Park Law Enforcement Association (PLEA)
Mark Caughlan has over 29 years of experience in the natural resources profession and currently serves as Wyoming State Parks Chief Ranger. He oversees the park ranger program for the state of Wyoming. His duties include chief law enforcement officer, park ranger program manager, community engagement, external agency coordinator, agency leadership team member and many other duties with Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources.
Mark also has 27 years of experience as a District Manager and Commissioned Law Enforcement Ranger with Larimer County (Colorado) Department of Natural Resources. For the 20 of those, he was responsible for overseeing daily operations for Horsetooth Reservoir Recreation Area, which is the third-busiest recreation reservoir in Colorado with 1.2 million visitors annually. The area he managed included campgrounds and cabins, swim beaches, and multiple day-use areas for hiking, biking, rock climbing, fishing and horseback riding.
Mark is experienced in all aspects of ranger and patrol duties, park operations, fleet services, park construction, and maintenance and ranger training programs. He helped develop, supervise and implement training for his department’s ranger program. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, Mark provided guidance in the development of parks master plans and long-term visioning. Mark is currently on the Board of Directors for the Park Law Enforcement Association and serves as treasurer and Past President. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family traveling, visiting National Parks, camping, fly fishing, hunting, and mountain biking.