2 days ago
6 more rangers to supplement Lake Lanier staffing, Corps of Engineers says
Amid the busy summer recreation season, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, said it plans to hire more staff for its recreation areas, including six rangers for Lake Sidney Lanier.
The Mobile District is currently under a hiring freeze, so the district had to apply for exemptions and received 16 of them.
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The staffing also includes two rangers at Walter F. George Lake in Georgia, two at the Black Warrior & Tombigbee Lakes in Alabama and six temporary summer rangers.
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The Corps said they limited access to some recreation areas and temporarily closed other because of staffing shortages.
A spokesperson for the Corps credited the public outcry over the closures for the exemptions being approved.
'We want to thank the elected officials and the public for making their voices heard about how much an impact our recreational lands are to themselves and the region,' said Dustin Gautney, chief of Public Affairs for the Mobile District. 'These exceptions to the hiring freeze would have not been possible without their support.'
The Corps cautioned the public that reopening will take time because the new staffers need to be hired and trained before they can serve.
Current Corps park rangers opening are listed here.
The Corps of Engineers also plans to waive day-use fees at its more than 2,600 recreation areas on Monday for the Corps of Engineers' birthday and June 19 for Juneteenth.
The fee waiver includes those for boat ramps and swimming beaches at Corps-operated parks nationwide.
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