Welcome Ranger Jenny Hughes

Change is inevitable. Here at Lake James State Park, visitors have gotten used to seeing several familiar faces amongst the ranger staff for much of the last decade. Promotions and new opportunities have some of our rangers on the move to other state parks. Those opportunities beget other opportunities and the arrival of Jenny Hughes as the park’s newest ranger is one to celebrate.

Ranger Hughes spent most of her childhood growing up in Lenoir, NC and remembers visiting Lake James with her family as a child. She’s been an enthusiastic nature lover from an early age. “I’ve always loved looking for bugs, catching minnows and climbing trees,” she said with a smile. That curiosity lead Hughes to pursue a degree in Environmental Science at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

Following her graduation, Ranger Hughes moved West to Washington state where she worked as a naturalist and manager of a summer camp program for several years.

Hughes and her husband recently returned to North Carolina and as luck would have it, a ranger position came available shortly thereafter.

Ranger Hughes spent just three days at the park back in December, 2022 and then started her 16-week Basic Law Enforcement Training at Western Piedmont Community College. She recently graduated with flying colors and has taken up her duties at the state park. Her training is far from over – Ranger Hughes will also get certifications in wildland firefighting, emergency medical response, search and rescue and environmental education.

“I’m most excited about educating the public about how to be good stewards of the natural spaces in their communities,” she said. “I’m also very excited about being outdoors every day.”