Rick's all smiles about his job...jobs.

Rick Hedding has been with Vermont State Parks for over two decades. His experience and efficiency have helped keep the parks he has managed running smoothly, but there is much more to Rick then just managing parks. He was able to sit down and tell us more about how he became a man who wears many hats!

Tell us a little bit about your background
While most of my family is from the Randolph area, my parents moved to Rutland for their careers, so I was 
was born and raised there. I spent a lot of time outdoors, living on the city's edge - where there was easy access to open land. I remember my school guidance counselor saying to me, pick a profession that interests you and one you have a connection with. I like hunting and fishing, so I went to college and studied fish and wildlife.

How did you get involved with the parks?
After graduating college and having a few part time jobs, I was hired by Vermont State Parks as, what is now called, a Regional Coordinator at the Gifford Woods Maintenance Shop in Killington. I thought this would be my foot in the door job to get in as a Game Warden. Unfortunately, for my warden career, I really enjoyed what I was doing and most importantly the people I was working with. I decided I wanted to stay in parks.

Rick in his game warden uniform

Did you give up your dream of being a Game Warden?
Not quite. A few years into my parks career, I heard that Fish & Wildlife hires Deputy Game Wardens to assist the full time wardens with their district. I applied and was hired. I thought 'this is great; I have my parks family and still get to do some Fish & Wildlife enforcement.' I usually work about 200 hours a year enforcing state laws.

Somewhere along the way, I decided I also wanted to instruct Hunter Education, teaching one or two classes annually. Teaching hunter education is very rewarding, knowing you are expanding someone's knowledge and helping them stay safe in the outdoors. I try to improve my classes every year, but my old standby that I tell all my classes is two words; muzzle control. I also say it takes lots of practice to stay safe in the woods, and it always starts with a good mentor.

You still aren't a Regional Ranger Supervisor yet; what's the rest of the story?
After 14 years as a Regional Coordinator, I was hired as a maintenance technician working primarily in Bomoseen, Branbury, D.A.R., Half Moon, and Lake St. Catherine State Parks. Along with this move, came all my other jobs of being a deputy warden, hunter education instructor, and also a father of two girls. *Note: From multiple sources, it is known that Rick is a wonderful parent and many other parents seek him out for advice. Add counselor and super dad to his job roster!

A little over two years went by and I was promoted again, this time to Regional Ranger Supervisor. After settling in at this job and my girls into an elementary school, I added coaching soccer, basketball, and softball to my job list as well.

Lake Dunmore in Branbury at sunset

Do you have any favorite memories with your children in the parks?
This past summer my daughter and one of her friends decided they wanted to go camping in a state park.  After some thought, we settled on Branbury. It offered boating, fishing, hiking, and swimming. The two of them used a big tent, while I used a small one. Being 6'3" and well over 200 pounds, sleeping seemed to be the most challenging part of the week. Overall, this trip was one of the best experiences we all had.

Any other memories that have stuck with you?
I think that after 24 years in Vermont State Parks, I have realized that no matter how many promotions a person gets, we all still want to be the ranger. To be on the frontline, you are the one that can directly make a difference in someone's life.

I remember filling in at a park and having a parent come to the contact station with her little boy. She asked me if I had any advice on how to start a fire. The whole reason they had decided to go camping was so that her son could cook hotdogs and marshmallows over a campfire, something he had yet to experience in life. The previous night, she could not get a fire going. I offered to go to her campsite and show her how to build a fire. She was truly grateful to be able to offer this to her son. Those are the moments that make this job worth doing every single day. 

Thank you, Rick, for all your years of service and sharing with us a glimpse of your time with Vermont State Parks!

Easing slowly into winter is not something we do around here in Vermont. "Long underwear from Labor Day to Memorial Day", one of our rangers used to say. November and December were strangely warm, and the things we saw out in the woods were out of the ordinary to say the least. Our district biologist reported seeing a milk snake out in December! Normally, by December milk snakes should be in some relatively warm rock crevice or narrow cave hibernating. Bears have been restless and roaming instead of settling down for their 'long winter's nap'. My favorite hike passes by an elderberry bush whose buds kept swelling and greening until it was finally crisped by a hard frost not too long ago.

Vermont birding enthusiasts were emailing back and forth excitedly about a Rufous hummingbird that hung out at a feeder in Arlington until January 12th! Similarly, other birds didn't even bother to migrate. John Buck of VT Fish & Wildlife saw a robin at his house last week!

When there is a lack of snow or a 'January thaw', our poor snowy owls,  visiting from arctic realms, stick out like a sore thumbs. Their white plumage starkly contrasts with the bare hayfields of the Champlain Valley. It may make dinner a bit harder to come by for them but allows us to see this majestic owl more clearly and often in the daylight! It's a great bird for kids to see too because of its large size, due mostly to insulative puffing of feathers. They have been seen at Button Bay State Park recently.  If you go, don't forget to scan the islands offshore too. Check out this link for more on snowy owls.

A winter without much snow can be good and bad for bird species like grouse. A lack of snow means more exposed edibles such as nuts. However, some experts say that a lack of snow can negatively affect grouse. They can't roost in the snow and protect themselves from the elements. In years past with snow, I would go skiing and cause hidden grouse to start, exploding from the snow. My dear friend Burton calls them 'heart attack birds' for this reason. Try looking for them in Groton State Forest.

Although we have gotten some colder weather since January 1, we have also had a profound lack of ice on the lakes. This isn't a bad thing for wintering bald eagles who prefer open water. This mild winter gives them more opportunities to hunt and scavenge. You can almost see them on their perch thinking ..."Hmmm. Do I feel like mallard or merganser today? Maybe a Canada goose? No, I'm not that hungry." Multiple eagles have been seen hunting on the shores of Lake Bomoseen.

For quite a few species, it's never too early to think of spring (and love) even in the middle of winter. Great horned owls are calling, defending territory and picking mates. They'll have their eggs laid sometime in the next couple months. Their call is loud, which can make identifying this bird easier for adults and kids! If you plan on taking out some younger folks, watch this short bird story together and get excited for a birding trip.

Other species such as chickadees and cardinals are warming up their territorial calls and showy behaviors. If they were to place an ad in the personals, it would read, 'SM BCC (Single Male Black Capped Chickadee) good looking with large territory, looking to settle down and start a family'.

As always, it's the perfect time for a walk in a state park, alone or with family and friends. This winter we've got great birding, some beautiful days with welcoming temperatures, and plenty of signs of the year round residents of the parks if you look and listen carefully.