Environmental Educator Internship. by Olivia DeVito
December 19, 2023
Open gallery
This summer I had the opportunity to intern at Hempstead Lake State Park as an environmental educator. It was a unique opportunity to work with State Parks especially due to the fact I was working in their new Nature Conservatory and Storm Resiliency Center. During my time interning at Hempstead, I primarily worked with young kids and families educating on wildlife and the natural systems within our park. Throughout this internship, I was able to build skills in effective communication, natural-science education, animal care and group management.
The environmental education department at Hempstead Park was responsible for not only coordinating classes and cultural events, but we also managed the park’s social media and were responsible for animal care. My time working at the park demonstrated the necessity to have a well-rounded skill set in your career and helped me strengthen my ability to be flexible. I helped run social media, making posts on local wildlife and about our upcoming events. During my time at Hempstead, I took care of their two rescue box turtles, betta fish and monarch butterflies that we would incorporate into many of our lessons. In addition, we had raised and released some orphaned ducklings that were found in the park, which was much more labor-intensive than I had thought and helped me develop skills on proper animal care methods.
Regarding my tasks as an educator, I primarily worked in developing lesson plans and assistive materials. There were two formats we used throughout the summer season: hour-long classes for small children in which we taught about basic wildlife concepts (such as life cycles, the food web, nocturnal animals etc.) and incorporated a craft; and two hour ‘tabling’ sessions where we would set up outside to provide educational materials and activities to any interested park-goers. Additionally, we had classes that took place around the park such as wildflower walks where participants learned flower identification skills and pond ecology in which participants could observe the macroinvertebrates of Hempstead Lake.
My time interning at Hempstead Lake State Park was incredibly valuable to me as it enabled me to apply the skills I’ve learned at school in a real-world setting. Being able to work within New York State’s Park system was a great experience as it expanded my view on the role of public parks and their importance in promoting recreation and education.