Working as an urban park ranger has exposed me to a new side of Nature. Not only through knowledge but also by opening my senses to the world around me. I can no longer walk in the park without identifying what type of trees are planted or ponder which animal left behind the tracks preserved in the mud. The world has become a science mystery and the clues are all around me. This opportunity to get back into the science field has been truly once in a life time. It came to me when I needed it most.
After I got sick, I had to restart my life. I didn't know what will come next after starting my physical therapy. Shortly after, I received a request for an interview for the parks department to be an urban park ranger. Needing a goal to aim for, I jumped on the opportunity even though I wasn't sure how I was going to manage hiking every day when the doctors had told me it would take months just to learn how to walk. However, within two weeks I recovered with sheer will power and managed to get hired! I've been hiking ever since.
Being a ranger has opened so many doors for me, but the first step was to relearn a lot of environmental science and biology. Learning about the different plant species was like riding a bike. I felt like I was back in Maine, sitting in my botany class. We have maples, oaks, sassafras, pines, london planetree, and ginkgo! Not to mention, there are so many variations of each that can be found within the parks of NYC. Then there are bushes, weeds, invasive species, animals and all the relationships between one other.
Birds! Have I mentioned birds yet? There are endless birds that live in the parks. From song birds, to raptors, all the way to migrant visitors that use us a vacation ground. Geese, humming bird, red-tailed hawks, bald eagles, woodpeckers, turkey vultures, bluebirds, and so so sooooo many more. Did you know that the Bronx has coyotes? We do! The archive I've slowly been building while on the job has brought me so much pleasure to share with those around me. I even have the opportunity through this career to dip my fingers in coastal ecology once again.
This new career allows me to share knowledge with every-day park patrons, and school children, marrying my two passions of science and education. Sadly I can't go into too many details due to legal reasons of the department. Even with that in mind, there are still so many experiences that I'll be willing to share with you my readers. Everyday something happens that I just wish I could share with everyone I know. The number one thing I have learned these first few months has been to just look around. Put my phone in my pocket and look up into the trees. I've spent years visiting the park I now work at, and it wasn't until that I started working in it that I've noticed how much life is just out there in the open. Next time you go to the park, will you open your eyes?
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