In 2021 and 2022 King County Parks conducted the Safety and Belonging Community Needs Assessment and Equitable Park Access Community Needs Assessment focused on increasing equitable access, safety, and belonging in parks and on trails. During these efforts, community members expressed that safety and equitable access aren’t one size fits all, and asked King County Parks to explore a variety of solutions. One suggested solution was the establishment of a park ranger program. 

The goals of this survey are: 

  • Gather community feedback on the proposed roles and responsibilities of the park ranger program, with a focus on those who live, recreate, or stay in South King County, those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, immigrant, refugee, and differently abled, and someone for whom English is their second language 
  • Develop a park ranger program that’s truly welcoming, anti-racist, and responsive to the needs of your community 

Thank you for taking the time to provide your honest feedback. We appreciate your input! 

Within King County Parks, we have a few groups of front-line staff that work together to care for our parks, trails, and those who visit them. We have mapped out the roles and responsibilities of each of those groups below, as well as a space for where Park Rangers could fit in. Please review this map, refer to it as needed, and think about which roles and responsibilities you think belong with which group.

A table illustrating the duties of the 3 major front-line staff groups at Parks - Parks Operations, Mobile Engagement Team, & Parks Patrol. Their roles & responsibilities, emergency response chain of command, & geographic focus are all listed. There is a column left blank for Park Rangers, which the outcomes of this survey & focus group will determine.

Question title

Which of these roles and responsibilities should the park ranger program focus on? Select all that apply.

Work to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for all park visitors
80%
Provide park visitors with park and trail information
64%
Support park visitors in finding their way around parks and trails
64%
Provide basic first aid as needed
63%
Educate park visitors on park rules and encourage compliance
61%
Coordinate with law enforcement to protect park visitors from crime or violence as needed
58%
Lead park- and trail-related community education courses
56%
De-escalate and resolve conflicts between park visitors as needed
54%
Serve as goodwill ambassadors by establishing positive contact with park visitors
54%
Issue warnings or tickets when park rule violations occur (off-leash dogs, speeding bikes, etc.) to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all park visitors
52%
Nurture relationships with local community groups and regular park visitors
50%
Coordinate additional support for park visitors from medical and mental health professionals as needed
45%
Participate in local community meetings
41%
Provide multilingual customer service to park visitors
38%
Provide basic mental health support as needed
35%
Other
8%
Closed to responses | 252 Responses

Question title

If there are roles and responsibilities you didn't select, meaning you believe the park ranger program should not be focusing on these things, please share why.

Closed for Comments

Question title

What actions can we take to ensure that the park ranger program designed is truly welcoming, anti-racist, and responsive to the needs of your community?

Closed for Comments

Question title

Is there any other feedback you'd like to share with us regarding the park ranger program?

Closed for Comments

Question title

Which language do you speak most often?

English
88%
Spanish
5%
Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese
1%
Vietnamese
1%
Korean
1%
Somali
1%
Tigrinya
1%
Ukrainian
1%
Other
1%
Cambodian
0%
Tagalog
0%
Arabic
0%
Swahili
0%
Amharic
0%
Oromo
0%
Nepali
0%
Japanese
0%
Punjabi
0%
Russian
0%
French
0%
Closed to responses | 110 Responses

Question title

What is your age?

26-35
22%
46-55
18%
56-65
17%
36-45
16%
18-25
10%
Under 18
8%
66-75
6%
Over 75
2%
Closed to responses | 109 Responses

Question title

Which race/ethnicity do you identify with?

White
50%
Asian and Pacific Islander
21%
Latino/a/e/x
16%
Multiracial
12%
African American
7%
Native American
3%
Other
3%
African
0%
Non-Native American Indigenous
0%
Closed to responses | 90 Responses

Question title

What is your gender identity?

Female
58%
Male
39%
Nonbinary/gender queer/2 spirit
3%
Other
0%
Closed to responses | 102 Responses

Question title

Which zip code do you reside in or spend the most time in?

complete
complete
Phase 1 - Feedback Gathering

May 2023 - June 2023

King County Parks will focus on engaging the community and gathering feedback on this program via:

  • An online survey
  • In-person surveying across 10 different parks, trails, ballfields, and the aquatic center.
  • A 1.5 hour in-person community forum at Dick Thurnau Memorial Park on Saturday June 17th.

complete
complete
Phase 2 - Analysis and Synthesis

June 2023

King County Parks' Community Engagement and Performance, Data Analytics, and Process Improvements team will process and organize the results of the in-person survey, online survey, and the in-person community forum. Non-English responses will be submitted for translation back into English.

Feedback will be analyzed for patterns and common themes and organized into a preliminary program proposal in the form of an executive summary and presentation, which will be shared with the:  

  • King County Parks Director's Office
  • King County Parks Finance
  • King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director's Office
  • King County Office of Equity, Race, and Social Justice

complete
complete
Phase 3 - Proposal Creation and Presentation

June 2023 - August 2023

  • King County Parks' Community Engagement team will incorporate the review and feedback of the King County Parks Director's Office, King County Parks Finance, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director's Office, and King County Office of Equity, Race, and Social Justice to create a final program proposal. 
  • At this point, the finalized program proposal will be presented to the King County Executive’s Office for review and approval. If approved, the program will receive the support and budget required to put the Parks Ambassador program into effect as early as 2024.