Students learn the ways of NPS at California recruitment event

Tyler Nicole Smith (middle) and Naima Ozier (right) on a boat ride to Channel Islands

By Sauda Jackson, GYF Youth Programs Manager

Recently I accompanied two interns from the Greening Youth Foundation on a trip across the country to Los Angeles to participate in a recruitment event sponsored by the National Park Service. The college students were Naima Ozier, a junior Writing and Linguistics major from Georgia Southern University, and Tyler Nicole Smith, a sophomore Economics major at Spelman College and L.A. native. The program is one of the major initiatives of the National Park Service’s “Strategic Recruitment Plan,” which stages NPS recruitment events featuring students selected by faculty or staff members from partnering institutions or organizations familiar with the National Park Service and its mission.

Although fun and scenic, this was not a field trip. The Recruitment Event had specific goals, which included the recruitment and training of diverse students from educational institutions and organizations for placement and retention in the National Park Service. There were approximately 75 young people and staff from HBCUs, universities and youth organizations from around the country. Their time was spent learning about the mission of the National Park Service; what it is like to be an NPS employee; what it means to work for the Federal Government; and what the ongoing issues are in National Parks.

The event began with introductions from the staff that had also come from all over the country. The students learned that the Santa Monica Mountain Recreation Area and Channel Islands are located in L.A.’s “backyard.” Our base was the beautiful California State University Channel Islands, where many of the youth had the opportunity to network and get to know each other over games of spades and splashes in the pool. As we visited each site we were given a clearer idea of NPS park employee life, through ranger talks, film and some hands-on activities. As the students engaged each ranger with questions about their duties, they were clued in on the academic requirements for those positions. We participated in a revegetation service project at the Santa Monica site, witnessed a bird capture and tagging project, and hiked the trails.

Capturing a field mouse

When we visited the Paramount Ranch, the location of many Western movies, we learned a bit about the film industry, fire management, law enforcement, and the skills necessary for those positions. The highlight was a hungry squirrel making a strange howling noise while we ate lunch.

We caught a boat to Santa Cruz Island, part of the five Channel Islands located in the Santa Barbara Channel on the Pacific Ocean. GYF participant Naima Ozier got drenched trying to get a good view. “Though I shivered the whole way, I enjoyed my first time being on a boat,” she said.

Along the way we encountered the California sea lion and the great brown pelican. Once on the island we were treated to up close sightings of the Island fox, given a demonstration and crafts lesson by a Chumash Indian elder, and we hiked the four-mile Scorpion Canyon. “After we walked up one of the many hills that dotted the island of Santa Cruz, I was left speechless by the view,” Naima said. “It was spectacular. Though this island was small, barely noticed, it was really beautiful.”

The students learned of the types of jobs and commitment required to take on a position in a remote area of the National Park Service. Each student was paired with a National Park Service mentor from the Recruitment Futures Implementation Team (RFIT). After the event they will be provided with career advice, skills enhancement, and job placement assistance in order to aid them in the NPS hiring process. The goal is that these young participants will commit to summer employment with the National Park Service, as soon as next year.

Though a Los Angeles native, GYF participant Tyler Nicole Smith had never been to either Santa Monica Mountains or Channel Islands National Park. She was so ecstatic about her experiences on the trip that she has committed to continue working with GYF with our school-based educational program through the Bonner Scholars.