Caldwell, West Virginia has reason to be proud of Greenbrier County Park Ranger Jesse Anderson. Service Wear Apparel recently named Anderson as the Park Ranger of the Year for his outstanding service to Greenbrier County Park and its visitors. He acts as the Superintendent of Greenbrier State Forest as well as of Moncove Lake State Park.
Anderson was nominated in September of this year and received notification of his nomination shortly after it was received. State park employees as well as citizens who have visited the parks cast their nominations in an online poll, the results of which had Anderson receiving the most votes.
Anderson was presented with his award in a ceremony that was held last week with the Governor of West Virginia in attendance. He told reporters during an interview about receiving his national award that “the opportunity to represent West Virginia on a national level made this award not only special, but personal for [me].”
Anderson has been working for the West Virginia State Park System for nearly 20 years in both seasonal and full-time capacities and described that award as an opportunity to “let folks know on a nationwide scale that we have something pretty special in our state park system.”
When asked why he chose to pursue a career as a park ranger, Anderson said that he didn’t want to have to be relegated to working indoors. He said he would much rather earn his living working outdoors in nature where there is a far greater sense of freedom and excitement. He also stated that the variety of the job also attracted him, saying that the work of a park ranger “changes [daily, and] there is no day here that’s the same.”
His oversight of the two parks, which total more than 6,000 acres of land, includes managing guest services as well as park security.