A memorial service will be held today to honor the life and mourn the death of NPS Ranger Margaret Anderson, who lost her life on New Year's Day when she was shot by an assailant at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. 

 

According to the NPS, the memorial will be at 1 p.m. (PST) today at Pacific Lutheran University, 12180 Park Avenue S, Tacoma, Wash. The family asks that donations be made in lieu of flowers. They should be sent to the following address:

 

KeyBank

P.O. Box 159

Eatonville, WA 98328.

 

Checks should be made out to the Margaret Anderson Donation Account.

 

As the NPS family attempts to make sense of this tragedy, new classes of rangers are beginning their training to become the next NPS rangers. Many ranger trainees are drawn to this line of work because of the allure of spending time outdoors in some of the country's most beautiful locations. But Anderson's death has brought the dangers of the job to the forefront.  

 

Not surprisingly, law enforcement classes that started last week began with a moment of silence for Anderson as well as discussions about the tragedy.

 

Here's a clip from KOMO news in Seattle interviewing ranger trainees at Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, Wash., who began their first classes as park rangers just two days after Anderson's death.