Bruce's Profile
Name: Bruce Bytnar
Title: Retired National Park Ranger
Visit Bruce's Website
Bruce W. Bytnar retired in January 2008 following a career spanning more than 32 years as a National Park Ranger. Twenty seven of those years were spent as a Park Ranger on the Blue Ridge Parkway working in both North Carolina and Virginia. He started his career as a seasonal interpreter conducting living history programs at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in 1975. Once a permanent employee, he worked as a commissioned law enforcement ranger, naturalist, wild land firefighter, resource manager, in search and rescue, as a supervisor, and a manager. His last position was as the Ridge District Ranger on the Blue Ridge Parkway responsible for the management of a 106 mile section of the most visited National Park Service area in the country.
His interest in supporting and promoting national parks remains a focus even in retirement. One example of these efforts is his volunteer work as an environmental educator at Boxerwood Gardens Nature Center. At the center he volunteers his time to teach elementary and middle school students about our world. Mr. Bytnar’s personal objective is to get students interested in the outdoors, science, and eventually national parks.
Beyond writing Mr. Bytnar has many other interests including reading, working as a men’s lacrosse official, training dogs, hiking, gardening, and continuing to learn about our world.
His new book, A Park Ranger’s Life: Thirty Two Years Protecting Our National Parks, is a collection of true stories based on his experiences working in national parks. The reader will also have the opportunity to learn about very real threats to our parks and what citizens can do to assist those stewards who have the responsibility to protect our treasures found in national parks.
Book Signing Event
Tanglewood Barnes and Noble Book Store
Roanoke, Virginia
Saturday December 4, 2010
1 pm
Retired National Park Ranger and author Bruce W. Bytnar will be at The Tanglewood Barnes and Noble in Roanoke, Virginia to personalize and sign copies of his book A Park Ranger’s Life: Thirty Two Years Protecting Our National Parks.
Read this book to learn what it is like to be a National Park Ranger, what threats are faced daily by visitors and resources in our parks, what you can do to help protect our parks, and make your next visit a safe one.
A Park Ranger’s Life has been adopted as required reading at Northern Arizona University, Ohio State, and Slippery Rock University for those students studying to become park rangers. Many other colleges are listing the book as recommended reading for students. These academic institutions have selected this book based on the entertaining, accurate, and honest depiction of the rewards, challenges, and frustrations of a career as a National Park Ranger.
If you are planning a trip to the Southern Appalachians for the fall color season and want to stay in hotel or lodge accommodations, have reservations in advance. Many times I have seen travelers on the Blue Ridge Parkway during October thinking that they would just take a leisurely drive and find a motel room at the end of the day. In many cases they would find no room at the inn. I have seen people drive seventy five miles or more away from the park to find a vacant room.
October is the peak visitation season for this region of the country and a pretty weekend can see huge crowds in the parks and surrounding communities. Many small towns and rural areas will be hosting festivals and art events that draw hundreds if not thousands of people.
October is also college football season. Colleges also sponsor their family and alumni weekends durng the beautiful fall weather. Such events can fill hotels for miles. You can check college web sites for their schedules. Some of the key colleges that may affect hotel availability are:
The University of Virginia
Virginia Military Institute
Washington and Lee University
Virginia Tech
Appalachian State University
University of North Carolina At Asheville
Competition for hotel rooms can be almost as exciting as some of the football games.
Traffic in prime viewing areas may also become congested which will result in slow downs and delays. So make sure your plans for the distances to travel are reasonable and attainable. Allow a cushion of time in your planning for heavy traffic. Come the end of the day you do not want to be hundreds of miles away from your planned stop for the night.
When ever possible travel during the week. Weekends are always the peak traffic times. Hotels rooms are also more easily obtainable on weekday nights.
Retired National Park Ranger and author of the book “A Park Ranger’s Life: Thirty Two Years Protecting Our National Parks” Bruce W. Bytnar will appear at the Peaks of Otter Lodge this Friday October 15. Mr. Bytnar will be in the Lodge lobby starting at 5pm and be available to answer questions and sign copies of his book.
“A Park Ranger’s Life” has received wide spread praise from readers and been selected by three universitiesas required reading for students studying to become National Park Rangers. The book has been recognized for its honest portrail of what it is really like to be a ranger in today’s National Parks. The stories are entertaining, informative, give a behind the scenes glimpse into the complex issues and threats facing our parks in an ever changing world.
Mr. Bytnar says, “It is a great pleasure to spend time back at the Peaks of Otter where I spent such a major part of my career as a ranger. As if the beautiful scenery is not worth the trip it is always a thrill to reconnect with old friends.”
As temperatures begin to cool a bit, more and more people are planning bicycling day trips and tours on the Blue Ridge Parkway and other National Park areas across the country. Here are some simple rules that will help make your trip a safe one.
- Wear a bicycle helmet
- Be sure your bicycle is in good operating condition. Carry a spare tube and tools for minor repairs.
- Wear high visibility clothing. It sets you apart from the scenery and more visible to motorists.
- Carry a cellular phone to report emergencies but remain aware that there are many dead spots with no cell coverage in many National Park areas. You may need to change locations to make a call.
- Avoid riding during periods of low visibility. Fog and rain may occur unpredictably. Reschedule your trip or allow time for flexibility to ride during periods of better weather conditions.
- Use caution when riding through tunnels. There are 26 tunnels in North Carolina and 1 tunnel in Virginia. It is recommended that you have an illuminated light on the front of your bike and light or reflectors on the rear.
- Temperatures vary greatly with elevation and aspect changes in mountainous areas. Wear clothing in layers. Hypothermia can be deadly, so take precautions to prevent it.
- Safe drinking water is available on a seasonal basis at park facilities. Many parks will winterize water lines and systems by the end of October. Be sure to check on what facilities are open and bring adequate water with you. Do not drink unpurified water from streams and springs within even the most pristine park areas. There are no areas within the United States now free from bacteria that will wreak havoc with your digestive system.
- Make an honest evaluation of your abilities before beginning a bicycle trip. Do your research and determine what elevation changes you will be challenged by. As an example you can find such information for the Blue Ridge Parkway by downloading this PDF:
- When cycling with a group, adjust your spacing to be single file and allow for motor vehicles to pass safely.
If driving a motor vehicle rather than pedaling a bicycle, be alert for cyclists and be sure to
Although most roadways through National Park areas do not allow commercial vehicles and large trucks you will still encounter tour busses, motor homes, and vehicles pulling trailers. Be alert for such traffic and always assume that a possible hazard may be around each blind curve.
In 2001 The Blue Ridge Parkway started the multi-year process of developing a General Management Plan for the park. A major component of this process was public comment. When asked what issues or concerns the public had about the park there was one subject that buried any other topic, bicycle use. What made this result interesting was that comments were split 50/50 between those that were pro cycling and those that were anti cycling. Public suggestions ranged from building a bike lane the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway to completely banning bicycles from the park. National Park Service planners and managers were amazed at the emotional dichotomy on this topic. Read more »
