Got a favorite story about an encounter with a national park ranger? Or, are you a ranger who has amassed some colorful stories over the years?
    Well, in either case Carol Love wants to hear from you. Carol is putting together a book that she hopes will shed some light (and admiration and recognition) on park rangers. Through the book she hopes not only to bring more recognition to the national parks, but to cement in history the roles and actions of park rangers.
    In a letter requesting help from the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees Carol wrote that, "For a long while now I've been struck by the irony of the fact that you folks have devoted your lives to preserving the national parks, yet have done little to preserve YOUR part of the national park story. The story of the traditional ranger, the idealism he/she represented, is integral to the story of the history of the national parks. You are the embodiment of the ideals of our parks."
    Along with hearing from rangers, Carol wants to hear from park visitors.
    "I want to hear your stories of personal interactions, from helping a child have a great first camping experience to daring rescues to entertaining talks or even some small tidbit of fact that has stayed with you through the years," she explains. "I'd also like to hear from park volunteers or seasonal employees and current and past rangers themselves to share their stories of what it was like to work with rangers, be a ranger. No story is too small."
    You can contact Carol at [email protected].