The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

Roy Stone began his new duties on June 1 as a Park Ranger at the Bear Paw Battlefield. A native of central Kentucky and a Navy veteran, Stone said he finds the people in north central Montana "very friendly and helpful." He added, "They remind me a lot of how nice people are back home, except folks here talk different." The new ranger has a recognizable drawl that indicates he's spent time somewhere in the south.

Stone said, "Since I was a little kid, I've wanted to be in law enforcement with the National Park Service." His family owns a pharmacy back in the Lexington, Kentucky region, where he grew up, and they wanted him to be a pharmacist. He explained, "After high school I went to college and began courses that were required for pharmacy school. I learned very quickly that wasn't the kind of career that fit my interests."

He completed a degree in criminal justice from Eastern Kentucky University, a nationally recognized law enforcement program. He did some seasonal work for the Park Service, then joined the Navy where he served at a base on Guam as a Master of Arms-a law enforcement officer for the Navy. While in Guam he was selected to train as a small water craft operator, came back to Guam and finished his time doing water patrols of Navy assets. He said it was all very useful experience that supported his career goals.

Asked how he ended up in a post at Chinook, he explained, "I wanted to find something around my home in Kentucky, but there were no vacancies. The National Park Service supervisor in Big Hole called and told me about the vacancy at the Bear Paw Battlefield. I'd never lived in the west and it also seemed a good opportunity to learn about the Nez Perce." Stone added, "A bonus to the job has been getting to work with Jim Magera, he's extremely knowledgeable about Native American history, the Nez Perce and the history of the Bear Paw Battlefield." Magera has worked 20+ years as a ranger and did tours of the battlefield before it became a part of the National Park Service.

Stone comes from the Blue Grass State, famed for its green rolling hills. He said he has been told, many times, that this year is unusually green for north central Montana. Still, he said it reminds him a bit of the area around Lexington. One thing he found different was haying practices. He explained, "In Kentucky, farmers will get four cuttings of hay each season. Here, I'm told two cuttings is normal. I'm really surprised about how dry this area is compared to where I grew up."

Stone knows his time at the Bear Paw Battlefield will be limited. He said he is looking forward to seeing more of the area, but will leave sometime in the fall. His next post with the Park Service will be redoing the seasonal law enforcement officer training. He took the training several years ago before he joined the Navy. His certification lapsed so he will have to do the training again.

The seasonal training allows him to qualify for short term law enforcement positions. He's hopeful that after a few of those seasonal positions he'll be ready to find a permanent post in park law enforcement. He said, "I'm about at step four in a ten step process to reach my career goal."