Ranger of the Year: Passionate About His Job

A stormy Saturday afternoon in January found Park Ranger Scott Cramolini pushing boulders off the roads at Mt. Diablo State Park. Cramolini, who in 2007 was named America’s Ranger of the Year, considers it a perk of his job that he may be called on to move rocks in the rain, take children on a nature walk, or enforce park regulations at a moment’s notice.

“I love that adventure,” says Cramolini (BS, Recreation Administration, ’82). “That’s what makes the job so fun. You can go from one role to another.”

As a young boy, Cramolini saw a park ranger astride his horse at Banff National Park in Canada, and he knew that was the job for him. During high school, he worked as a park aide and sent away for information from colleges about how to become a ranger. He chose CSU, Chico because the recreation administration department was considered ahead of its time, he says.

Cramolini, known by park visitors as “Ranger Scott,” serves as peace officer, park caretaker, and environmental educator. But his favorite role is being a public servant.

“I really enjoy working for the public,” he says. “I like serving people when they’re in trouble.”

After 25 years with California State Parks and Recreation, his dedication to the public was nationally recognized. In June 2007, campsite reservation giant ReserveAmerica tallied park visitors’ votes and named Cramolini America’s Ranger of the Year. Cramolini was surprised and honored by the award, he says.

In early December 2007, Cramolini transferred to Mt. Diablo State Park from Ventura County, where he served as a park ranger in five state beaches along the coast for 26 years. Prior to that, he spent six years as a park aide in the area.

Cramolini now enjoys teaching visitors about Mt. Diablo State park’s ecosystems and history. He frequently shares park facts, such as how Mt. Diablo (northeast of Danville) is a sanctuary for tarantulas and black-tailed deer and how its summit is one of two places in the world where the curvature of the earth is visible to the human eye.

Cramolini credits his recreation and parks management classes at CSU, Chico with preparing him for success in his career. He remembers Professor Jon Hooper’s classes as being some of his favorites, among them one that included a field trip to Yosemite National Park. “That was the first time I’d ever seen Yosemite,” says Cramolini. “That was pretty memorable.”

Lauren Brooks (BA, Journalism, ’06) is the editor of The Buzz, the Chico Enterprise-Record’s weekly entertainment guide.