The message from me personally would be this: Let's give the ranger instructors the resources they need so that they can go and do what needs to be done on the ground—spending time with their patrols, educating their patrols, and helping them if there should be an illness or injury. It's critical. Just bringing more rangers into the system and not increasing those who manage and oversee that group I think is going to be a grave error.
I have spent a lot of time with the rangers. As I say about every group I spend time with, they're exceptional. They're unique. The sense of pride, the relationships they have, the welcome you receive when you go there—I think those are the attributes we look for in people. I think we already have it. Let's not just give them lip service, though. If we're going to increase the size and put more rangers on the ground because that's the government's desire, then let's make sure we resource it properly. I would hate to be listening to a story three or five years from now where there are 8,000 rangers and the ratio is 1:400. That won't help us at all.
The rangers are a good group. I talked about the elder transfer of knowledge. It is amazing the respect they hold in the community, the sway they have. We need to get in on the ground and talk to the rangers. What are their needs? There will be some expectations that we won't be able to meet, but we should be able to give them at least what we give south of 60.