Kirk Perszyk's office is about 80 miles long. Scented with wild rose, it has a watery surround sound system that gurgles a soothing melody. It's such a pleasant office that thousands of folks will visit over the course of the summer.

On the downside, there's the threat of mosquito bites, annoying swarms of bugs and a high likelihood of sunburn, wind and rain. Oh yes, and let's not forget the threat from an occasional moose or rattlesnake.

As the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks ranger on the Madison River, Perszyk is charged with helping manage the busy corridor and its many users -- anglers, floaters, campers and sunbathers. His work area stretches from below Hebgen Dam to Ennis Lake and from below Beartrap Canyon to where the Madison joins the Jefferson and Gallatin to create the Missouri River.

More specifically, Perszyk administers and manages the Madison's special recreation permit system that monitors commercial users. He also patrols the river for safety violations such as lack of life jackets, checks fee compliance at the state campgrounds and gets to wash out some of the vault toilets and pick up trash. As an ex officio game warden he can also enforce some hunting rules and regulations and write citations.

Across the state, there are seven river rangers on five rivers -- the Madison, Blackfoot, Missouri, Smith and the Clark Fork's Alberton Gorge. In addition, there are three river managers overseeing work on the Madison, Blackfoot and Smith.

"It's a pretty austere program when you look at the significance of river management in the state," said Charlie Sperry, river recreation management specialist for FWP.

Fracturing the fantasy

Although river ranger may conjure up an idyllic image of paddling or rowing down a scenic river, the sun warming your face while earning a paycheck, the reality is much less romantic.

"No, it's not all glamour," said Molly Wainwright, 26, a former river ranger who is now river manager on the Madison for FWP. "There's a lot more to it than just floating the river."

Before hiring on as river manager for the Madison last fall, Wainwright worked as a river ranger and intern on the Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers near Missoula for three years. In some respects, the areas are similar. All three rivers attract college students, often on inner tubes, who may be inexperienced on rivers and sometimes inebriated. The rivers also draw hard-core whitewater boaters, families and diehard anglers. The mix of recreationists can create a complicated stew.

"You get to see all kinds of emotions down here -- sad, mad, happy, incoherent. Some of them just want to go home," Perszyk said.

Public liaison

Wainwright plays down the occasional conflict, although approaching folks while wearing a uniform highlighted by a bright silver badge can prompt some tense moments.

"There are moments when you run across people who are fighting, but that can happen in a grocery store, too," she said.

More often than not, Perszyk and Wainwright play the role of ambassador and tour guide - offering information on where to camp, what flies or lures are catching fish, even handing out gift certificates for a free ice cream cone to children 12 and under "caught" wearing their life jackets.

"We try to get information to the public as best we can so they know about the resource and will take care of it," Wainwright said, adding that she often hands out brochures and pamphlets.

"It's nice to help people out," Perszyk said.

Off duty

As with any office job, Wainwright said she doesn't like to spend off hours at her work site.

"You're on the river for work, and when you're off work, it's the last place you want to be," she said, even if it is one of the state's most beautiful rivers.

Floating the Madison during her down time just wouldn't be relaxing, she added. She wouldn't be able to turn a blind eye to infractions or careless behavior.

"I love my job so much and love the resource so much that it's hard not to say something when you see violations," she said.

Crowd control

Perszyk started work on the Madison last July, the river's first ranger position. He came from the Smith River, the state's only stream that requires permits to float. A river ranger on the Smith for four summers, Perszyk looks built for paddling or rowing, stout and low to the ground.

When he first began work on the Madison, he said, he couldn't believe how many people he encountered daily. His job now involves more crowd control than it did on the Smith.

"It's been a career change and an atmosphere change," he said.

Part of that crowd control is making sure the inner-tubers and anglers are respectful of each other, especially at boat launches where crowds tend to congregate as boats are put in or taken out.

"Everyone gets out and just wants to have a good time," he said. "If the fishermen and tubers would have respect for each other, everyone would get along a lot better."

For Perszyk, it's just office politics, but on a Montana-sized scale.

Reporter Brett French: 657-1387 or french@billingsgazette.com