Einav Palmer

Professor Kleban
RPTM 101
August 9th, 2020

Career Report: Justin Haug from the National Park Service

Introduction

Recreation and work are typically seen as two separate entities. We work so that we can

afford to do the activities we enjoy, whether it be travelling, hiking, or playing sports, but who

are the ones that work to make those activities available? One of them is the ambitious Justin

Haug, who has taken his passions for outdoor recreation, nature, and helping others and turned

them into a career with the National Park Service. Haug is currently working in Grand Teton

National Park as an Administrative Assistant in their Science and Resource Management

Division, and on June 23rd, 2020, I interviewed him to learn more about outdoor recreation and

working in the National Park Service.

Haug’s work and education experience began in the military, where he served until 2010.

While in the military, he visited his very first National Park, Yosemite in California. Haug cites

this trip as an inspiring experience that influenced his career path. After his service ended, he

attended Pennsylvania State University where he studied Recreation, Park, and Tourism

Management. Haug certainly kept himself busy during his time in college; pursuing all four

options offered for his major, fighting wildfires with the Student Conservation Association, and

in the summer of 2013, earning his first internship at Grand Teton National Park. Once he

completed his bachelor’s degree, Haug went on to earn a master’s degree in Park Management

and Natural Resource Science from Texas A&M University in 2016. His summers were spent at

Grand Teton; four seasons as an Interpretive Ranger, two as a Rescue Ranger, and one as a
Wilderness EMT. Haug then became an Administrative Assistant, exchanging his seasonal

employee status for a permanent one.

Mission

Grand Teton National Park sits in northwest Wyoming, a few miles south of Yellowstone

National Park. Together, connected by the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, they

account for almost four thousand square miles of land and just three of the four hundred-plus

sites that are protected and managed by the National Park Service. These sites include parks,

rivers, historic monuments, and battlefields, among others. The mission of the National Park

Service is to “[preserve] unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National

Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations” (U.S.

National Park Service, 2020).

Clientele

Although the National Park Service was not officially created until 1916, the federal

government had been operating several parks and monuments throughout the United States since

the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872. With data collection beginning a few

years later, the National Park Service has reported seeing over fourteen billion visitors across all

of their sites since 1904 (U.S. National Park Service, 2020).

Grand Teton National Park, specifically, is one of the top ten most popular National

Parks in the country, with over three million visitors annually since 2015. Haug reported that

many visitors of the park live close to it, either in Wyoming itself or in neighboring states like

Colorado and Idaho. Although Grand Teton does see visitors from all fifty states, the most
coming from California, those who live farther may be less likely to visit due to the park’s

isolated location, lack of surrounding highways, and minimal airport access. Haug also

mentioned that the park hosts many international visitors yearly, with most being from Europe,

but said that there has been an increasing number of tourists from Asia as well.

Geographic location is not the only factor that affects visitation demographics. Although

operated by the federal government and therefore technically available to all, data shows that

those who visit National Parks do not accurately reflect the population of the United States. For

example, white people account for about 95% of National Parks visitors, but only 72% of the

United States’ population. Disparities such as this are seen in almost every population

demographic in the country, with most visitors of National Parks being white, forty to sixty years

old, middle to upper-middle class, and holding a bachelor’s degree or higher (Vaske & Lyon,

2014). While open to the public, most sites operated by the National Park Service require an

entrance fee and occasionally additional costs for various activities and permits, making it

difficult for lower-income groups to visit. Additionally, some racial minorities may have a

negative perception of the outdoors due to historical discrimination, therefore feeling less

comfortable visiting National Parks than their white counterparts (Vaske & Lyon, 2014).

Services and Programs Provided

As mentioned earlier in their mission statement, the goal of the National Park Service is

to create an enjoyable and educational experience for visitors while also protecting nature, its

inhabitants, and its history. The many divisions within the organization work towards this goal in

different ways: influencing government legislation, conducting scientific research, maintaining

land, enforcing laws, and organizing programs (Tapps & Wells, 2018).
 Before becoming a permanent employee in Grand Teton, Haug spent many summers

there as an Interpretive Ranger at Jenny Lake, one of the four visitor centers in the park. Across

all National Parks, visitor centers are important facilities that offer a variety of services to park-

goers, including safety information, educational exhibits, and, if needed, permits for boating or

camping. Also available at visitor centers are ranger-guided activities that explore topics like the

geology of parks, their ecosystems, and their history (U.S. National Park Service, 2020).

Staffing

The National Park Service employs about 20,000 people, including both permanent and

seasonal employees. Additionally, they report having over 279,000 volunteers (U.S. National

Park Service, 2020).

The staffing of National Parks is more complicated than just those numbers, though.

Many, if not most, National Parks are heavily influenced by the seasons. Grand Teton National

Park, specifically, hosts a majority of its visitors in the summer months while experiencing

limited accessibility in the winter, with road closures due to heavy snows. This greatly affects the

way the park is staffed, according to Haug. He estimated there are no more than 150 permanent,

or year-round, employees in the park. In the summer, this number grows to be about 600, with

seasonal employees being brought in for the busy season. Apparently, most of the same seasonal

employees return year after year, which is “both a blessing and a curse,” Haug said. A summer

staff made largely of “returners” ensures dedicated, trustworthy employees that are passionate

about their jobs. Many employees returning every year are waiting for a permanent position to

open up, though, including Haug himself, which may make it difficult for newer workers to earn

promotions.
Funding

The National Park Service is an agency of the federal government, meaning it is a not-

for-profit organization, and therefore all the money it earns is used to pay its employees and

maintain parks and their facilities. Much of its funding comes from the Land and Water

Conservation Fund, created by Congress in 1964. This was designed to benefit parks and

recreation agencies at the federal, state, and local levels by distributing earnings to them from

offshore gas and oil companies (McLean, et al., 2019).

While the Land and Water Conservation Fund is its primary source of funding, the

National Park Service has a few other sources of revenue. As previously mentioned, many

National Parks require entrance fees that account for some earnings. These are typically no more

than forty dollars, and additionally, avid park-goers can purchase an annual park pass for eighty

dollars, giving them access to all National Parks for a year (U.S. National Park Service, 2020).

Much funding for the National Park Service also comes from private philanthropy. Many of the

earlier parks and monuments were donated to the federal government by private landowners.

Some of the most generous contributions in National Park history were given by the Rockefeller

family, totalling over thirty million dollars (U.S. National Park Service, 2020). Additionally, the

National Park Foundation, a non-profit organization created in 1967, accepts donations of any

size from private citizens and allocates them to the National Park Service (National Park

Foundation, 2020).

A final, major source of revenue for the National Park Service comes from

concessionaire contracts. While most National Parks provide outdoor campsites, many visitors

wish to spend their stay in a more comfortable setting. The hotels and lodges found in many
parks are not operated by the National Park Service itself, but instead by private companies

called concessionaires. These companies take over the responsibility of providing several

different services to park visitors: lodging, dining, transportation, and recreational activities like

guided tours, rafting, and boating. The demand for this business is very high, with great revenue

potential, so the opportunity to manage these lodges is given to the highest bidding company.

They are then awarded with a contract, and a certain percentage of their revenue goes to the

National Park Service (Scott, 2019).

Profession

Before concluding our interview, I asked Haug some questions about his personal

experience working for the National Park Service. He mentioned the lifestyle that comes with

working in a National Park is quite different from the lifestyle of other professionals but finds it

very rewarding. The ability to live where many simply visit brings an “inspiring and intimate

connection to nature, yourself, and others,” he said. When asked about the most impactful

experiences throughout his career, Haug recalled his work with children. As a ranger, he

organized many “Junior Ranger” programs, giving young visitors a chance to learn about and

explore National Parks. Haug said that teaching younger generations about the importance of

National Parks has made him see the importance of his own job: to protect and maintain nature

for the benefit of the future.

As with all professions, working in the National Park Service comes with challenges as

well as rewards. Previously mentioned was the difficulty in advancement for newer employees,

due to the seasonal nature of many park jobs and high demand for permanent positions. Being an

agency of the federal government, Haug also warned me of the complications that come with
navigating bureaucracy, particularly when it comes to funding and budgets. Related to this, Haug

also mentioned some frustration when it comes to salary, feeling as though many are “doing

more for less,” meaning many employees are not fairly compensated for their work. Finally,

Haug felt that there is a lack of diversity when it comes to outdoor recreation, which is supported

by earlier data showing that most park visitors are white, well-off, and college educated. Haug

said that he hopes this will change in the coming years.

Every profession has its pros and cons, though, and despite these challenges, Haug still

stressed that he loves his job, and feels that the benefits outweigh the costs. During my interview

with Haug, I learned a lot about the National Park Service and what it’s like to work in it. He

gave me a lot of useful and interesting information, along with his own personal insights and

advice. Haug’s passion for nature and helping others relates directly to the work he does and the

mission of the entire National Park Service, and he sets a great example for future professionals

interested in entering the field of outdoor recreation.

 Works Cited

McLean, D. D., Hurd, A. R., & Anderson, D. M. (2019). Kraus' recreation and leisure in

modern society. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Mission & History (National Park Foundation). (2020). Retrieved August 09, 2020, from

https://www.nationalparks.org/about-foundation/mission-history

NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). (2020). Retrieved August 09, 2020,

from https://www.nps.gov/index.htm

Scott, D., & Scott, K. (2019, February 27). National Parks 101: Who runs the lodges and

dining establishments?. National Parks Traveler.

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2019/02/national-parks-101-who-runs-

lodges-and-dining-establishments

Tapps, T., & Wells, M. (Eds.). (2018). Introduction to recreation and leisure (3rd ed.).

Human Kinetics.

Vaske, J. J., & Lyon, K. M. (2014). Linking the 2010 census to national park visitors.

National Park Service. https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/495294