Staff

Henry W. Coe State Park

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Staff

by Lee Dittmann

The first thing to know about staff at Henry W. Coe State Park is that few of them are Rangers. Visit Coe and you may see many helpful folks dressed in khaki uniform shirts, but contrary to popular belief, that doesn't make them Rangers. This section has been created to help you sort out what all of these people who work at Coe do and what they are really called. It is also intended to help you understand their limitations and how they can help you.

Rangers

In recent years, Coe Park has had three State Park Rangers (not counting the former Park Superintendent, but more on her later), and is now back down to two plus the Supervising Ranger. In California State Parks, the only people who get the title Ranger are the peace officers. State Park Rangers are commissioned officers of the law, and can be distinguished by their badge, by the "Smokey Bear" Stetson they wear outdoors, and by the sidearm they carry on patrol. They are fully trained as first responders in medical emergencies, as well as in law enforcement situations. Unlike your average city cop, however, they also have a strong interest and knowledge of the natural features of the park, and will be delighted to answer your questions and assist you in any other way.

This can be confusing because in National Parks, most Rangers are not involved with law enforcement; just about anyone working a public contact position in a National Park is called a Ranger and wears the "Ranger hat," too. In some state park systems, even maintenance workers are called Rangers. But this is not the case in California State Parks.

Although this page is intended to be more about the position than the individuals who fill it, no mention of Coe's Rangers would be complete without a tribute to Coe's former long-time resident Ranger Barry Breckling. Feel fortunate if you have had your questions answered by Barry, for no one has a broader knowledge about the park, its history, wildlife, and plants than he. Barry worked at Coe from 1977-2007. Now that he has retired, the state ought to have him bronzed and placed permanently on display, because the park is not the same without his amiable presence.

Park Superintendent

With the periodic parks department reorganizations, this position has just been eliminated from Coe Park, so this summary is now historical.

Although the Park Superintendent was on the top of the hierarchy, I've listed this position second just because you were probably more curious about Rangers than any other position. Not all State Parks have a Superintendent. In some, the administative functions are filled by the District Superintendent and the district's Chief Ranger. (State Parks were grouped in districts. Coe was part of the Four Rivers District, which included San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area and other parks of the northern San Joaquin Valley.) But Coe is so large and also a bit isolated from the rest of the district, that it had its own Park Superintendent.

This position was ably filled by Kay Robinson since its creation in 1992 and until her retirement at the end of 2002. She had a challenging task overseeing such a huge area which has gained something like 12,000 acres on her watch, and is now gaining several thousand more, but with very minimal (if not sub-minimal) staff.

The Park Superintendent is technically also a Ranger, so Coe really had four peace officers assigned to it

Park Maintenance

Upkeep of the park's roads, buildings, water systems, campground, parking lots and other "infrastructure" is overseen by the Park Maintenance Supervisor. During times of budget crunches, he has had as few as two full-time maintenance staff at Coe Park. The Park Aids (see below) may also do maintenance, as indeed the Rangers and Superintendent may sometimes do also. The permanent full-time staff for this function has included the positions of State Park Maintenance Worker and State Park Equipment Operator. The latter tends to specialize in operating the heavy equipment used to grade the roads or to dig out blocked culverts.

Some visitors may have the idea that a natural area like Coe shouldn't need much maintenance. After all, doesn't preserving the park in its natural state mean things are pretty much left alone? Yes and no. Yes, the park aims to preserve the natural setting more or less as it has existed for thousands of years. But no, there are many amenities visitors would not want to do without. First, there are the facilities that most visitors want to find in a park: Water that is safe to drink, restrooms, developed campgrounds, and a visitor center for example; these all take maintenance. Then there are the historical buildings, which all need to be preserved. Coe has an extensive network of roads, which will erode and become safety hazards and will adversely impact the environment if not maintained. (Some of the roads adversely impact the park even when maintained!)

Does the park really need all of those roads? It is debatable, but fire fighters like having easier access to fight fires, the rangers like the roads for patrolling and for rescuing exhausted or injured park users, and some of them are legal rights-of-way for adjacent landowners. Even if the park were to retire all of the roads (extremely unlikely) it would require an incredible amount of time and work to restore them to the point where they would no longer erode and add detrimental amounts of sediment to the streams.

The other major area for park maintenance is trail construction and signage. Most of the trails existing in Coe when the land was purchased from private landowners (or donated, in the case of the Pine Ridge Ranch) were very steep, easily forming gullies and exhausting most users to the point where it was hard to appreciate the park's beauty. The park is constructing new trails or realigning old ones, providing grades which are less maintenance-intensive and more comfortable to hike, bike, or horseback ride.

You are more likely to see the maintenance staff on weekdays, since most work is done then to avoid interfering with the weekend activities of park users. To the average visitor, their uniforms are identical to the Rangers: khaki shirt and green jeans, but note that they do not have a badge. Maintenance staff tend not to know so much about the plants and wildlife as Rangers, but do know the park geography quite well. Don't hesitate to ask them for assistance if you meet them out in the park. No matter what project they are engaged in, the first duty of the staff is to help you, the visitor.

Park Aids

In many state parks, the staff member you are most likely to meet is a Park Aid. This has not been so true at Coe as in other parks, because Coe has had, until recently, a skeleton crew and seasonal Park Aids were considered more dispensable than other positions. During some times of year, no Park Aids worked there at all. Also, the Uniformed Volunteers (see below) outnumber all other staff. Park Aids also wear the khaki shirt and green pants you see on other employees, so can be equally confused with Rangers, but again, notice that they wear no badge, no gun, no Stetson.

So what does a Park Aid do? Maintenance and/or visitor services. Picking up trash and cleaning restrooms are two of the common maintenance jobs performed by a Park Aid at Coe Headquarters. Collecting fees, registering campers and day users, and providing information are the main visitor services duties at Coe. Park Aids have also been hired to work entirely on trail construction or to staff the Hunting Hollow entrance on weekends. If the person has the ability, a Park Aid can work on more skilled projects, such as I did in building many of the campground's remadas.

Since the job is an entry-level position with high school graduation the only education requirement, pays relatively little (and requires purchase of the uniform out of the salary), is seasonal, and is a significant distance to drive to, the quality of Coe's Park Aids has varied widely over the years. Coe has been fortunate in that the position has often been filled by volunteers who already had an exceptional interest in, and above average knowledge of, the park. (Since 1985, there have been at least ten volunteers who were also Park Aids. These were Lee Sims, Larry Haimowitz, Everett Allen, Margaret Enns, Jeff Swindle, me, John Prior, Carolyn Fatooh, Carree Gellinck, and Jim Mason.)

The name of the position is usually misspelled (even by some state park writers) with an "e" at the end, but an "aide" is technically an aide-de-camp, an orderly to a military officer; or by extension an assistant to a political office-holder. That function is somewhat different than that of a Park Aid, who is not so much assigned to assist a particular person as to assist with the needs of the park in general.

Uniformed Volunteers

Coe State Park has more than 130 Uniformed Volunteers. You owe a lot of the services you get at Coe to the volunteer, unpaid efforts of this diverse group, united by love of the park and an interest in helping out. On weekends, you are more likely to talk to a volunteer than a paid staff member. In the backcountry, you are more likely to meet a volunteer on patrol than a Ranger or maintenance person. The Uniformed Volunteers are sometimes mistakenly called "Volunteer Rangers," but as already mentioned, the Rangers are peace officers and the volunteers never fill that function.

Volunteers do a lot of the work otherwise done by Park Aids (and sometimes better!) plus special projects such as writing or illustrating books and pamphlets about some aspect of the park (for example Lee Sims' and Judy Mason's shrub books, Winslow Briggs' trail book, Teddy Goodrich's Coe Indians book, and Bob Kelley's Pine Ridge Ranch history booklet), creating the photo albums visitors can browse at the Visitor Center (examples: wildflowers, campsites, trails), or building a new bulletin board. Volunteers also patrol the park on horse, foot, or bicycle offering directions, water, or other help and picking up litter and trimming trails. The volunteers began and operate a program for introducing school children to the wonders of the park. And a volunteer created and maintains the official park website.

In years of low budgets almost the only trail maintenance was done by volunteers. Many trails have been almost entirely scouted and constructed by volunteers. Worthy of special mention in this department is Everett Allen, a retiree whose efforts have been responsible for the high quality of the Live Oak, Flat Frog, and Frog Lake trails, to name the chief focus of his energies. (The quality of his work, in my opinion, exceeds that of any trail constructed by paid staff, who tend to rush through the planning and construction of trail projects faster than need be.)

Uniformed Volunteers also run the volunteer program, and almost all of the people who serve on the Board of the Pine Ridge Association, the park's non-profit membership organization, happen to be Uniformed Volunteers as well. The Pine Ridge Association operates the sales area of the visitor center which offers books, maps, postcards, T-shirts, water bottles, soft drinks, and many other items which help improve visitor awareness of the history, natural history, and recreation of the park and raise funds for additional publications and improvements such as the expansion of the visitor center.

While you can be very thankful for the presence of so many volunteers (most of whom hold demanding full-time jobs elsewhere), as a visitor, you should be aware of their limitations. In my observation, the Uniformed Volunteer program has a major weak point: While Uniformed Volunteers are required to attend a series of classes covering a wide range of park operations, natural history, and history, there is no requirement that they demonstrate that they have learned any of this information. There are no performance reviews (except in extreme circumstances, such as when a volunteer was suspected of arson many years ago.) This is probably because of the desire not to make volunteering a burden. (The park accepts anyone who seems to sincerely wish to help out and who is willing to commit the time to the training.) To make matters worse, the Uniformed Volunteers are required to spend 20 hours annually helping out in the visitor center (out of a minimum 50 hour annual requirement), no matter whether they have demonstrated any competence in the task or not.

Most volunteers working the visitor center counter will defer to staff or more experienced volunteers if they don't know the answer to your question, but there have been some who have been so unwilling to say "I don't know" or to ask someone else, that they will confidently advise you on things they know little about. This can be a problem if you are a newcomer to Coe and want some suggestions on hikes or bike rides that are within your ability; or if you want to get accurate information on the history, size, or plants and animals of the park.

For example, I have heard a volunteer authoritatively tell visitors that "Sada Coe [Henry Coe's daughter] had no children" (she had two), another that the "China Hole Trail is real steep" (about three years after a well-publicized realignment which made it very moderate), and a third mapping out a suggested bike route for beginners that encompassed some of the more difficult terrain the park has to offer.

So first, how do you distinguish a Uniformed Volunteer from paid staff? If they are dressed according to the requirements, one of their shoulder patches will say "Volunteer"; their name tag will also read "State Park Volunteer," "Senior State Park Volunteer," or "State Park Volunteer Trainee." They are required to wear a khaki shirt which may be identical to that of paid staff, but which may be of a subtly different design. Like paid staff, they might also be wearing plain green jeans or shorts, but unlike paid staff, green is not required, so if you see khaki, blue, or any other plain color of jeans or shorts, you are seeing a volunteer.

So how do you tell the difference between a volunteer who can give you the right answers and one who can't? There is no easy way. The distinction between State Park Volunteer and Senior State Park Volunteer is not all that important. Senior status is achieved by accumulating at least 200 volunteer hours, with at least 100 visitor center hours. Again, there is no testing to advance to that level, nor do you know whether someone achieved those hours in four years or in half of one year. (Realize, too, that the 100 hours in the visitor center is equal to working a full-time job for 2½ weeks. How much do people know after 2½ weeks in a fairly skilled full-time job?) And many people who enter the volunteer program do so after years of hiking or riding the backcountry, so a Trainee may well know the backcountry better than a Senior whose interest in the park only began with volunteering. As alluded to earlier, the confidence with which you are told something can be misleading, since a few volunteers don't recognize their own limits. But a person who is obviously unsure of how to operate the cash register (as is common since only 20 visitor center hours annually are required) may be an expert on backcountry trails. Lack of knowledge in one area does not mean that the volunteer is ignorant in others.

My best advice is that if you are asking about something that is important to you from someone whose competence you are unfamiliar with, you try to get collaboration from someone else, or from a written source such as the albums on file at the visitor center (which have had more checking) or the Pine Ridge Association's publications. If your question is about backcountry conditions, you might want to politely ask whether the volunteer or other staff member has personal experience getting there the way you plan to do—or has talked to someone who has.

In closing, I will point out that this misinformation problem isn't unique to Coe Park, and that Coe is perhaps unusual in parks in that the staff and volunteers will offer you advice as part of the regular high level of service. Other places will just take your name and money and not offer any help unless you ask for it. My hope is that staff and volunteers who read this will be inspired to shore up this weakness in the volunteer program by requiring annual testing of all volunteers on basic Coe facts, with a higher score needed for visitor center duty. Coe's Uniformed Volunteer Program is exceptional, but it could be much better, if only the force of habit does not blind the participants to needed change.

If you're interested in becoming a Uniformed Volunteer, training begins in the fall. You can get an application on the park's website here. Uniformed Volunteers get the satisfaction of helping out Coe Park, free training, and free admission and camping at Coe. And many find that the most valuable benefit is the many opportunities for new friends you gain while volunteering.

Other Volunteers

Coe Park likes to accept the help of other volunteers when it can, since not everyone has the time or the inclination to join the Uniformed Volunteer program. These occasional volunteers must usually be supervised by staff or Uniformed Volunteers, since they are often unaware of state standards in conduct, safety, trail maintenance, and protection of resources. Volunteers who are not part of the regular program have helped out with springs maintenance, been guest speakers at evening programs, mapped trails with a GPS unit, photographed wildflowers and wildlife, and especially have worked at the twice-annual Trails Day constructing or maintaining trails.

If you want to learn about helping out on the next Trails Day, see the park's own website. Volunteering in other ways can be more difficult, because the park would need to find someone to take you under his/her wing until such time staff is confident you can be depended upon to work on your own. My best advice there is to join the Pine Ridge Association and volunteer to help out at annual events such as the Mothers Day Breakfast or Fall TarantulaFest. Or if you already have a particular project in mind that you talk to one of the Rangers and present your idea.

Contacting Coe Park Staff
Coe Headquarters	The place to contact for information on: -Outings starting from this entrance -Overdue/lost persons starting from this entrance -Group camp reservations -Horse camp reservations -Campground conditions -Free map/info requests -Mothers Day Breakfast -Fall TarantulaFest -Uniformed Volunteer Program info -Pine Ridge Association -Any other information if no one is available at the Sector Office	(408) 779-2728 Fax: (408) 778-5749 Henry W. Coe State Park 9000 E. Dunne Ave. Morgan Hill, CA 95037 The official website pretty much covers these topics, but if you still have questions or your access to the web is limited, the staff will be glad to help. They are available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and intermittently on other days. [to be added], Unit Ranger
Gavilan Sector Office	The place to contact for information on: -Outings starting from Hunting Hollow, Coyote Creek, or Bell Station -Overdue/lost persons starting from any other place than Coe Headquarters -Coe Backcountry Weekend -Signup for Coe Trails Day -Reporting backcountry maintenance problems/hazards -Compliments/complaints/administrative suggestions -Official statements to the press -Employment opportunities -Collection permits (generally available only to serious researchers at graduate level and above, not for grade school or undergraduate projects) -Any other information if no one is available at Coe Headquarters	(831) 623-1659 California State Parks, Gavilan Sector PO Box 787 San Juan Bautista, CA 95045 Mike Ferry Supervising Ranger [to be added], Maintenance Supervisor Cameron Bowers, Ranger Staff are available intermittently any day of the week.
Emergencies	If you are concerned about a long-overdue person or have some other emergency to report and cannot reach staff at the above two numbers, the 9-1-1 operators can pass on the information to off-duty rangers or rangers in the field via State Parks dispatch. Note that the office numbers above are not staffed at night. Also note that if you are calling staff from the backcountry with a cellular phone, they will not be able to give you a ride out unless you have a true life or death emergency. ("I'm real tired and my feet hurt" is not usually an emergency!)	Call 9-1-1 for emergencies only.
The author has made a sincere effort to present the best and most accurate information and advice he knows in these pages about Henry W. Coe State Park. The reader, however, is responsible for his or her own safety and well-being in using these materials in any and all situations.

Revised 1 December 2007