Addison Township officials formally appointed six park rangers at their meeting Monday night.
Joe Schnur, Ann Purdy, Rod Blaszyk, Bob Zerwick and Chuck Peringian, of Addison, and Jeff Richter, of Brandon, will now serve as volunteer park rangers for the township.
Supervisor Bob Koski said the township formally appointed the rangers to protect them in the event someone tries to sue them as a result of performing their duties.
‘I want them protected by the township’s umbrella,? Koski said.
Addison has enlisted volunteer park rangers to keep an eye on the Watershed Preserve, located two miles north of Leonard between Rochester Rd. and Haven Rd., for the past five years at no cost to the township.
Joe Schnur said the rangers are working out a schedule so a ranger is at the Watershed Preserve at least one day a week.
The rangers must know CPR and have basic medical training in case of emergencies. They will spend their days patrolling the park, cracking down on illegal fires and making sure Mother Nature doesn’t take over too much.
‘If the beavers build (the dam) up too high we have a problem and if it’s too low we have a problem,? Schnur said. ‘We try to keep that at some reasonable level.?
Rod Blaszyk said their job as a ranger is to ‘protect the preserve for future generations.?
‘There’s so few properties of that size holding four different kinds of eco systems,? he said. ‘It doesn’t take too long until some of these things can be torn apart and once it’s gone, it’s gone.?