How many years have you been with the National Parks Service? 1 year as of September, woohoo!
How did you get involved with the National Parks Service? Or what brought you to the organization?
I started with the Park Service as a student intern under the Pathways Program. The program offers students and recent graduates a way to explore employment opportunities with any federal agency, whether it be Veteran Affairs or the Treasury. As a kid growing up, visiting national parks was a family past time, but I never thought I would wear the flat hat.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
My job is a creative outlet that connects nature and humans in ways that think outside of the box. I love that I get to talk to people of all ages and all backgrounds about natural resources that are meant for everyone to enjoy.
What do you do when you’re not a ranger?
Sleep.
What’s the biggest thing people often don’t know about National Parks Service?
There is such a broad range of sites that the National Park Service deems necessary for protection: over 400 places! When people think about national parks, they think about our wilderness parks like Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Mt. Rainier, but the Park Service tries to capture stories of cultural and historical significance in the United States too. Did you know that Edgar Allan Poe’s house is part of the Park system? Or Manzanar National Historic Site, which was a Japanese relocation camp created during WWII? There are some crazy things that happened in US history and we want to preserve those stories. But most of all, the lands that we protect and preserve are your lands. Go play!
Can you share one of your favorite photos taken on the job? Where were you and what is the story behind it?
This photo was taken during the final week of summer camp with the YMCA. This is a special group to me because I grew to know every single one of these youthful souls. We learned about things from watershed conservation to protecting habitat for wildlife and humans. This activity brought all the ecosystems together under one large parachute and we, as a community, kept it healthy.
What was your first impression of the Bowtie Project?
Oh gosh, at first I thought the physical space of the Bowtie Project was hot, dangerous, and unappetizing. But this is by far one of the coolest places to access the LA River, and get down and touch the water. There is way more water gushing out of the vegetation making mini rapids, creating that river symphony rarely found on the 51-mile stretch. The Bowtie Project is constantly changing as Clockshop hosts exhibits and performances along the river. What’s weird is that this post-industrial site is open to the public, but not many people know about it.
