist of skills and abilities employers expect of employees.

"We give kids these checklists while in the field," Lee said. "Then to check their knowledge, we have the kids teach new kids coming in." Lee explained that there is no closing date for enrollment in the Expo Rangers program. This creates an open enrollment program where Expo Rangers train and peer-monitor new members. "We're training them to run the program themselves," Lee said.

This open enrollment is vital, not only because of the opportunity for leadership development, but also because some Expo Rangers come from challenging home situations and, consequently, participate intermittently. McCullough and Lee try to keep participation as open and flexible as possible. "We try to give them the sense that even though you're not here all the time, you can still belong and you are always welcome," Lee said.

Lee also hopes that peer teaching will encourage younger Expo Rangers to enroll in college. Some of the Expo Rangers are college students enrolled in Lee's geography classes at Pasadena City College, so they can serve as positive role models. Lee said that most urban youth do not have peer role models or people in their families who have attended college. "It's one thing for me, as a professor, to tell them to go to college, but its another thing when it comes from their peers," Lee said.

Another unique aspect of the Expo Rangers program is the diverse age range. Ages extend from 11 to 52; some of them are returning adult learners. This broad age range allows for continuity from middle school to college. However, only the 16 to 26-year-olds are eligible to be paid by the PLC grant. Spears sees this age restriction in a positive light. "One of the reasons we like PLC is because you have to connect with youth programs for a PLC grant," Spears said. "Lots of parks didn't have this connection with youth before, especially with youth from diverse backgrounds," Spears believes that it is important to work with all age groups, but that working with youth can especially create a new generation of park lovers and park advocates. He said that parents also tend to learn along the way.

This rings true with Martinez's family, who went camping for their first time with the Expo Rangers. Martinez said that his family now understands his passion for the outdoors and that it opened up their trust for his outdoor activities. "Before that they were hesitant towards letting me go to training and now they are much more open," Martinez said. "It's definitely made a difference in my family."

Recently, Martinez's father went so far as to buy a backpack that he saw at a yard sale for Martinez. "I don't know if before that, he would have done it," Martinez said. He also got to see a new side of his parents when the Expo Rangers did a "teach-back" (taught their families) about the flora and fauna on the Expo Ranger family trip. "When we were teaching back and we would ask people if they knew something about it, my parents would actually answer," Martinez said. "I was like, 'wow, my parents do know some of this stuff.'" It was during this teach-back that Martinez discovered that his family used to use the yucca plant for food.

Martinez said it was "one of a kind" to share this camping experience with his family. "I've gotten to go camping before and I always came back and talked to them about the places I saw and the stars, but you can't describe it. It's an indescribable feeling," he said. "So to be able to share it with my family was very special."

At the same time, he is learning that environmental issues are not isolated to "natural" ecosystems. "I'm learning that you don't have to go out there [outside the city] to be an environmentalist," Martinez said. "You can also be an environmentalist within the city." He is realizing the many ways in which environmental issues affect all people, including economic and personal health impacts.

All in all, Martinez believes that his experiences in the parks have greatly impacted his life. "Before, I really didn't know what I wanted to do and now I do and it's my passion," he said. Now, Martinez plans to become an environmental attorney. He is the first high school graduate in his family and the first to go to college. "Being in this environmental field, opened up a whole new world to me," Martinez said. "I'm just happy I made that move."

-article by Michelle Burkhart, Columbia Cascades Support Office
Source cited: Floyd, Dr. Myron. 1999. Social Science Research Review (Spring/Summer 1999). Race, Ethnicity, and Use of the National Park System. Texas A&M University.

Sidebar: Public Land Corps
On May 27,1993, the United States Congress approved the creation of the Public Land Corps (PLC) in order to carry out five main goals. First, to complete conservation projects that existing employees cannot do in a cost-effective manner. Second, to assist governments and Indian tribes in performing research and public education resources. Third, to expose young adults to public service while heightening their understanding and appreciation of the nation's natural and cultural resources. Fourth, to expand educational opportunities for individuals who do national service by increasing their ability to pursue higher education or job training. Fifth, to stimulate the next generation's interest in conservation careers by exposing them to conservation professionals.


Photo Information: All photos by Saifon Lee. ?¿½ 2003, ESSI. All rights reserved.
Photo 1: Juan Martinez (left) and Tatsunori Ikeda (right) measuring distances between trail station markers, Santa Monica Mountains NRA.

Photo 2: Expo Rangers take cross slope measurements at Santa Monica Mountains NRA.

Photo 3: Expo Rangers Co-founders, Patrick McCullough (left) and Gregory Lee (middle), Expo Ranger, Juan Martinez (right).