I am a naturalist. A lot of people don’t really know how to react when I tell them that. Mostly because they don’t know what a naturalist is. My simplest explanation is this: I take people in the woods and say “that’s a tree, that’s a rock, that’s a bird.” I don’t know what image comes to mind after such an explanation but, most people get a recognition/understanding sort of look on their face once it’s through.
The next question is invariably – so how do you become a naturalist? The answer for this one is not as easy. I became a naturalist accidentally. It began when I was a child and had a fondness for animals. I would always watch animal shows on TV and enjoyed adventures with my father on my grandparents’ farm. Dad went to school for forestry and generally had an interest in most things so, as we traversed field and stream, he could tell me what everything was.
Somewhere around the age of twelve I developed a fascination for bats. I am often asked how this interest was born and my answer is always the same – “I have no idea.” Twenty-four years later I am as bat-crazy as I ever was.
My “career” as a naturalist began in 1996 when my mother asked me to speak to her fourth grade class about bats. I was horrified by the idea but she convinced me by compromising that we could show one of my bat videos (I have a bit of a library) and then I would simply be available afterwards to answer any questions the students had. I expected the students not to have any questions but about half of the class raised their hands. Despite the number and variety of the questions they asked, I was able to answer every one. That day I discovered two important things about myself: that I really knew a lot about bats; and that talking about bats made me about as happy as I had ever been.
That day marked the beginning of my career as a public speaker (who would’ve ever guessed !?!) And soon after, for the first time in my life, I had an idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up.
After an assortment of jobs, and lots of bat talks, I applied for a position as naturalist at a local nature center. I was shocked that I even got a call for an interview, and even more surprised when the call came offering me the job. I won that job by a matter of luck – over candidates with science and conservation degrees, I won the job because of my varied skills (office, writing, public speaking).
I have been with the nature center for nine years now. In mid-December I learned that my job was being cut back to half-time and I would be losing my health benefits. Since then I have been on a journey of self-discovery and embroiled in a quest for a meaningful and fulfilling job. What gets me through these times are my family, friends, and the beauty I find in the natural world.
