No doubt about it, Errin Bair loves her job at Farragut State Park.

The cheerful, 35-year-old ranger is always on the move. She coordinates volunteers and guides student groups; she checks on campers and greets visitors at the historic Brig Museum.

On the wind-beaten shorelines of Lake Pend Oreille, at a place where Navy sailors once trained for world war, there's no such thing as daily routine. Weather shifts, seasons change, people come and go - and Bair wouldn't have it any other way.

"You have to adapt to different situations all the time," she said. "It's good. It keeps you fresh, keeps you alive. There's no doldrums at this park."

Earlier this month, at a North Region meeting in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Parks and Recreation named Bair the Ranger of the Year. Out of more than 100 rangers from 32 state parks, she was the one selected.

"I didn't even know I was nominated," Bair said. "I was shocked. I'm a little nutty, a little silly... I would never think I'd be chosen for Ranger of the Year."

Assistant Park Manager Chuck Gross has known Bair for several years. In fact, he's the one who hired her.

"She's really grown in so many ways - in competence, in professionalism," Gross said. "She really is a stellar example of what a park ranger is. Plus she's fun to work with."

A logger's daughter, Bair grew up in Sandpoint, just a few miles up the road from Farragut. She attended Spokane Community College and earned four two-year degrees in just three years: parks and recreation, natural resource management, soils and forestry.

Her first job at Farragut was seasonal - working as an interpreter, she led campfire sessions, conducted junior ranger programs and guided hikes. After a 7-month stint at Old Mission State Park in Cataldo, Bair was hired as a full-time ranger at Farragut.

"And I work with an amazing crew of people here," she said. "It's a wonderful place to work."

This spring, Bair is once again the park's volunteer lead. She's charged with finding and placing nearly 70 volunteers, a job she described as a "huge, huge undertaking."

On a typical summer's day, 35 volunteers work at the park, Bair said. Their duties range from cutting firewood to hosting visitors at the Brig Museum. Scout troops, school groups and sheriff's department labor crews log volunteer hours, too.

In 2009, Farragut volunteers worked 8,409 hours. Largely because of Bair's efforts, that total spiked to 15,399 hours in 2010 - a primary reason she was nominated for the Ranger of the Year award.

"She's not shy, and definitely identifies stuff, cranks it out and gets it done," Gross said.

Farragut State Park is a 4,000-acre tract of land. Formerly the site of Farragut Naval Training Station - at one time the largest city in Idaho - the park is now one of the most popular recreation destinations in North Idaho.

Hiking and biking trails crisscross the landscape, offering views of Lake Pend Oreille and the often-snowy mountains above. Three 18-hole disc golf courses await frisbee throwers. Campers park RVs and pitch tents at 225 scattered sites.

During the height of the warm-weather season, 3 or 4 thousand people might visit the park on a given day.

"We maintain it like a little city," Bair said.

The rangers paint signs and clear trails. They monitor campsites, maintain picnic areas and interact with the public. Bair spends much of her time at the Brig Museum, where she teaches youngsters about the vibrant history of Farragut.

She also leads student outings on the Squirrel Cache or Great Lynx trails, answering questions and explaining the park's flora and fauna.

"It's fun. We have a good time with those kids," she said. "We have close to 45 miles of trails in the park."

Old Navy veterans often visit Farragut State Park. Many of them trained at the naval station, learning seamanship and battle skills, then served on destroyers or submarines during World War II. Bair especially enjoys interacting with the veterans, she said.

"The job is multifaceted, and she handles all of it well," said Dennis Woolford, a Farragut ranger who's worked with Bair on resource forestry projects.

According to her co-workers, the rangers who know her best, she's a passionate, friendly person who does the job right. And yes, she is a little silly sometimes - but that's just Errin being Errin.

"I cannot imagine doing anything else," Bair said. "It's not what I do, it's who I am. I'm a park ranger."