Written by Ellery McCardle, Voyageurs Conservancy Volunteer and Member
This summer, many families will experience Voyageurs National Park for the first time, and a new member of the park’s staff will be in the same boat—so to speak.
“I’m excited to get out on the water, explore the park and the backcountry area,” said Erik Ditzler, who is a new Interpretive Ranger.
He moved to Minnesota last August and has since gotten acquainted with the park during the winter months. Among his most memorable moments so far? Strapping on snowshoes for the first time and seeing the Northern Lights.
Erik Ditzler/NPS Interpretive Ranger
“It’s kind of indescribable. I had seen photographs, but I wasn’t truly prepared for what it’s like,” he said. While he stayed active outside during the cold months, Ditzler is looking forward to experiencing Voyageurs National Park during its peak, summer season. As an Interpretive Ranger, his job is to connect visitors to the story of the park, whether it’s through tours or a simple conversation.
“I particularly like explaining the historical aspects of the park to visitors and clueing them in on things that they may not have thought about,” he said. Ditzler said the park team has been working diligently to get everything ready for visitors to safely return, and has been working on a new Night Sky tour program, now that Voyageurs is designated as an International Dark Sky Park. He is excited about this offering.
“We hired a couple of seasonal park rangers that have done them in other parks and I think they’re great rangers who are really passionate about Dark Sky programs, so I’m excited to see what they do,” said Ditzler.
You could call Ditzler a “history buff” because it’s a subject that he is passionate about, and that passion stems from his childhood visiting historical sites such as Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee.
“I remember getting goosebumps on my arm because I felt like it was a really important place. I’ve always enjoyed visiting historic sites where important things have happened,” he said.
Before moving to Minnesota, Ditzler was living about 1,200 miles south, working at Arkansas Post National Memorial, which has its own rich history of being the first semi-permanent French settlement in the lower Mississippi River Valley. Last year, he was looking for a new opportunity and was drawn to the compelling history of Voyageurs National Park and its boreal forests on the north.
“I like the fur trade and there’s a lot of interesting cultural resources in Voyageurs,” said Ditzler. Not only a rich history to learn, but Ditzler has a whole new ecosystem of wildlife to observe. “One of the things I’m most excited about in coming to Voyageurs is that there are actually wolves here. I’ve never seen a wolf out in the wild, and I’m really excited for a chance to see a wolf in its natural habitat. It seems so special to live in a place that still has wolves,” he said.
So while Ditzler helps visitors learn more about the history of Voyageurs National Park, he will be right there with them, learning about all that makes the park a wild and wonderful place.
