There is a new Chief Ranger at Death Valley National Park. Philip Johnson will oversee the Visitor and Resource Protection program, which includes law enforcement, fee collection, emergency medical services, structural fire response, and search and rescue in the 3,400,000-acre park.
Last year, Death Valley National Park’s Visitor and Resource Protection staff handled 84 requests for assistance, 98 medical situations, 17 search and rescue incidents, 26 motor vehicle accidents, 16 structural or vehicle fires, and 628 law enforcement patrol encounters.
Superintendent Mike Reynolds stated, “I’m happy to have Philip Johnson in Death Valley forever. He is a calm, collaborative leader. He has a wide range of talents and experience.
Superintendent Mike Reynolds stated, “I’m happy to have Philip Johnson in Death Valley forever. He is a calm, collaborative leader. He has a wide range of talents and experience. Johnson began his National Park Service (NPS) career as a volunteer with Yosemite Search and Rescue in 2002. He formerly worked for the National Park Service at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, as well as Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. He worked at Yosemite National Park for eleven years, retiring as Valley District Ranger in 2021. He most recently worked as the Chief Ranger at Devils Postpile National Monument in Mammoth Lakes, California. He has twice received the Department of the Interior’s Valor Award.
Johnson commented, “I am looking forward to working with the incredible Death Valley team, the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, park partners and cooperating agencies in protecting the park’s natural and cultural resources for future generations of visitors. Our focus going forward is to build out our preventative search and rescue program, enhance our fee collection technology, continue the rehabilitation of park campgrounds and increase support for our patrol rangers.
“Johnson commented, “I am looking forward to working with the incredible Death Valley team, the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, park partners and cooperating agencies in protecting the park’s natural and cultural resources for future generations of visitors. Our focus going forward is to build out our preventative search and rescue program, enhance our fee collection technology, continue the rehabilitation of park campgrounds and increase support for our patrol rangers.”
Superintendent Reynolds added, “I believe Philip’s approachable nature will strengthen our relationships with the many partners that help the park during emergencies.”
Johnson graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in geography. Johnson stated that he and his family (wife Janet, daughter Pearl, and son Jude) are delighted to visit Death Valley National Park’s canyons and peaks!
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