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Holyoke Range State Park

I grew up in South Amherst, right across the street from the Holyoke Range State Park. For me, the park was a paradise, and provided hour after hour of entertainment on summer afternoons and evenings.

In 1998, I took my first job with the Massachusetts State Parks as a Nature Interpreter at HRSP. I had just begun my photographic career at that point, and was thrilled to be able to walk the trails of the park for hours with a camera in my hands. I created many slideshows of my work in an attempt to share some of the amazing sights that could be seen in the quiet, seldom-visited corners of the park.

Savoy Mountain State Forest

In 1999, disgusted with the way things were being handled at the Holyoke Range State Park, I decided a change was in order. I got in contact with the supervisor of the Savoy Mountain State Forest (Tim Zelazo would become one of my best friends) and took a job as the Nature Interpreter in this magnificent Berkshires property.

I lived in a rather interesting one-room cabin and spent hours trekking through the 10,000 plus acres that were now my domain. The Busby Trail (pictured here) became an almost daily adventure, and I quickly got into the best shape of my adult life.

I was also extremely fortunate to be working for a man who had spent some of his formative years working as a photojournalist (Tim takes amazing photograhs!). With his support, I collected a huge stock of the forest's waterfalls, summits, and other hidden places. Many of those photos would later appear in my newspaper columns.

Skinner State Park

Unfortunately, the Department of Environmential Management was not particularly well run. Schedules, and lack of funding forced me to look for a position that had an earlier starting date, so I reluctantly headed back to the Holyoke Range State Park for the 2000 summer season.

Incredibly, as the result of the bumbling management skills of the park's supervisor, I was sent to Skinner State Park at the last minute. I was not pleased in the slightest, but the good part about trying to avoid annoying people was that I spent a great deal of time out in the field. I spent hours crisscrossing the valleys, mountain sides, and summits collecting a wonderful series of photographs along the way. I created several slideshows that I presented to park visitors, trying to focus on the beauty of the park's forest habitats rather than dwelling solely on the history of the summit house. It was fun, but I was looking for more!

Fortunately, a position as a Park Ranger openned up at Savoy State Forest, and in July of 2000 I was able say goodbye to Skinner and return to Savoy, a place that would truly come to love.

Mt. Greylock State Reservation and Greylock Glen

In 2001, with the support of my good friend Tim, I took a job as the Park Supervisor of Greylock Glen State Park. I was moving up in the ranks, but moving down in the quality of my work experience. Being an Interpreter and Ranger gave me a lot of time to walk around and explore, but being a Park Supervisor gave me a lot of time to walk around behind a mower.

Still, despite the strange situation regarding transportation at the park, I made the most of my non-lawnmower time and again amasses an impressive collection of photos of the park's quiet places. Greylock Glen is located at the eastern base of Mt. Greylock, whick meant I could hike the mountain pretty much whenever I wanted.

I was ready to return to the park in 2002, but budget cuts and poor management resulted in the demise of the DEM, which no longer exists. It was reorganized, combined with other departments, and reintroduced to the public as the Massachusetts DCR. Tim remains one of my betst friends, and appears to be the only person who understands how a park should be run. In the end, Susan saved me from the DEM!

Copyright 2006 William Danielson