From Naturalist to Ranger
All good things must come to an end. I hate that truth in life. Why do they have to end? Rather we like it or not, we don't have a choice. It is just a hard cold fact of life. Today is my official end date for working as a Naturalist at The Wildlands Conservancy, Oak Glen Preserve. Working as a Naturalist has been one of the best professional experiences in my life. I spent on average 4 days a week taking youth (grades 3-6) out on the upper trails of the preserve teaching hands-on science based programs; concentrated in natural and cultural sciences. I also assisted in running free public events (e.g. night walks and art programs), worked weekends to enforce the preserve and interact with the public, helped with service learning projects, and helped with preserve projects (e.g. invasive weed removal & planting native plants).
From September till today, working on averages, I personally got to teach an estimate of 3,000 students. Hopefully, I was able to get them to understand the importance of protecting our natural environments, and that we are apart of the delicate balance of life. It was a great honor to give some of these youth experiences they have never had before. For example, given the opportunity to touch a Giant Sequoia Tree or see a Bobcat up close in the wild. Everyday was not a blessing, for there were a few groups you just wanted to throw back on the bus, but overall the students were great. Outside of teaching our field trips, my favorite thing to do was run the nigh walk programs for the public. I was present for three hikes. Two of them I taught, and one I just participated. Nature has amazing things to offer at night. My favorite is probably hearing the Pacific Tree Frogs and the Owls sing into the night. For the two I taught, a few boy scouts joined us on the hike. I remember them because they were concurring their fear of being outside in the dark without any light. There were some times where they were scared, but with my help they were able to push that fear aside and have a great time. The last part of the job, which was working on preserve projects with fellow naturalists, rangers, administrative staff, and service learning volunteers provided a great experience towards working on environmental conservation projects. The main projects were invasive weed removal (not so much fun) and planting native plants. This was my job, and it was great! I was outside everyday, I worked in all types of weather (heat, cold, rain, hail, wind, snow), and I got to work with some amazing people.
My co-workers made this job even more amazing. We had 8 naturalists. At first, we were co-workers, but over time we became a family. We worked well together, and we constantly would spend time outside of work hiking, hanging out, and learning new things. As any family, we had great times and we also had a few bumps in the road. We learned from each other, we supported one another, and we all loved our jobs. My naturalist family will always have a special place in my heart, and I will greatly miss working with them. Alongside with the naturalists, my boss, the rangers, and administrative staff were amazing too. The environment is friendly, professional, welcoming, and caring. Something that is rare to find in a work environment.
This is not the end. Just a transition. Tomorrow I will officially be a Ranger for The Wildlands Conservancy, Bluff Lake Reserve. Ranger will be nowhere near the same as Naturalist for Oak Glen Preserve, but this new position will give be the opportunity to learn more and to gain more professional experience in the field of environmental stewardship & conservation. The downside of this position is that it is temporary, but I hope it will lead towards something else in the conservancy when this Ranger position ends. I will be Ranger for Bluff Lake Reserve until November 1, when we close for the winter (or when the first major snow falls). I would share more, but I know there will be blog postings of those details later. In closing, being Naturalist the past 9 months has been one amazing journey. I will miss it, and I will miss my naturalist family. Though I will no longer be a Naturalist professionally, I can remain a naturalist by hobby. If I think about it, I have kinda been a naturalist hobbyist most of my life, so that won't be too hard.
From September till today, working on averages, I personally got to teach an estimate of 3,000 students. Hopefully, I was able to get them to understand the importance of protecting our natural environments, and that we are apart of the delicate balance of life. It was a great honor to give some of these youth experiences they have never had before. For example, given the opportunity to touch a Giant Sequoia Tree or see a Bobcat up close in the wild. Everyday was not a blessing, for there were a few groups you just wanted to throw back on the bus, but overall the students were great. Outside of teaching our field trips, my favorite thing to do was run the nigh walk programs for the public. I was present for three hikes. Two of them I taught, and one I just participated. Nature has amazing things to offer at night. My favorite is probably hearing the Pacific Tree Frogs and the Owls sing into the night. For the two I taught, a few boy scouts joined us on the hike. I remember them because they were concurring their fear of being outside in the dark without any light. There were some times where they were scared, but with my help they were able to push that fear aside and have a great time. The last part of the job, which was working on preserve projects with fellow naturalists, rangers, administrative staff, and service learning volunteers provided a great experience towards working on environmental conservation projects. The main projects were invasive weed removal (not so much fun) and planting native plants. This was my job, and it was great! I was outside everyday, I worked in all types of weather (heat, cold, rain, hail, wind, snow), and I got to work with some amazing people.
My co-workers made this job even more amazing. We had 8 naturalists. At first, we were co-workers, but over time we became a family. We worked well together, and we constantly would spend time outside of work hiking, hanging out, and learning new things. As any family, we had great times and we also had a few bumps in the road. We learned from each other, we supported one another, and we all loved our jobs. My naturalist family will always have a special place in my heart, and I will greatly miss working with them. Alongside with the naturalists, my boss, the rangers, and administrative staff were amazing too. The environment is friendly, professional, welcoming, and caring. Something that is rare to find in a work environment.
This is not the end. Just a transition. Tomorrow I will officially be a Ranger for The Wildlands Conservancy, Bluff Lake Reserve. Ranger will be nowhere near the same as Naturalist for Oak Glen Preserve, but this new position will give be the opportunity to learn more and to gain more professional experience in the field of environmental stewardship & conservation. The downside of this position is that it is temporary, but I hope it will lead towards something else in the conservancy when this Ranger position ends. I will be Ranger for Bluff Lake Reserve until November 1, when we close for the winter (or when the first major snow falls). I would share more, but I know there will be blog postings of those details later. In closing, being Naturalist the past 9 months has been one amazing journey. I will miss it, and I will miss my naturalist family. Though I will no longer be a Naturalist professionally, I can remain a naturalist by hobby. If I think about it, I have kinda been a naturalist hobbyist most of my life, so that won't be too hard.
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