One of the highlights of my job is getting to share information with kids about all the different types of science jobs they can work toward. There are so many different types of science occupations today, and many of those didn’t exist when I was a kid. Opportunities for becoming and working as a scientist are at an all time high in our society, and open for all to explore. Women were once thought too delicate for science and unable to handle the rigorous thinking and contemplation that science required. We know today that this is completely false, as some of the world’s most brilliant minds have been women. It’s no mistake that all of the Science Occupations I have chosen to highlight so far in this series have been women. I believe that all children, girls and boys of all ages, sexual orientations, ethnicities, religious backgrounds, etc., should be able to see themselves in these roles that are helping to guide humankind into the next phase of existence on this planet. We need you, so I hope you’ll continue to learn about science and nature with us here on the NC Science Trail. If we can ever answer any questions for you, please reach out.
Below is our next installment in the series SPOTLIGHT ON SCIENCE OCCUPATIONS, and we are so lucky to share a story from the fantastic Park Ranger, Frances Cassarino, from Lake Norman State Park in Iredell County, north of Charlotte. Park Rangers must have an incredible range of knowledge to do their jobs successfully. They have far more responsibilities than most people are aware, and those responsibilities are all based on important knowledge of science, math, engineering, and nature.
Read on to learn more about working as a Park Ranger. You may find your passion for science and nature in one of North Carolina’s 45 incredibly beautiful State Parks/State Recreation Areas.
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Written by Frances Cassarino, Lake Norman State Park
I am lucky enough to be working my dream job! I am a Park Ranger at Lake Norman State Park. Being a Park Ranger, we wear a lot of different hats and never have a boring day. We are sworn law enforcement officers. This helps us to protect our natural and cultural resources, our visitors, and ourselves out in the park.
We are also certified Wildland Firefighters and chainsaw operators. These two certifications help to manage our natural resources and keep our forests healthy. As a Wildland Firefighter, we burn the forest every few years during prescribed burns and we must know all about the fire triangle. Buring the forest helps native plants thrive and can increase the biodiversity of an area!
The fire triangle explains what a fire needs to burn: oxygen, heat, and fuel. All three of these aspects can affect how hot or fast a fire can burn. We must always be aware of the weather when doing a prescribed burn. Different aspects like humidity, wind, and sunlight can influence fire behavior. While doing chainsaw operations, we use physics and math to figure out where a tree will fall and how to cut it.
Park Rangers in North Carolina are certified Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel and Emergency Medical Responders (EMR). During a SAR operation, we use maps and GPS locations to try to locate people who may be in trouble. Once they are found, our EMR skills come in handy to make sure those people are okay. It was good I took so much biology in college and already knew a lot of the EMR information!
Lastly, we are Certified Interpretive Guides! Which is a fancy way of saying we educate people about the park. At Lake Norman, we do a ton a field trips and help to show teachers how what they are teaching in the classroom can be taught outside. One of the most popular programs we have here is about macroinvertebrates, or water bugs, and it shows students how to use a dichotomous key to ID macroinvertebrates. Then based on which organisms we find, we are able to calculate the Aquatic Index Value of the water, which tells us if our water is polluted or not!
We not only educate school groups, we do free public programs as well. We will go over things like the science of fall colors, animal and plant ID, how to be safe when hiking or canoeing, and so much more. Education is one of my favorite parts of the job! It is incredible how much I learned in school that can be applied to nature if you just look around and learn to make observations.
So, if you are ever in the area of Lake Norman, come by and say hi! Or look up the closest park to your hometown at ncparks.gov and come by for a visit. The Rangers are hard to miss and we would love to share our personal experiences with you about what it’s like to be a North Carolina State Parks Ranger.