There are nine NPS employees and three NPS family members who live here in Snug Harbor, apart from the camaraderie of Mott Island, and just down the path from the Rock Harbor Lodge. That means that not only are we right at the start of trails and adventures (which is cool) but also right in the midst of swarms of visitors, who seem to have this sixth sense that enables them to pick out rangers even when they’re out of uniform, and consequently ask them five million questions. You gotta love it. Sort of.
This post is intended as an introduction to the dozen Snug Harborites.
Meet the Plumers
Marshall Plumer is our District Ranger in Rock Harbor. He’s working on his seventh year as District Ranger here, with four previous years as a seasonal ranger. He’s here with his wife, Dawn, and their two twin sons, Forrest and Col. The Plumers live in Chassell, MI (south of Houghton) when they’re not in Isle Royale. Out here, they live in the Ralph House, just southwest of Snug Harbor proper.
Marshall Plumer, District Ranger (201)
Where were you born? Coco Solo, US Panama Canal Zone
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? I have all kinds of favorites. Three things: fishing, kayaking, and - fishing.
What previous jobs have you held? Bartender, grocery clerk, bio tech.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? Okay, let’s see…I’m sure there’s a lot. They don’t know that I’m a Zonian. You’re born in the Canal Zone, you’re a Zonian. (Marshall’s parents worked in Panama, his mother as a nurse, his father first with the Catholic church and then with the U.S. Army. They traveled around; Marshall’s brother was born in Quito.)
Dawn Plumer
Where were you born? L’anse, MI.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Hiking and kayaking. They’re both right up there.
What previous jobs have you held? I worked at North Cascades, Voyageur, two parks in Hawai’I, Independence – and Isle Royale of course. I worked at my relatives’ marine: Witz’ marina.
What’s something most people on the island don’t know about you? My legend here: In Windigo I split many cords of wood by hand, faster than the trail crew. I love splittin’ wood.
Forrest and Col Plumer
Forrest and Col are thirteen (they’ll turn fourteen on November third.) They were born in Bellingham, MI, and they make a dynamic and entertaining duo to interview.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale?
Forrest: Fish.
Col: Kayak.
What do you guys want to be when you grow up?
Forrest: Uh…probably Marine Corps.
Col: Park Ranger.
What’s something most people on the island don’t know about you?
Forrest: My favorite place to be is in six feet of powder after I’ve hopped off a 20 foot cliff on my skies.
Col: My favorite thing to do is skiing. Um…I don’t know…
Forrest: He’s the only person in the U.P. who plays the bassoon.
Meet the Interp Staff
Andrea Tavegia, Lead Interpretive Ranger (210)
Where were you born? Flint, MI.
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Painesdale, MI. Just south of Houghton.
How many seasons have you been coming here? This is my second.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Go moose huntin’. Yesss. I don’t shoot ‘em. But I hunt ‘em.
What previous jobs have you held? Interpretive Park Ranger – the last park ranger job I had was at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Before that I was in the Everglades. Before that I was a customer service agent at Kenai Fjords National Park. And before that I was a professional student and research/teaching assistant. Before that I was at Big Cypress National Preserve – and before that I was a wildcat.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? This is a small island. Everyone knows everything about everyone.
Casey Verstrate, Interpretive Ranger (211)
Where were you born? Grand Rapids, MI
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Grand Rapids, MI
How many seasons have you been coming here? Two.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Fish the inland lakes.
What previous jobs have you held? I worked for a car wash, I worked at a rest home, I worked at a furniture store assembling furniture. I worked at a farm for a summer. That was pretty intense. I worked for the city of Grandville, hence all my T-shirts. I think that’s it.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? Heck, I’m not that mysterious. I’m Dutch. I am a master bacon chef. My ponds were ruined by a shopping mall.
Leah LaCasse, Interpretive Ranger (212)
Where were you born? Marquette, MI.
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Marquette, MI. I was in Floral City, FL for a little bit.
How many seasons have you been coming here? First!
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Moose whispering. Wildlife stalking.
What previous jobs have you held? Whoa…I worked at Gander Mountain, cut boxes at Kohl’s. I was a wilderness counselor…professional student…campground attendant and marina attendant.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? I saw Bob Dylan in concert back when I was younger and didn’t know I was seeing a superstar. I was like six years old and I thought I was in hell.
Wanda Naylor, Interpretive Ranger (213)
Where were you born? San Jose, CA.
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Near Eureka, CA (far northern California) – I’ve been there for the past forty years. Went there to go to school and never left.
How many seasons have you been coming here? This is my first season.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Hike and botanize – look at new plants and see if I can figure out what they are or learn something about them.
What previous jobs have you held? I was an elementary school teacher for fourteen years and I’ve also worked or volunteered in probably about nine National Parks at this point, and two California state parks. My all-time favorite job was a volunteer job, chasing bears in Yosemite, and educating people how to encourage the bears to be wild.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? I got to live in Moose, Wyoming, when I worked at Grand Teton National Park, and lived in a little log cabin. It was really neat. That’s where I saw my first moose, and I’ve liked moose ever since.
Liz Dengate, Interpretive Ranger (SCA) (214)
Where were you born? Detroit, MI (lived in the city until age four)
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Ferndale and Ann Arbor, MI
Marshall Plumer is our District Ranger in Rock Harbor. He’s working on his seventh year as District Ranger here, with four previous years as a seasonal ranger. He’s here with his wife, Dawn, and their two twin sons, Forrest and Col. The Plumers live in Chassell, MI (south of Houghton) when they’re not in Isle Royale. Out here, they live in the Ralph House, just southwest of Snug Harbor proper.
Marshall Plumer, District Ranger (201)
Where were you born? Coco Solo, US Panama Canal Zone
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? I have all kinds of favorites. Three things: fishing, kayaking, and - fishing.
What previous jobs have you held? Bartender, grocery clerk, bio tech.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? Okay, let’s see…I’m sure there’s a lot. They don’t know that I’m a Zonian. You’re born in the Canal Zone, you’re a Zonian. (Marshall’s parents worked in Panama, his mother as a nurse, his father first with the Catholic church and then with the U.S. Army. They traveled around; Marshall’s brother was born in Quito.)
Dawn Plumer
Where were you born? L’anse, MI.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Hiking and kayaking. They’re both right up there.
What previous jobs have you held? I worked at North Cascades, Voyageur, two parks in Hawai’I, Independence – and Isle Royale of course. I worked at my relatives’ marine: Witz’ marina.
What’s something most people on the island don’t know about you? My legend here: In Windigo I split many cords of wood by hand, faster than the trail crew. I love splittin’ wood.
Forrest and Col Plumer
Forrest and Col are thirteen (they’ll turn fourteen on November third.) They were born in Bellingham, MI, and they make a dynamic and entertaining duo to interview.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale?
Forrest: Fish.
Col: Kayak.
What do you guys want to be when you grow up?
Forrest: Uh…probably Marine Corps.
Col: Park Ranger.
What’s something most people on the island don’t know about you?
Forrest: My favorite place to be is in six feet of powder after I’ve hopped off a 20 foot cliff on my skies.
Col: My favorite thing to do is skiing. Um…I don’t know…
Forrest: He’s the only person in the U.P. who plays the bassoon.
Meet the Interp Staff
Andrea Tavegia, Lead Interpretive Ranger (210)
Where were you born? Flint, MI.
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Painesdale, MI. Just south of Houghton.
How many seasons have you been coming here? This is my second.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Go moose huntin’. Yesss. I don’t shoot ‘em. But I hunt ‘em.
What previous jobs have you held? Interpretive Park Ranger – the last park ranger job I had was at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Before that I was in the Everglades. Before that I was a customer service agent at Kenai Fjords National Park. And before that I was a professional student and research/teaching assistant. Before that I was at Big Cypress National Preserve – and before that I was a wildcat.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? This is a small island. Everyone knows everything about everyone.
Casey Verstrate, Interpretive Ranger (211)
Where were you born? Grand Rapids, MI
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Grand Rapids, MI
How many seasons have you been coming here? Two.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Fish the inland lakes.
What previous jobs have you held? I worked for a car wash, I worked at a rest home, I worked at a furniture store assembling furniture. I worked at a farm for a summer. That was pretty intense. I worked for the city of Grandville, hence all my T-shirts. I think that’s it.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? Heck, I’m not that mysterious. I’m Dutch. I am a master bacon chef. My ponds were ruined by a shopping mall.
Leah LaCasse, Interpretive Ranger (212)
Where were you born? Marquette, MI.
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Marquette, MI. I was in Floral City, FL for a little bit.
How many seasons have you been coming here? First!
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Moose whispering. Wildlife stalking.
What previous jobs have you held? Whoa…I worked at Gander Mountain, cut boxes at Kohl’s. I was a wilderness counselor…professional student…campground attendant and marina attendant.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? I saw Bob Dylan in concert back when I was younger and didn’t know I was seeing a superstar. I was like six years old and I thought I was in hell.
Wanda Naylor, Interpretive Ranger (213)
Where were you born? San Jose, CA.
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Near Eureka, CA (far northern California) – I’ve been there for the past forty years. Went there to go to school and never left.
How many seasons have you been coming here? This is my first season.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Hike and botanize – look at new plants and see if I can figure out what they are or learn something about them.
What previous jobs have you held? I was an elementary school teacher for fourteen years and I’ve also worked or volunteered in probably about nine National Parks at this point, and two California state parks. My all-time favorite job was a volunteer job, chasing bears in Yosemite, and educating people how to encourage the bears to be wild.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? I got to live in Moose, Wyoming, when I worked at Grand Teton National Park, and lived in a little log cabin. It was really neat. That’s where I saw my first moose, and I’ve liked moose ever since.
Liz Dengate, Interpretive Ranger (SCA) (214)
Where were you born? Detroit, MI (lived in the city until age four)
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Ferndale and Ann Arbor, MI
How many seasons have you been coming here? This is number one, baby.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Jump off docks.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Jump off docks.
What previous jobs have you held? Wilderness ranger in northern California; community organizer with the Sierra Club; three years as a coffee shop barista; nanny; research assistant; etc.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? You all know I was home schooled, I Irish dance, I’m a vegetarian, I had a ridiculously odd childhood that did not include a television, and I have a pet hedgehog named Pippo who is AWESOME. What else is there?
Andrew Johnson, Interpretive Ranger (SCA) (215)
Where were you born? Brwyn, IL.
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Brookfield, IL – or Kalamazoo, MI. I go to Western.
How many seasons have you been coming here? This is my first.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Probably hiking. Backpacking. My favorite place is McCargoe Cove.
What previous jobs have you held? I did restoration on a forest and prairie – plant restoration. Worked in a cafeteria at Western. I worked in a restaurant a while ago.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? I like to ride my bike really far places. I like to play hackey sack a lot. It’s like my favorite thing to do.
Meet Steve
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? You all know I was home schooled, I Irish dance, I’m a vegetarian, I had a ridiculously odd childhood that did not include a television, and I have a pet hedgehog named Pippo who is AWESOME. What else is there?
Andrew Johnson, Interpretive Ranger (SCA) (215)
Where were you born? Brwyn, IL.
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Brookfield, IL – or Kalamazoo, MI. I go to Western.
How many seasons have you been coming here? This is my first.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Probably hiking. Backpacking. My favorite place is McCargoe Cove.
What previous jobs have you held? I did restoration on a forest and prairie – plant restoration. Worked in a cafeteria at Western. I worked in a restaurant a while ago.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? I like to ride my bike really far places. I like to play hackey sack a lot. It’s like my favorite thing to do.
Meet Steve
Steve Juntikka, Maintenance (239)
Where were you born? Royal Oak, MI
Where did you live before coming out to the island? Houghton, MI. I’ve lived there pretty much my whole life.
How many seasons have you been coming here? This is my first season.
What’s your favorite thing to do on Isle Royale? Take pictures of bryophytes.
What previous jobs have you held? Laser operator, a sawyer (going out in the woods, cutting trees down, and making sure you don’t have a log roll on top of you), an automated optical inspector. Yeah, I’ve had quite a variety of jobs. I was a biology teaching/lab assistant.
Something most people on the island don’t know about you? What most people don’t know about me…I have a lot of different hobbies, such as studying the bryophytes, studying garden slugs. Yeah, I’m into horticulture some now, trying to grow some organic vegetables that you can harvest just by harvesting some seeds. I plan on trying to develop an online website store selling garden seeds by mail. That’s something I’m working on right now.
And, coming soon, an interview with law enforcement ranger Pete Sweger (202), after his return from Windigo…
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