Tanya Hall, Chief Ranger of Visitor Experience at Hungry Mother State Park shares why she pours her heart and soul into her work to help make visitors' vacations special.

Hello I am Tanya Hall your Chief Ranger at Hungry Mother State Park

Tanya shares:

I’m hot, tired, sweaty and hungry. It’s two o’clock in the afternoon and I haven’t had a chance to sit down all day, and I haven’t eaten lunch. But you know, I don’t even really notice. What I notice is that I have five very rambunctious kids and their curious parents running around me so excited to find the salamanders we are searching for. 

The Critter Crawl teaches families about the species that lives in the streams

Even though we have been hunting for twenty minutes and have only found two, the exuberance has not subsided. As we dart up the hillside in the shady, damp hollow, we notice earthworms making tunnels under the rocks, beetles chewing away the bark on the fallen and decaying trees, and a funny looking stick that looks just like a snake lying close to a cool rock. 

One youngster yells out “what’s that?” as we hear a hammering overhead and then see the flash of the Pileated Woodpecker’s black and white wings as it takes flight. 

Hungry Mother State Park is home to a variety of birds and animals

We are soon back crawling around in the creek, and the parents are worriedly asking the little ones if they are still looking for salamanders. We assure them we still are as we tear acorns apart and let the caps float down the creek creating little tiny boats for little tiny adventurers to explore the large wide world of the creek. We jump over sticks and leaves that are caught in the ripples of this dangerous but exciting journey as we chase our tiny explorers. We dash to grab our acorn boats when they crash into the pebbles just as we happen to see something crawling on the rocks. We hurriedly flip them over to discover small aquatic insects; stoneflies, mayflies, caddis flies, and water pennies. Really excited now, the kids race to flip over all the rocks; big and little. 

Kids learn how to take care of the world we live in

I think to myself, “Don’t worry, flip over as many as you want, I’ll walk behind you and return them to their original position so as not to disturb the tiny living habitats where these special animals live.” All of a sudden, I hear a squeal of utter delight. A salamander has been found! 

Yes, I am hot, tired, sweaty and hungry, but it doesn't matter. What matters are the hugs and high fives I receive as we finish up our exploration. As the family walks away, they stop, turn and all of them wave.  The last things I see are seven huge smiles.

What really matters

The excitement from families enjoying and learning outdoors makes everything worth the time and effort at Virginia State Parks.

Programs are available for overnight and day-use visitors. Information about programs at Hungry Mother State Park or any other Virginia State Park can be found online here.

We hope you can come out and enjoy one of Tanya's nature programs soon!