The basic goal of a national park ranger is to protect and preserve public resources while helping people enjoy them. This may be accomplished by fighting fires, enforcing land use regulations, or studying the natural world to learn how to better care for it. They patrol the parks to ensure visitors' safety and to prevent vandalism, theft and harm to wildlife. Park Rangers may have assignments which make them similar to police. To protect parks from careless or damaging use, rangers seek voluntary public compliance to enforce the laws, rules, and policies of the parks. When greeting park visitors, rangers may collect fees and/or register them. This helps protect visitors if they do not return from a hike on dangerous terrain or in bad weather.
Park rangers issue permits for vehicles and answer questions about park use, safety codes, and special points of interest. They may instruct the public on safety procedures for water sports, prevention of fires and accidents, and first aid practices. Rangers plan and carry out measures to protect and manage the natural and cultural resources in the parks. Rangers assist with conservation and ecology studies. They may study wildlife behavior by tagging and tracking animals. They also study plants, water quality, and park air to monitor and record disease, pollution, or damage.