Park Ranger Nathan Greene

Nathan Greene grew up in McCormick, South Carolina, near quite a few state parks. In fact, his first real job was at a park! Green started his journey with the State Park Service as a part-time park technician at Hamilton Branch State Park during high school. After graduating, he was able to continue his work with the park service at Myrtle Beach State Park while pursuing a degree in Hospitality, Resort and Tourism Management from Coastal Carolina University. He was hired as a park ranger I at Cheraw State Park shortly after completing his degree. Greene moved on to become the park ranger II at Landsford Canal State Park in June of 2018, where he is today. 

We asked Greene when he knew he wanted to be a park ranger and he mentioned his time as a park technician at Hamilton Branch. He said, “My main job was to clean bathrooms and pick up trash but I was able to see the dynamics of all of the park staff and their duties. I was able to work with and watch then Park Manager Jon Greider and Ranger Travis Sellers interact with people, help people and be stewards of the park. I saw how much the guests appreciated and respected their position and role in providing a quality experience… That is when I knew I wanted to be a park ranger.” Greene finds his outdoor office to be the most satisfying thing about his job as a park ranger. “It’s peaceful, I get to meet new and interesting people and share some information about my park’s natural and historical wonders.” 

As most park rangers tend to serve at a few parks during their career, we always ask them to tell us which one they found the most enjoyable. Greene said, “This is an impossible question to answer because I’ve had fun at every park I’ve worked, for different reasons. Some parks felt like family and our work was seamless, while others you spent more time being self-reliant and conquering your own projects. Being the problem solver was fun with the huge number of visitors at the coast, yet making personal connections with every park guest that comes to bask in the history of the canals is inspiring. I cannot say that one park was more enjoyable than another because they are special in their own, unique way.”

In our closing questions, we asked Greene if he would encourage others to become a park ranger. He told us, “Absolutely, without hesitation! Being the steward of a park and protecting it while serving our visitors is a highly rewarding career.” We couldn’t agree more. Thank, Ranger Greene, for all you do!