Shared by Kindra Greene- AmeriCorps, as Guest Blogger.

Continuing the series on #Why I AmeriCorps, I want to share my experience as a Park Interpreter at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach.

What does it mean to be a Park Interpreter? The word interpreter is often associated with American Sign Language or foreign language translation, and there is a certain truth to that. Interpretation is an important field of communication. If you’ve had a ranger explain animal adaptations to you, gone on an owl prowl, or walked into a re-creation of a period authentic Civil War settlement, you’ve experienced interpretation. Dr. Seuss’s character, The Lorax said he speaks for the trees, and like The Lorax, interpreters speak for the natural and historical resources of the park.

In a 4-day intensive workshop, I learned the basics behind interpretation, the founding principles, the importance of provoking thought and discussion and not just cataloging facts, and the magical act of connecting a visitor to something universal and meaningful. We learned the skills to interpret the resources we brought from our home parks and were helped to develop a presentation of that resource.

I know that people care about something when they know the significance and importance of it. In our parks, this could be anything from the species that live in the park’s ecosystem, to the sustainability of the habitat, to the history of the land itself. It is the Park Interpreters responsibility and challenge to bring those things to life for the park visitor.

What I didn’t realize is that I would fall in love with the field of interpretation. As an educator, I love to share knowledge with others, but interpretation marries my love for education with storytelling. We are lucky to have masterful storytellers in our Virginia State Parks who bring history to life and reveal the significance in an oyster, a quilt, a butter churn, or beaver pelt.

In my summer as an interpreter, I worked with an amazing team of educators that were passionate about the park and imparting their knowledge and enthusiasm on visitors. I met thousands of guests and with the help of our interpretive team, conducted programs on the creatures that live in the Chesapeake Bay and the woods of the maritime forest, got up close and personal with our animal ambassador Eastern King Snake, made nature crafts and pollinator habitats with families, learned how to crab for the first time and led crabbing programs, led day and night hikes, taught a Junior Rangers camp and built dozens of weekly campfires. Around each campfire I never failed to be amazed by the community that can be created within that warm, glowing circle.

Keep reading my AmeriCorps adventure in the next part of this series, click below. 

Why I AmeriCorps? Part 3