WACO, TX — City of Waco Park Rangers are out patrolling Cameron Park almost daily. It's a vital part of the day as they make sure visitors are following the do's and don'ts of the beautiful Waco destination.
For 33 years, park rangers have been keeping the area looking pristine. It wasn't until 1986 that they decided to ride horseback while patrolling.
"My favorite part of Cameron Park is really getting out, talking with the people being on these horses it really attracts everybody," Park Ranger Justin Sheppard said.
Sheppard hopes that by being out with the horse it's able to strike a conversation easier with visitors when they have questions to ask about the park. It's also a great ice breaker when someone may not be following all the right rules.
"People think they want to come out here and they want to take their dog off of the leash because its a big open space, but we're sharing it with everybody and we enforce the leash laws," Park Ranger Supervisor Kim Jennings said.
As more visit Cameron Park during the summer, these park rangers ask that we too make sure the park is looking its absolute best.
"Littering is always an issue. It's an issue everywhere. As you can see, throughout Cameron Park we have trash cans everywhere. Please just take the few steps to walk over there put them out. It helps everybody," Sheppard said.
A regular to the area, Faith Woodward loves to run in the mornings, if the horses and rangers are out as well it makes for an even better day.
"I think they really keep the park very clean and they're very friendly to all the runners and the walkers and I'm very appreciative of what they do," Woodward said.
Pete and Warden were the two horses out during the time that Faith got to meet them. She loves stopping to pet them and say "hi."
"I just wanted to come pet them and talk to the rangers about why they're out here and what they do for our community," Woodward said.
"Everybody wants to come and say hello to a horse, but they might not want to come say hello to us but by default. It's a really good way to segue into a natural conversation with someone," Jennings said.
