SCA 2004 Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire
Cover photo: Becca in New Hampshire, 2004
Name: Becca Alfafara
Hometown: Detroit suburbs
School: Michigan State University
Occupation: Park Ranger at Glacier National Park, with previous work at Badlands National Park, Zion National Park, Yellowstone National Park, & Shenandoah National Park
These days, Becca Alfafara is a Glacier National Park Ranger with one of the world’s most enviable Instagram feeds. Back in 2004, she was a senior at Michigan State University looking for field experience to fulfill the final requirement for her Parks, Recreation, Resources, and Tourism degree. On advice from her college advisor, she applied to SCA and soon found herself on an AmeriCorps crew at Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire. Without that experience, she believes she probably wouldn’t be a Park Ranger. She’s now worked at some of the country’s most spectacular parks: Zion, Badlands, Yellowstone, Shenandoah, and, of course, Glacier.
“Nice day for a hike.”
What’s your most memorable SCA moment? I think my favorite moment was having an end of season bonfire and dinner with all of the other SCA crew. I made a lot of great friendships that summer and still keep in touch with many of them!
How has your SCA service impacted your life and career? I believe that the SCA is the reason why I am a park ranger today. Without that experience, I might not have ever applied to the National Park Service. I think many people that are in the NPS have been involved in the SCA.
Glacier National Park’s “Many Glacier.”
What’s the coolest part of being a Park Ranger? The coolest part about being a park ranger is everything! I am so lucky to live in work in these amazing places and meet all sorts of cool people that visit from around the world.
What role do you see mobile photography playing in conservation moving forward? I think we’ve already seen a great deal about how mobile photography and social media can impact conservation in the future. Many of the NPS sites have Facebook, Twitter, Fllickr, Instagram, etc. and we see huge numbers of followers, likes, views, etc. I think parks are able to reach out to many more people than ever before and possibly inspire visitors to visit these places…and even if they can’t visit, perhaps have an appreciation or have a feeling of satisfaction knowing these beautiful and unique places exist and are being protected for future generations.
Follow Becca on Instagram (@ralfafara) for a real ranger’s eye view of Glacier National Park. All of the photos featured here, except the cover image, are from Becca’s Instagram.
“Almost missed this guy just off the trail…bearly saw him!”
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