Planning, scheduling, and presenting interpretive programs, administrative management, park purchasing.
Favorite job duty:
Presenting interpretive programs.
Accomplishment in the past year you are most proud of:
Organizing and leading birding walks as a winter activity for park visitors and working with volunteers, coworkers and an intern in developing a highly successful butterfly garden at our park headquarters.
Most unique/interesting thing about your park or site:
Penitentiary Hollow is the park’s best natural feature. This is an area with sandstone cliffs forty feet high and offers north Texans a public area to rock climb and repel in a beautiful natural setting. This area is also adjacent to an ancient Cross Timbers Woodland, which is said to be the largest area of undisturbed Cross Timbers Woodland on public land in Texas.dd>
Most memorable state park moment:
My most memorable state park moment will take a little explanation. I mapped out a trail and lead a walk for visitors, that I call our “Wild Walk,” into the most remote areas of Penitentiary Hollow. This strenuous walk involves hiking up and down steep trails, squeezing through tight sandstone rock cracks and crevices and crawling, and sometimes scooting on your belly, through caves and small openings in the rocks. This walk is not for everyone. As I was about to lead a “Wild Walk” one misty cool December day, a man and his daughter, of about 14 years of age, approached to participate in the hike. The girl was laboring to walk with her dad and it was obvious to see that she was physically and mentally impaired, but seemed very excited about the event. Knowing the nature of this hike, I explained to her father about the hike being strenuous and having areas in which crawling was necessary. He said that he understood, but he and his daughter, working as a team, would like to try to make the hike and if they came to any obstacle that they could not conquer, he would go around it or cut the hike short. I told him that I would help where I could and explained to the other hikers the situation. They understood and were willing take extra time as needed and to help if they could. We started the walk and the girl, with the help of her dad, struggled through every obstacle. Where the trail was flat, and not too rugged, I would look back to see her dad carrying her piggyback style to relieve her tired legs. She made the entire walk and though she could only communicate with very few words, I could see in her face that she was happy and proud of her accomplishment, but dead tired. On our walk back to the trailhead, her dad explained that she had been in a wheelchair until she was 12 years old and had never walked. And that they, as parents, were very, if not over, protective of her in her early years and kept her in that wheelchair. But, there came a time when she seemed to have a drive to be more independent and not so reliant on her parents or the wheelchair. So, they let her try. In two years she has gotten stronger, learned to crawl, then walk, and now we let her try to do anything she would like to try. So, you see why this is my most memorable moment.
Favorite outdoor activities/hobbies:
Fishing, kayaking and softball.
Non-outdoor hobbies
I like collecting weird, wacky and humorous songs. (I know! I’m a nerd in this area!)
Who introduced you to the outdoors?
It’s hard to pin point one individual, but I guess my father played a significant role. He is not a camper, hiker or fisherman, but worked hard outdoors in gardening, landscaping, cutting fire wood and such. I had many outdoor chores to do as a kid and I learned to appreciate the outdoors whether you are working or playing.
Favorite book/TV show/website about the outdoors:
I always like Marty Stouffer’s Wild America. It focused on the wildlife here at home.
Favorite field guide:
There are so many?!? I am now trying to strengthen my birding skills, so, right now its “National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America.”
Favorite quote about the outdoors or parks:
"The land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land." - Leviticus 25:23-24
Advice for people wanting to explore the outdoors or any state park:
Be excited! Be exuberant! But, be prepared. Bring what you need to be safe, to be comfortable and to have a good time. The Texas State Parks are great places to enjoy the outdoors and to learn about the things you need to enjoy the outdoors better. Park interpretive programs, Texas Outdoor Family programs, Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, Angler, Boater and Hunter Education and many more are all programs provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744
