BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 22, 2021
For years, Maine park rangers have proudly worn gray uniform shirts as a symbol of protecting our natural resources and the 3 million people who visit. Today, that complex role has been made difficult by the very agency for whom they work, the Bureau of Parks and Lands. While the bureau issues pepper spray for ranger self-protection, the agency refuses to provide these same agents with the legal authority to question, detain, summon or arrest wrongdoers. But legislation proposed by Rep. Thomas Skolfield, R-Weld, would change that. LD 657 would provide Maine rangers with the departmental support and authority to react to all facets of field operations. ~ Tim Caverly, retired state park ranger