Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Scott Puskar went from business and economics to landscaping and greenhouses and then into parks.
He is the new park ranger at Linn County’s River Bend Campground and the new Calkins Park boat ramp on Foster Reservoir.
Puskar has been with Linn County Parks and Recreation for about nine months after leaving a position as a ranger’s aide with the state of Oregon for two seasons.
He moved to Oregon about three years ago from Pennsylvania, where he worked in county parks. Before that, he worked in greenhouses and landscaping.
He earned a bachelor of science degree in business and economics from the University of Pittsburgh in 1990.
He spent about 10 years working in landscaping and greenhouses, which was a natural fit leading into the parks service.
“I like the customer background to this,” Puskar said. “I really like providing the recreation.”
The best part of the job is the people, he said. “So far I’ve really liked the people here.”
Over the winter, he has worked at pretty much every Linn County park, he said, especially Clear Lake and Sunnyside.
“In the summertime, we’re doing a lot of just basic rules enforcement,” he said. “In the summertime, you enjoy all the things we did over the winter basically.”
Linn County provides a quality camping experience, he said. He enjoys receiving feedback, and mostly it comes back positive.
“I think Linn County Parks is really strong,” he said. “Everybody seems to be on the same page.”
It’s an exciting time to be working in the parks, he said. “Linn County is growing compared to other places.”
Likewise, Linn County Parks are growing, he said.
The newest addition to the system is Calkins Park, a summer boat ramp that won’t be usable until about Memorial Day, though people are already beginning to use it for fishing.
In addition to managing River Bend and Calkins parks, Puskar also will spend time helping out at Sunnyside, with its 160 camping spaces.
Puskar’s park offers 45 spaces to suit a variety of tastes, for those who prefer a private campsite to those who enjoy neighbors, he said.
River Bend was built in a young forest, he said. Since the trees are 10 to 15 years old, they grow about 3 feet per year. The difference is noticeable from year to year.
“The park will grow kind of as your family grows,” he said.
The park has already been fairly busy, and the camping season hasn’t really started yet, he said. Most of the campers have been in RVs though. By Friday, the park was already at about half its capacity. The weekend before, it reached about half capacity, “which is fine. We like to be busy.”
Puskar lives at River Bend. He is single and has no children but does have a girlfriend who lives in Corvallis.