How Many Search-And-Rescue Missions?

Just how many search and rescue missions were performed in 2007 in the US national parks? Most of you guessed 2240. Close but not right. The correct answer is that 3593 total search and rescue mission were performed. If most of the visitor traffic to America's national parks occurs during the middle six months of the year, then an average of roughly 600 rescues per month were performed by park rangers and various rescue units!!! That's about 20 rescues each and every day of the warmer months of the year.
And congratulations to those of you who picked the correct answer. I know I would have guessed lower until I saw the numbers with my own eyes.
My hat is off to our brave and faithful rangers who guard and protect the national parks and their millions of visitors each and every year! God bless your hard work park rangers!!!

Ranger Bill Fan Club on Facebook

You can also find the club on Facebook. Join our Facebook group simply called "Ranger Bill." Also a friend of the club, Joel, has his own Ranger Bill Fan group page. Check his group as well while you are there.

RB-020 If the Lord Is for Us...

Bill wants to encourage Henry's friend Ted Sloan who is suffering persecution in the army. Bill shares his own story of endurance during persecution. Bill tells Ted about being a Navy medic assigned to the Marines. Bill's Marine sergeant persecutes him for his faith. Bill tells about all the different kinds of persecution he must suffer, both large and small, and how that persecution helped him grow stronger in body and spirit. His persecution also helped him save a life, the sergeant's.

RB-019 Sultan, King of Beasts

Sultan is the new main attraction at Kiddie Land. Sultan is bigger and tougher than any other lion in captivity. All the workers in the wild animal exhibit are afraid of this king of beasts.
Flick Martin is the wild animal trainer. He is the only person who has been able to handle both the bears and the cats. But Flick can't control Sultan. Flick has become afraid of Sultan. Flick wants to quit the show and animal training. Yet Flick loves the wild animals and training them.
Bill and the guys want to help Flick overcome his fear of Sultan and regain his confidence. But what can they do to help Flick control this fierce lion?

RB-018 Tony's Place

Tony owns a market in Knotty Pine. A gang of boys wants the store owners in town to all contribute to them so they can buy baseball uniforms. The gang picks Tony as the first person they ask for money. Tony says "no," unless the boys find an adult to handle the money and the uniform purchase. The boys won't take "no" for an answer, especially their leader Ed. Only one boy in the gang, Mike, is willing to stand up for what is right. Tony's market is vandalized. Tony is furious. Bill has several problems - Tony's damaged store, Tony's temper, controlling Ed, and defending and supporting Mike. Bill's got his hands full this week!.

RB-017 Overflow

Days of hard rain and heavy run off from a warm spring thaw threaten Big Ridge Dam with dangerously high water levels in Big Ridge Lake. Ranger Bill has three hours to warn and evacuate all of the farmers and ranchers in the valley below before the dam's floodgates are opened wide to protect the dam from bursting.

Knotty Pine Bank Robbed, Robbers Captured

The gang of bank robbers currently known as the "Tri-county bandits" struck again, this time in Knotty Pine. The Citizen's Bank of Knotty Pine was robbed just before noon by what appeared to be the Tri-county Bandits. Knotty Pine Police along with some forest rangers arrived just minutes after the robbery occurred. No one inside the bank was hurt. What was termed "a substantial amount of cash" was taken from the tellers' desks.

Police found the get-away car used in the robbery just east of the downtown area. No tracks were found for another get-away vehicle. Sheriff Cal called ranger headquarters for help in tracking the bandits. With rangers Stumpy Jenkins and Gray Wolf, the staff's expert trackers gone for ranger conferences. Temporary chief Ralph Dawson was not sure the rangers would be much better tracking than police dogs. Henry Scott along with other Big Pine rangers attempted to locate the robbers trail. Henry Scott, Ranger Bill's ward and ranger-in-training, was trained in tracking by both rangers Jenkins and Gray Wolf. Mr. Scott noticed horse tracks not far from the abandoned car. He surmised that horses were the means of escape in this robbery and followed the tracks to an ranch east of town which was for sale.


Mr. Scott then radioed the sheriff's office and ranger headquarters for back-up. Ranger Dawson and his men were the first to arrive. Ranger Dawson and his men were able to arrive silently by riding in on horseback. The rangers surrounded the ranch house. Using a bullhorn, Ranger Dawson called the men to surrender. The gang was so surprised that they gave up without a struggle. The sheriffs were at the scene moments later and took the gang to county jail.

Henry Scott is being hailed as a master tracker. The mayor says he will present Henry with a key to the city in appreciation for his efforts. Chief Ranger Bill Jefferson is scheduled to arrive back in Knotty Pine shortly from a ranger conference. Ranger Bill said in a cell phone interview with the GAZETTE that he is very proud of Henry, and that Henry has learned well from rangers Jenkins and Gray Wolf, his tracking experts.