Park Law Enforcement’s Capt. Carl’s Blog
Park Ranger Institute’s 31st Annual Meeting, Salemburg, N.C

Captain Carl attends the Park Ranger Institute's 31st Annual Meeting

Last Wednesday I traveled from sunny Southwest Florida to Salemburg, North Carolina to join the 31st annual Park Ranger Institute’s annual training program. I was invited by John Byrd Sr., Executive Director of the Park Ranger Institute, to be the guest speaker at their closing banquet. The flight from Fort Myers, Florida was uneventful until I neared Charlotte, North Carolina where the weather had deteriorated. After landing in Charlotte in very windy weather I made my connecting fight to Fayetteville. After pushing back for the gateway the pilot made an announcement that we would be delayed for take off because of deteriorating weather. The wind was gusting to 55 mph and the runways were closed. Having sit on the runway for more than two hours we took off in our small connecting flight to Fayetteville, only a 25 minuets flight away where John Byrd was awaiting me. Two aborted attempted landings due to high winds, the flight was redirected to Williamsburg, the closest airport, we were too low on fuel to make another attempt at Fayetteville with the high winds. After landing in Williamsburg a bus was provided to transport the passengers to Fayetteville. Arriving five hours late John met me and drove us to the North Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in Salemburg where the Park Ranger Institute has held it’s annual training meeting for the last 21 years.
I was fortunate to be able to attend several of the Institutes training sessions. I was very impressed in the quality of training content in each session I attended. It proved to me that the decision to join with the Park Ranger Institute and accepting them as an Associate Member will be very good for both us and the Park Ranger Institutes’ future. My hat’s off to The Board of Directors of the Park Ranger Institute for providing quality Training to our profession!

It was a great experience. I was most excited to see the enthusiasm in the folks that participated in this years training. The Park Profession is alive and well!