Training program partners Smokies and Southeast Asian parks
Cambodia and Thailand might be on the other side of the world from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but they deal with similar resource issues — including plant and wildlife poaching — so the Smokies is reaching out to provide a week of training to 10 female park officials from those southeast Asia countries.
Rangers are leading hands-on field activities, including crime scene processing, and teams will be learning field investigative techniques and incident management coordination.
“We are honored to host park leaders from Thailand and Cambodia not only to teach skills, but also to learn from them,” said Smokies Acting Superintendent Clay Jordan. “This is a unique opportunity to exchange information and ideas to help us all to be better stewards of these special places entrusted to us.”
The training is held in partnership with the State Department Global Women’s Issues Office, the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation and ranger instructors from the National Park Service Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia.
The entities have been working together since 2007 through sister park initiatives, including training for women in environmental leadership positions in southeast Asia.
“The United States NPS has the knowledge, skills, and the rangers to teach and mentor these women to become leaders, and not just followers, in protecting our future,” said Stephan Bognar, Chief Executive Officer of the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation.
