The wide world of Parks and Recreation: what a teen learned while jobshadowing Parks and Recreation professionals.

Cool Careers in Parks & Recreation!, sponsored by the National Recreation & Park Association and supported by S&S Worldwide, is a great way to explore careers that exist in the field of parks and recreation. Sondra Clark, the 13-year-old author, traveled this past year throughout the U.S. and collected information about interesting jobs in parks, recreation and conservation. Sondra will share her story of service and dedication to parks and recreation as a guest speaker at the Youth Benefit Session at the NRPA Congress in St. Louis on Oct. 24. Professionals who participate in this session will have the opportunity to meet Sondra and have their copy of Cool Careers in Parks & Recreation! autographed by the author.

Cool Careers in Parks & Recreation! will be available for purchase ($8 for members/ $10 for non-members) at the NRPA Congress. For more information, contact Sonia Bowie, NRPA's youth services program manager, at showie @nrpa.org or 703-858-2199.

Following are two excerpts from the book.

Recreation Supervisor

Carleen Schukar

Bellingham Parks and Recreation

Bellingham, Wash.

Do you mind being in charge of the pooper scoopers?" My mind raced. What was I supposed to do with an entire box of pooper scoopers? I soon found out.

It's easy to think that recreation leaders simply play games all day. Most people don't understand all the planning that needs to happen before the fun activities take place. I learned there was plenty of behind-the-scenes work to planning any sort of recreational event. Carleen Schukar, who works for Bellingham Parks and Recreation, was the person asking me to distribute pooper scoopers.

The day I jobshadowed her, she was putting on a kid's dog show with over 40 dogs entered. I helped by greeting people as they came in. People filled out a registration form while I explained that pooper scoopers were available if their dog had an "accident." You would think it would be a simple job, but I had to quickly learn to be nice when people were rude. One woman complained about the nametags. She wanted better-quality nametags. "My dog is a professional. When we attend 'real' dog shows, we always have computer-printed nametags, not these handwritten ones," she told me. Someone else let me know their dog was a true champion and not used to "amateur" dog shows like this one.

I smiled and tried to move to the next person.

During the dog show, we judged for best costume, most spots, biggest "smile," best trick and many other categories. Several arenas were set up. Kids brought their dogs in while I helped other staff judge the cutest costume or which dog had the longest tail. All the dogs behaved themselves, and we didn't have any fights. We didn't even have to use the pooper scoopers! After announcing the winners in each event, we passed out ribbons and doggie treats. Carleen kept busy announcing the various events and winners. She also made sure the rest of the staff were doing their jobs. Afterwards, Carleen had to put away tables, take down signs and try to get rid of the "doggie odor" that filled the gym!

"When I tell people I work for the Parks and Recreation Department, they usually say, "Wow! It must be great to get paid to just play all day,'" Carleen told me. "At some special events I work 12-hour days to make sure everything runs smoothly." People in Carleen's position need to be well-organized and also very flexible. You might plan for 10 dogs to attend the dog show and suddenly find out that 40 dogs are walking through the door. This means being resourceful so that you provide a fun experience for all the participants. There's so much variety in a job like Carleen's. One week she might be planning a Halloween carnival while also hiring new instructors for dance classes. Other times she could be working with pre-schoolers and also registering teens for a camping trip. No two days are ever alike!

Here's what Carleen said about her job:

What is the favorite part of your job?

I like working with kids and meeting the people in my community.

What classes/education was helpful in getting you this job?

I graduated with a recreation degree from Western Washington University. Many people are surprised to find out that many colleges offer four-year degrees in recreation. During my time at college, the program required that I do practical volunteer work in the community. That was the most beneficial, as I found I liked working with people, and was pretty good at it too!

Please describe a typical day. (If there is such a thing!)

A typical day consists of running a craft class, booking musicians for summer concerts, planning the next quarter's program guide, ordering prizes for an upcoming event, soliciting donations for a special event, working with instructors, extra labor staff, co-workers and supervisor. My hours are flexible since sometimes I run programs at night. Then I just come in later the next morning.

What advice would you give a young person interested in pursuing a career in the recreation field?

Volunteer in your community to work with a wide variety of people. That gives you a good perspective on what is important to their quality of life. Help out with a Brownie troop or lead a bingo game at a senior center.

What motivates you to go to work every day?

I look forward to working at my recreation programs and meeting new people. I also like seeing repeat customers and friends I have made along the way.

What is the most important skill for this job?

Flexibility and being able to work with different personalities. Organization is the main skill!

Refuge Naturalist

Stephanie Benavidez, Rotary Nature Center and Lake Merritt Wildlife Center

Oakland Parks and Recreation Department

Imagine this scene: You look out your office to see a gaggle of geese and a gondola full of happy passengers. Then you walk two blocks and find yourself on crowded city streets. Where are you? Try the Rotary Wildlife Refuge Center in Oakland, Calif. That's where Stephanie Benavidez has worked for 28 years under the direction of the Oakland Parks and Recreation Department. The wildlife refuge, established in 1870, is the oldest urban refuge center in the U.S. It is located on Lake Merritt, which is 155 acres of salt water. Forty acres of the lake are set aside as a refuge for birds. The city even built a few small islands as a nesting place for the many birds that visit the refuge. Throughout the year, pintails, bluebills, diving ducks, pelicans, herons and wild geese all enjoy "hanging out" at the refuge.

It was obvious that Stephanie loved sharing about her job with other people. She actually came to meet me on her day off. That's dedication! Part of Stephanie's job is taking care of injured wildlife. She showed me a baby opos-sum and owl that she was trying to rehabilitate. Since Stephanie needs to keep the animals "wild," she acts as their mother, For the owl, this meant Stephanie had to tear apart a mouse and feed it piece by piece to the owl. That's what a mother owl would do!

Someone told Stephanie, "There are two people who run the city; the mayor and you." This was a compliment since Stephanie cares deeply about the people and programs in Oakland. Wherever we went, people stopped to say hi or ask her a question. A former student came by to borrow a humane trap to capture a mouse under her sink. Stephanie had taught the student appreciation and respect for all living things. Stephanie waved to a homeless man she knew. She greeted staff by name and had a close relationship with a woman who has volunteered with Stephanie for over 20 years.

Stephanie believes in teaching children to appreciate the natural world. She drove me to several parks to show where she runs day camps. Some of her programs include:

* Shake Rattle and Roll: Teaches basic skills for living confidently in nature.

* Touch the Earth: Experienced naturalists lead children in nature hikes, environmental-awareness games, and arts and crafts.

* Young Naturalist: Helps children enjoy the wonders of nature through insect safari, bird identification and fish netting.

I could tell that Stephanie felt that children were important. She encourages them to volunteer at her programs and incorporates them into other activities. Her "A Step Back in Time" program is designed to reconnect youth to their past and train them to become junior docents at Dunsmuir Historic Estates. They then get to be junior docents at the annual Christmas show. "I want children to understand they have talents and skills that benefit their community" says Stephanie. "I grew up volunteering and participating in recreation programs. It certainly taught me valuable skills, so I know children today also benefit from being involved in the community."

As I thanked Stephanie for taking time to show me around, she quickly began talking to a guest who came to look at the displays in the Nature Center. I had the feeling she would be spending most of the rest of her "day off" by sharing her love of nature and the outdoors.

Here's what Stephanie had to say about her job:

What is your "official" job title?

Refuge naturalist.

Please give us a condensed version of your job description.

As a naturalist, I introduce the public to their parks and teach them how to use and enjoy their natural resources. To oversee, manage and maintain Lake Merritt Wildlife Refuge, the oldest in the nation (established 1870). To create informative educational programs that will inspire people to become more involved with their world around them and, in return, make informed voting decisions to preserve and protect their environment. Supervise and train 10 year-round and 34 seasonal staff ages 16 and up, as well as being responsible for youth and senior volunteers ages 9 to 70+ years old.

To be fiscally responsible for money generated from programs and accountable for the use of those funds. Keep healthy and maintain native and domestic collection of live animals used in our presentations. This is as condensed as I can get.

What is the favorite part of your job?

To sum it up in a few sentences is difficult except to say that I feel like the proverbial unicorn who is responsible in keeping the forest and its inhabitants protected and eternally vibrant. So here it goes: helping to rekindle that sense of awe and wonder in adults that they felt they had to leave behind with their childhood.

Helping children discover life as it unfolds around them, create cherished memories and adopt a secret place to keep visiting. Saying thank you for caring to a child or a group stopping to bring me an injured animal, no matter how common they may be in the real world. Every life has value, and, yes, you can say let nature take its course, but that doesn't deal with inner-city plights of animals lingering on hot sidewalks or waiting to be hit by a car. So choose your words wisely when you educate the public about wildlife rescues. You may have a budding veterinarian or such at your door as well as a great supporter of your programs.

Because of my expertise I have developed quite a media portfolio: Evening Magazine, Reading Rainbow, Bay Area Backroads, Romper Room, California Gold, several news articles, radio programs. Oral History Project at Mills College, just to name a few. But what I really take pride in was being portrayed in a book by Patricia Pollaccco called I Can Hear the Sun. I told Patricia when she presented me with the final draft that not even winning the lottery could compare to being part of a chilren's book. Which I get calls from teachers to read to their students.

What classes/education were most helpful to get you this job?

My long-range goal was to become a veterinarian, and through presentations presented by naturalist Paul Covel when I was a recreation aide at summer programs and some interesting turn of events, I found myself working first as a volunteer and then later as a full-time employee. My work as a volunteer at the Rotary Nature Center played a big part in being selected by Mr. Covel and his staff because of how I conducted myself. Then when one of his staff, George Woodkoff, had passed away, they had a federal program that employed part-timers for the job. I was advised by a great recreation supervisor, T.J. Johnson, not to take the position, but to take the test for zookeeper and get some interview experience for when the animal keeper position opened. Needless to say, I was turned down for that test because I did not have paid experience. I fought that decision and told Civil Service that I felt my volunteer experience was just as good if not greater than those paid. They agreed, I took the test and made third on the list with two other women before me. Val DeLeon, head zookeeper, liked me but felt I should finish college first. Then it turned out that Civil Service felt the zookeeper and animal keeper positions were close enough in job descriptions to just pull from the list. I interviewed against eight other men and three women and was hired on Aug. 24, 1974, and mentored from that point on by Paul Covel.

This just goes to show that sometimes you just never know what opportunities may come your way or how they may play out. Although I do not have a degree, I have never stopped learning or taking job related classes. I do have three years invested as a Mills College student and am considered alumni. When the time is right I will graduate from Mills. This field is definitely a jack-of-all-trades. Many great naturalists are self-taught, but they do take classes to keep current and are a font of information that makes people enjoy being around them.

Please describe a typical day. (If there is such a thing!)

Making the rounds around the refuge to see if things are in order, nothing out of the ordinary. Check the building, the Tot Lot, or with staff about what transpired over the weekend. Checking on any drop-offs of animals from the night before, clear messages off the phones, which can be as many as 27 if it is a busy week. Check on the animals inside the building, check on the pools to be cleaned by staff. Respond to e-mails and requests for scheduled presentations. If it is summer, be up at each of the four to five day camps in session to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Check on a patron's concern that they see a non city tree crew cutting down trees inside the refuge. Put a stop to the work, contact the tree supervisor to handle the situation. May have to respond to one to three requests about wildlife problems throughout the city from patrons or animal control. Anything from bee removal on city properties, to injured wildlife, or trapped wildlife. A gull with a treble hook in its throat and foot today. A baby opossum at the YWCA.

Do two schedule presentations, on site and off site or a hike in one of the parks during the school year. During the summer do theme presentations at the Touch the Earth Camp and instructional lessons with the young naturalist.

Enter any money for the day and have it ready to be transported along with the time sheets and invoices for the week. Return calls to patrons asking about programs, volunteer positions, help with animal problems or research information on plants or animals.

Deal with answering questions from walk-in about birding sites or places to go hiking, camping or such. Check with staff on progress of the daily cleaning, feeding and maintenance of the refuge. Check over the native plant projects and work on brochure or newsletter information needed for upcoming events or programs. Sometimes times request for help when lost keys, wallets, child or someone gets hurt or sees an animal injured will come about, while the phones are ringing.

A typical day in the off season will be two staff on with a volunteer to help keep a facility open all year round, holidays included, because animals get fed daily at 3:30 p.m. and our busiest times are the holidays, while I take care of the presentations. During the summer our camps are held in open parks, and some have 7.5 in them and others have 20. This requires total staff awareness and attention on their jobs to provide quality, safe and enjoyable experiences for their children.

I am giving you as close to a typical day as possible. But I tell staff to always be prepared for the unexpected and you won't get caught unprepared. Somewhere among all this I will get away for a coffee break, but no matter where I choose to go people will recognize me as the "lady of the lake" and ask me all sorts of questions, which I never get tired of answering. So if you can't find ways of getting the public involved in your programs no matter where they are located, hang with me for just one day and you will understand how you truly do make a difference in this world.

What advice would you give a young person interested in pursuing a career in your field?

Be tolerant of different view points, people who see things different based on their up bringing, experiences, taboos or how tall they are. Remember that we tend to destroy things that we are afraid of or do no understand, the more knowledge a person gains the less likely they will allow fear to control their reactions. Then the information you present should be easily remembered and delivered in creative ways to help patrons become teachers themselves. They can spread these tidbits of facts when they themselves invite other friends and families to enjoy what they experienced.

A naturalist is a teacher but in a different way. I am not concerned about measuring if you are getting the material as I am about how you feel connected to this place. I want the person to understand the marvels and trials of the existence of a species, how they developed, evaded predators or destruction, its place within our food web/chain, how it survives. All these questions should be churning around with the answers there before them or more importantly that they reach the same conclusion you have by being able to think outside the box. As a naturalist I plant those seeds into that individual that will germinate down the road. Cultivating a naturalist, artist, researcher, forensic entomologist, musician, outdoor educator, forester, ranger, marine biologist or botanist, the list is endless as it should be.

What motivates you to go to work every day?

I enjoy my job immensely, being the steward for over 26 parks in the city of Oakland, plus my office is at a refuge where 155 acres of salt water is surrounded by 150 acres of land on the Pacific Flyway. My window watches the many moods of the day: seniors exercising or convalescing, parents with strollers, morning runners at a slow pace. Then it picks up with the lunch crowd: runners or walkers working off stress and calories, blue-and white-collar workers lunching, children from schools then to an evening mood, families working off energy before dinner or bed, evening runners or walkers, all of this being done like some choreograph dance among birds of all sizes on the ground, on the water and in the air. Trees with seasonal changes and aquatic life regenerating in time for the next hatchlings in the rookery. Helping others learn how to save and protect their environment. This is a place where life is as it should be, humans reveling with the wonders of urban and wild life, enjoying a shared camaraderie with Mother Earth. No politics, no religions, just animals accepting people for who they are without prejudice and for humans our parks are a common denominator in the lives of our daily citizens.

What is the most important skill needed for this job?

A sense of humor, good personality, interest in your environment, love of nature, being articulate, a raconteur (one skilled at telling stories or anecdotes) and the ability to be charismatic, especially when standing up for your principles in front of administration. It also helps when you have to deal with some not-so-nice situations that may involve arrests. I invite these patrons back to the park to enjoy some other time, giving them a sense that it wasn't personal and making them responsible for their inappropriate actions. Remember, I am speaking from the point of an urban naturalist who can end up running into any one outside of my work place. So my sense of how I respectfully treat someone also prevents me from having to defend myself.

If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?

Not having enough money to hire enough people for this job. This facility had, at one time, four full-time positions, now I am the only one overseeing part-timers needing to have a more secure job. I wish that I could provide the number of youth wanting to do what I do, but I can't, so the next best thing is to open their eyes to the numerous opportunities of pursuing an education in a variety of careers.

This is not a field to choose if you want to be rich in money, but rather a job if you want to improve the quality of life for those that share this planet. This is not a job to me or a career. This is my way of life, this job is a reflection of who I am as an individual. I would and I do promote this profession no matter where I am.

The rewards have been many, so let me give you a sample. The child that becomes an adult thanking you for inspiring them in fifth grade to pursue a graduate degree in a field working with animals. The teenager when you first started 29 years ago comes back many times, first as a mother, then a grandmother, then a great grandmother pointing to each generation on how they knew you when they were young. Watching a hummingbird go nose to beak with a patron, having children hold baby animals, delivering a foal during the biggest weekend at Children's Fairyland being captured on film and hearing children asking what is happening. Watching a successful flight or release of rehabbed wildlife back into their habitat. Being there to help people understand the web of life as they see a predator take prey, and explaining how this is the natural order of life and it's okay, and seeing that they do understand that it must be so.

Sondra Clark is the author of, five books for children. Among her many recognitions are the Prudential Spirit of Community Award for Washington State, the Nestle Very Best in Youth Award, an Angels in Action winner and a winner in the Tiger Woods Start Something program. Her Web site is www.sondraclark.com.