The duties of the park ranger force reverted to prewar standards during the late 1940s. Fire control, law enforcement, and visitor protection were the principal responsibilities of the rangers during the summer travel seasons. Heavy winter use of the park by skiers and other snow sports enthusiasts necessitated various
precautionary measures by the rangers, including installation of the safety rope at the crater edge on the Rim, posting of signs, first aid, checking, traffic control, and assistance to Park visitors in pulling stuck cars back on the road, from drainage ditches on the upper side of the roads, or from below the road when they slipped or skidded off the lower side of the road grade. Rangers contributed time and effort in repairing the telephone and electric systems. [25]
The role and functions of the Crater Lake ranger force continued to be refined and expanded during the 1950s. In June 1955 an organization and function statement was prepared for the park. According to the document Chief Ranger Carlock E. Johnson was in charge of the protection division and had the following responsibilities:
Supervises activities related to protection of life and property, and preservation of park values. Plans, coordinates and supervises projects for control of tree disease and injurious forest insects. Performs all law enforcement and traffic control duties. Collects automobile entrance fees. Disseminates complete and accurate information relating to public use of the area. Cooperates in studies of wildlife and aquatic populations and accompanying problems of habitat use or population stabilization; supervises fish planting. Maintains cooperative weather stations, snow survey courses, and civil defense activities. Organizes and directs forest and building fire presuppression and suppression activities. [26]
There were few changes in the organizational structure or responsibilities of the park ranger force during the next decade. A park organization chart prepared in October 1962 indicated that the ranger force consisted of five permanent positions. There were a chief and an assistant chief ranger and supervisory park rangers in charge of the Annie Spring (south) and Red Cone (north) districts. One park ranger was assigned to the Annie Spring District. The remainder of the ranger force consisted of seasonals as required.” [27]
The duties of the supervisory park rangers were outlined in a position description certified by Assistant Regional Director Keith Neilson on March 20, 1963. The list included nine areas of responsibility:
1 . Protection of life, property, and the preservation of park values
2. Control of forest insect and tree diseases
3. Law enforcement and traffic control
4. Direction of checking station procedures and operations
5. Dissemination of information relating to public use of the area
6. In-service training
7. Wildlife and aquatic populations and accompanying problems
8. Search and rescue
9. Maintenance [28]
During the 1960s Crater Lake park management promoted development and improvement of methods and standards for visitor protection and resource management. This goal was to be achieved by emphasizing effective manpower utilization of the ranger force. In 1965, for instance, such an emphasis took the form of five objectives.
a. Continue the present programming of road patrols with the present low accident frequency rate.
b. Increase trail patrol, maintenance and improvement.
c. Continue the desire to furnish the very best of equipment and outside training for all permanent protection staff.
d. Continue the practice of on-the-job training for all seasonal employees.
e. Improve visitor contact by increasing dissemination of basic information at entrance stations by the use of visual aids and handouts. [29]
