(JESSICA COOPER/MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK)
MAMMOTH CAVE – On Tuesday, Mammoth Cave National Park welcomed officer Will Jaynes as the park’s new Chief Ranger. Jaynes brings vital expertise to his new position with a diverse law enforcement background ranging from dispatch work to time spent as a wilderness backcountry ranger to overseeing daily operations in his most recent position as a supervisory ranger in the park’s Visitor & Resource Protection division.
“Will is already an integral part of the Mammoth Cave team and will be a great leader for our Visitor & Resource Protection program,” said Superintendent Barclay Trimble. “He brings essential knowledge of the work our law enforcement officers perform to help ensure a positive park experience for visitors, a safe workplace for park employees, and proper protection of the park’s natural and cultural resources.”
Jaynes began his National Park Service (NPS) career in 2001 as a ranger guide at Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve. In the two decades since, his resume includes extensive law enforcement experience in addition to time spent working in Interpretation and Science & Resources Management divisions, and fee collection. Jaynes became a law enforcement officer in 2009 at Grand Canyon National Park and eventually accepted a role as a supervisory ranger at Great Smoky Mountains National Park from 2011 to 2018. He would go on to serve in this same role at Mammoth Cave National Park until his recent selection as program lead.
“I’m both humbled and excited by this opportunity to serve as lead for a wonderful team of rangers,” said Jaynes. “This is the ultimate career goal of every NPS law enforcement officer who first takes the oath to protect and serve. I’m honored to be afforded the opportunity to serve as Chief Ranger in a park unit that I already know and love.”
Jaynes previously served as a member of the National Park Service Honor Guard from 2011 to 2016 and received a prestigious Valor Award for heroic action taken while leading a team of rangers during the evacuation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park during the Chimney Tops II fire. He currently serves as a member of the service-wide Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team and as a Law Enforcement Peer Support representative. He’s also actively involved in the NPS field training program which fosters career development for newly commissioned law enforcement officers.
Jaynes looks forward to implementing positive change by applying the valuable lessons learned through his affiliation with these programs. “Law enforcement is an ever-evolving profession and rangers must meet the demands and challenges of the field – both professional and personal – while filling a critical role for our visitors and employees alike,” he stated. “I believe the most impactful professional legacies are made by improving things for the next generation. I’m privileged to have two big opportunities for this in my new position: helping guide rangers as they start out on their career paths and protecting a very special park for the continued enjoyment by generations of future visitors.”
