Casey Merritt, Jackson District, Front Desk/Visitor Center/Roving
Casey Merritt started her professional life in nursing, and then switched career paths—to outdoor and environmental education. She believes that clean air, clean water, clean food, and places to exercise and de-stress are necessary to support human health, and that our public lands, parks, and forests provide many of those benefits. To support those important places, she became a ranger. Over more than two decades, she worked in five national parks (Grand Canyon, Big Bend, Denali, Olympic, and Rocky Mountain) and two national forests (the Green Mountain National Forest and the White Mountain National Forest) in roles including backcountry and recreation management and education/interpretation. Casey didn’t wholly abandon the medical field during this time, though; she was on EMS and search and rescue teams.
She retired from 22 years working for federal land management agencies in the spring of 2025, and continues to dedicate her time to caring for and enjoying our public lands in a volunteer capacity.
“I love talking to people about their public lands, about the area’s natural and cultural history, and helping them enjoy these spaces as much as I do,” she says, adding an invitation to stop in at the Visitor Center for a chat. “To me, public lands are the best part of America. I can’t imagine my life without them. Especially here in the western states, we are blessed with large natural areas that provide healthy ecosystems and wildlife habitat, and places for people to observe and appreciate that wildlife, as well as hike, camp, ride, paddle, hunt, fish and forage, have fun with friends and family, or relax in solitude and peace.” Casey enjoys learning how people before us lived more simply off the land for thousands of years. “This provides perspective and contrast as our world becomes more and more complex,” she says.
Fun fact: Casey has hiked California’s 220-mile John Muir Trail. In the Sierra Mountains, this epic route includes one of the longest stretches without road crossings in the lower 48. She has also run dogsleds in Alaska and in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.