Every park program plan begins with the Maryland Park Service’s mission statement: “To manage the natural, cultural, historical, and recreational resources to provide for wise stewardship and the enjoyment by people.” Written at the top of every program outline, it served to remind me that our goal was to bridge the gap between nature and people; this small bit of text became a steadfast guide for me during my time as the Naturalist at Elk Neck State Park (ENSP), in Cecil County MD in the summer of 2024.
When considering the responsibilities of each of the roles listed among the ENSP workforce, my purpose within the park is distinct in function. While all staff members must be well informed of the inner workings of the park and be capable of answering guest’s questions; being the Naturalist requires comparatively more thorough interpretive skills to turn information about the natural world and the local history into something consumable by people from all walks of life. Due to the diversity of the patrons visiting Maryland State Parks, this position pushed me to think outside the box in order to create a well-rounded program that was just as informative as it was enjoyable.
This aspect of the job was especially evident when I hosted a program called “Pollinator Palooza,” of which the majority of the audience were kids aged under five years old. A few weeks later, I held a program called “Stars, Stripes, and Stories” on the Fourth of July, whose audience that day was comprised of adult Indian immigrants. Due to the drastic differences between both groups of participants, I needed to resort to some level of improvisation in order to retain engagement. The Pollinator Palooza program had been designed to outline the intertwined relationships between pollinators, the environment, and us, and to spark awareness of just how wide-spread the impact would be if our pollinators were lost. However, the topics I had intended to cover were not linear and would have been too abstract for children of that age, containing broad intangible concepts. I instead took the main ideas of the program and paired them with age-appropriate examples and games; leaning on the ‘fun’ aspect of the program rather than the ‘educational’ side. This contrasts with the Stars, Stripes, and Stories program, in which I did the opposite. The participants were adults, but being Indian immigrants lacked the cultural context and the sense of patriotic enthusiasm that most American-born and raised citizens would consider to be fundamental parts of their identity. In writing the outline, I compiled a broad spectrum of information that I could then trim down to use in a more detailed approach to talk about the impact of the American Revolution. On the day of the program, however, I found myself speaking more on the context of what caused the war for independence in broad stroke, superficial terms. Additionally, I was unable to rely on the innate patriotism of the participants to maintain engagement or the tactile crafts and stories that would have been effective with a younger audience. The program had, at that point, become more of an introduction to American history and culture, serving to inspire, rather than affirm American pride. The execution of these programs would go on to heavily influence how I researched and wrote future programs to better facilitate flexibility. Despite the unexpected difficulties, these programs were extremely enjoyable to write and carry out, and it was an absolute joy seeing people actively engaged and asking questions.
While hosting programs did act as a form of concentrated engagement, another emphasized part of park work was active outreach; driving around the campground to post flyers at every bathhouse, and setting up stations near the beach area with something new and interesting for visitors to look at and learn something from. This was done with the intention of being an active part of the patron’s experience, encouraging good customer service, and making the guests feel seen and valued. I worked in the Nature Center, which was a place of interest in the park that served as a source of information both on Elk Neck State Park itself, as well as the natural world. It was my job to answer questions and connect people to resources if they were interested in learning in greater detail.
Beyond working with the public, I did quite a bit of interpersonal work with the staff of ENSP and other parks. I participated in training opportunities and events, meeting people with varying levels of experience and areas of knowledge. My co-workers had different backgrounds in agriculture and natural resources, introducing me to topics I never would have known about or thought interesting. In turn, this spurred on my own eagerness to learn and to teach, with their infectious enthusiasm for the natural world.
I feel incredibly lucky for the opportunities this job provided and the connections I made through it. Though I was there only a few short months, this internship gave me incredible insight into the professional world and gave me skills that I know I will continue to employ not only in my future career but on a personal level. Though I have found that the Park Service is not a path I wish to take career-wise, it still served to broaden my horizons and will be my springboard for wherever I go next.
