The staff of Rocky Mountain National Park invite you to celebrate World Ranger Day as they recognize world conservation areas, and the professional staff – the rangers – that form the "Thin Green Line" around these most valuable resources. The free program will be held on Tuesday, July 31, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center auditorium.

The international documentary, The Thin Green Line, will be shown, highlighting rangers around the world as they face dangers and protect resources.

The International Ranger Federation was founded to support the work of rangers as the key protectors of the world’s protected areas.  At the 2006 World Ranger Congress in Scotland, IRF delegates decided that July 31 of each year, beginning in 2007, would be a day dedicated to world rangers. The first World Ranger Day fell on the 15th anniversary of the founding of IRF on July 31, 1992.

In 1872, Yellowstone National Park in the United States became the world’s first federally designated national park.  Since then, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, more than 100,000 protected areas, representing more than 10 percent of the earth’s landmass, have been established around the world.

The English word “ranger” reflects the guardians of the Royal Forests in 14th century England, protecting the king’s lands from poachers.  Today, rangers in protected areas throughout the world continue this role for the public.  Rangers are the key force protecting these resources from impairment. They do this through law enforcement, environmental education, community relations, fighting fires, conducting search and rescues, and in many other ways.