There’s a new park ranger in town at Fort Loudoun State Historic Area in Vonore.

Ranger Shay Steele Osborne left the park in March and her position remained vacant until May 16, when ranger Josh Kirby took her place.

Kirby moved to Vonore as a newlywed with his wife, Sandy, their dog May and cat, Ms. Robinson.

“I love it. I think we’re going to be very happy here,” said Kirby of his new Vonore home.

Kirby said he knew being a park ranger was what he wanted to do when he was a junior in college. That’s when he worked his first summer as a seasonal employee at Natchez Trace State Park.

Now he’s worked in the park system for 11 years.

In addition to Natchez Trace, Kirby has worked at Pinson Mounds State Park, David Crockett State Park, and Radnor Lake State Park.

He is a trained first responder and has special training in mountain and swift water rescue. And, that training came in handy one day at Fall Creek Falls State Park when Kirby and other rangers had to hike some four miles into a gorge there and carry an injured visitor back out.

Kirby specializes in a combination of natural and historic programming – both of which will be valuable assets at Fort Loudoun. With some 1,200 acres of undeveloped land and wildlife, Fort Loudoun State Historic Area has plenty of opportunities for nature programs. And, of course, there is also lots of historical significance there too.

Kirby is originally from Carroll County in West Tennessee. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resource management. 

melissa.kinton@advocateand democrat.com | 337-7101