The Caretaker's Job at the Walking Box Ranch is to keep an eye on the place (security, broken pipes, electrical outage, etc.), keep the big house clean (sweep outside, dusting inside), maintain the landscaping (water plants around the big house and at the caretaker residence), tend to visitors who use the bunkhouse (clean up, wash bedding, maintain supplies of toilet paper, etc.), and other duties as assigned (e.g., prepare for visiting big wigs). Heavy maintenance is done by professional cleaners and grounds keepers. For this, the caretaker is paid for 1 hour of work daily, plus hours for special events and managing bunkhouse visitors.
The area is owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and managed Friends of Avi Kwa Ame. The area is watched by a caretaker, and three law enforcement officers live on-site in travel trailers. The site is available for researchers and occasional tours, but otherwise it is closed to the public.
 Dry mopping the floor in the Big House |
 Hauling yard clipping to the dumpster |
 After a rain, the caretaker needs to pump out the pool |
 Sump pump in the pool |
 Using the pool to water courtyard landscaping |
 Patrolling the perimeter and checking gates |
 Liz digging up noxious weeds such as puncturevine |
 Puncturevine - few weeds are so nasty! |
 Feeding the barn cat (not fed in 2012) |
 Ensuring that gates are locked at night |
 The easy way to check the water level in the Fire Water Tank |
 Water level marker for the Fire Water Tank |
 The hard way to check the water level in the Fire Water Tank |
 When everything else is done, you can always polish your floor |
Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
; Last updated 240222
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