Coming Home Again

The 2018 government shutdown shed light on our national parks in the worst kind of way. With the majority of Rangers furloughed, images of national parks emerged overflowing with waste. People were able to enter parks essentially free of consequence. Like many Americans, I was appalled by the blatant destruction and lack of reverence for these beautiful places. However, this issue hit especially close to home for me because from 2014 to 2018, I lived, worked, and volunteered in Yellowstone National Park.

I spent my years working as a cook, and later a sous chef, in the historic Old Faithful Inn. While there, I gained a new found love and appreciation for these sacred spaces. So much so that I began volunteering with the National Park Service (NPS) to help educate visitors and promote the welfare of the park and its inhabitants.

After six seasons in Yellowstone National Park, I finally had the opportunity to volunteer in my own backyard.

In November 2018, I completed my final season (for now) and moved back to Texas to resume my studies in history and anthropology. Except this time, I was motivated to seek a career with the National Parks Service in historical or cultural resource management after graduation. With that goal in mind, I kept an eye out for opportunities to maintain that connection. A few months later I heard about Raider Service Breaks.

Raider Service Breaks are trips hosted by the Center for Transformative Undergraduate Experiences (TrUE) where Texas Tech students have the opportunity to volunteer throughout the US or internationally. I saw they had an upcoming conservation trip to help Texas Parks and Wildlife remove graffiti in Caprock Canyons State Park and immediately signed up.

It was a great learning opportunity and the perfect excuse to be outside again!

I went in not knowing what to expect but was excited at the prospect of being outdoors and seeing what Caprock had to offer. I met with ten other Red Raiders and was thrilled to see how passionate they were about this project and how well we all meshed together. We arrived at the visitor’s center and immediately got to work. Le Ann, our ranger guide, shuttled us to the Caprock Canyon Trailway and through Clarity Tunnel. It was here we got our first glimpse at the scale of the problem. People had etched names and other messages all over the canyon walls.

Ranger Le Ann briefing us on the situation

She explained that although they have tried to address the issue, visitors often carve on the canyon walls in remote areas as it is difficult for them to keep an eye on those places. With only three rangers roving a 14,000 acre park, it’s not hard to see why. She went on to say that due to the lack of staffing, graffiti removal had not been attempted. While unsure of how it would turn out, she was optimistic that this would be a positive step towards addressing the issue. If we could remove the graffiti, it would discourage other people from etching on the clean walls. In other words, “Graffiti breeds graffiti.”

With those words in mind, we went to work.

It was sweaty, dirty work but absolutely worth it!

It was a total success! By the time she returned to pick us up a few hours later, the walls had been completely transformed. Needless to say, we were all thrilled with the results.

What graffiti?

Seeing the success of the first graffiti removal, Le Ann informed us of an upcoming social media campaign Texas Parks and Wildlife would be launching in order to reeducate visitors on the importance of protecting our state parks. The campaign will highlight how defacing these spaces not only negatively impacts the environment, but also future generations who would be unable to fully enjoy them. It will also show how much work is involved in removing graffiti, and look for volunteers to help restore other parks as well. The new campaign will utilize the hashtag, #LoveYourTexas.

Honestly, what's not to love?

After we wrapped up at the first site, we received an informative tour through the rest of the Trailway. Le Ann shared the history and geology of the area with us and even covered the flora and fauna. I’m sure she’s given those tours about a million times, but she still sounded excited and passionate about sharing her knowledge of the park. That was something I noticed in each of the rangers we worked with. Despite the overwhelming challenges they were facing, they were motivated by an overwhelming love of the park.

Having the opportunity to work with these dedicated people made me think about the time I spent with the national park rangers. While certainly on different scales, both are facing similar challenges: lack of funding, manpower, and resources. Fortunately, both the National Park Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife are staffed by people who are passionate about preserving these natural spaces for future generations.

They are working hard to ensure the next generation has the opportunity to be as awed by the natural beauty as we were

Going on this RSB reaffirmed my decision to pursue this line of work. It also showed me just how beautiful my own backyard was. When I first returned to Lubbock, I lamented losing the beautiful landscape and outdoor recreation of Yellowstone. Now I know there are plenty of awesome trails to explore right here in West Texas.

Spending time in Caprock Canyons State Park also illustrated the plight of our state rangers. Our other guide, James, told us they still need help with trail maintenance and other things around the park. Many of us were so inspired by what we saw in them and the park that we immediately began talking about returning independently as a group in the near future to aid them in trail maintenance. I was also inspired to reach out to other friends and have begun planning a return trip to volunteer.

I’m thankful for the opportunity I had to learn about our Texas state parks and the people who care for them. Since I returned from Wyoming, I had been sorely missing the ability to go off the grid and just get lost in nature. I’m happy to know that all I need to do is make the short drive out to the park to reimmerse myself in that environment. Spending the weekend in Caprock Canyons State Park truly felt like coming home again.

#LoveYourTexas

- Sarah Tapia