What is a Park Naturalist?

Park rangers are integral to the United States National Park System and provide a variety of services to the public. They also work in the interest of preserving and protecting America's wild places and historical, as well as cultural heritage. Park rangers not only protect but also preserve large national parks such as the Yellowstone National Park.

Park rangers perform tasks that include assisting park administration by collecting and accounting for revenue and creating reports. Moreover, responding to and writing incident reports for visitor complaints and emergencies.

They also perform some law enforcement activities to enforce rules, regulations, and policies for visitor and resource protection. And, they instruct, supervise, and conduct routine maintenance on grounds and equipment and daily visitor services. Although a high school diploma or a GED may suffice, a bachelor's degree in forestry, biology, environmental sciences, or relevant field may be given preference.

The average hourly salary for this position is $15.92, which amounts to over $40,000 per annum. Not only that, but the career is projected to grow in the coming years to come and create more opportunities across the United States.

Like you must have already guessed, a naturalist job is related to nature. Similar to biologists, naturalists study living organisms, their impact on one another, and how they affect their surroundings. Naturalists often have in-depth knowledge about wildlife, animals, and plants. Their job requires some level of study. In fact, most of what they do involves observing potential genetic links and doing so without carrying out any genetic analysis.

If you are thinking of starting your career as a naturalist, keep in mind that you must first get a strong foundational knowledge of ecology, biology, chemistry, geography, and math. Degree options like wildlife management, geoscience, etc., can help you gain proficiency in this area.

Seeing that naturalists deal with plants and animals, they can work in different places. Even so, most naturalists find employment in government-owned establishments like state and federal parks, EPA, and NPS.

They can also work in private-owned scientific and technical consulting companies. Some work in the educational sector as teachers, while others get hired into the medical industry as researchers. Depending on where they find work, a naturalist's salary ranges from $39,180 to $97,390.