Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument - Post to Parks Junior Ranger Program (U.S. National Park Service)

A large group of Junior Rangers stand in an amphitheater and raise their right hands reciting the Junior Ranger Pledge

A large group of Junior Rangers from Peterson Air Force Base take the Junior Ranger Pledge

In the late 1800's there were rangers in Yellowstone and Yosemite protecting our nation's treasures. But they weren't Park Rangers. They were Army "Rangers" - actually, members of M Troop of the First United States Cavalry.

Many Americans are unaware that the military once protected our national parks before the creation of the National Park Service in 1916.

The Post to Parks Program is a chance for military youth and families to engage, once again, in the civic responsibility of caring for our parks by becoming Junior Rangers.

The Post to Parks Program is an outreach program to military families and youth in the Pikes Peak Region. Currently, Fort Carson, the United States Air Force Academy, and Peterson Air Force Base have been involved in the program.

For more information, please contact the Lead Interpreter at the Monument at (719) 748-3253.