After four years as the ebullient face of McDowell Mountain Regional Park, Interpretative Ranger Amy Burnett is moving on to a new job with another agency.

“Ranger Amy” will soon be departing for a position with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, where she will be Information and Education Program Manager out of the Mesa Regional office.

This covers a large area of central Arizona stretching from Casa Grande to Payson and Camp Verde.

“I’m going to miss the park,” Burnett said. “I love it there and visiting with the people who come back each year. It’s like a big family.”

However, Burnett said the county park system is structured so that opportunities are limited for advancement or even expansion.

“This allows me to spread my wings a little bit,” she said.

Fountain Hills residents who are familiar with Ranger Amy will continue to see her on occasion -- she lives here and notes that she is moving on, not moving out.

Part of her job will be to provide education workshops at various locations within the region, and helping people live with their wildlife neighbors. She may have the opportunity to speak in Fountain Hills from time to time.

She will also be doing workshops for teachers who have an interest in working with their students in wildlife education.

Burnett said she will also be taking part in working with kids in educating them and helping advance their interests in hunting and fishing activities.

“We want kids to get outdoors and make that connection with nature,” Burnett said.

She said that with her new job she may also occasionally be a media spokesperson for the department when there is wildlife-related news occurring.

Burnett said that her replacement at McDowell Mountain Regional Park will be on duty around June 1. The individual currently works at Estrella Mountain Park in the Southwest Valley and also is known as “Ranger Amy.”

Burnett said she wants to continue contact with her friends in Fountain Hills but looks forward to the new challenge.

“This will allow me to reach a lot more people and make a difference on a broader scale,” she said.