As many of you who follow this blog may have noted, my posts
have slowed down significantly during the past two months. I have not lost interest or inspiration to
share my thoughts and experiences.
Since retiring from the National Park Service I have at times felt a
sense of loss not waking up in the morning being a part of an organization with
a mission that I felt passionate about.
I have found a source to help fill that need while allowing me to give
back to our community.
Since retirement I have been volunteering at the Boxerwood
Nature Center and Woodland Garden in Lexington, Virginia. For more than two years I helped with
facilitating environmental education programs for elementary and middle school
students. I was impressed with the
organization and content of these lessons which are tied directly to the State
of Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL’s) and the experiential presentations
that allowed students to connect their classroom learning with the real world
of nature. During these two years I have
seen the magic and the direct link of young students becoming interested in
science and the outdoors. I hope someday
that this seed of curiosity and awareness develop into support of our park
systems. The pay off for me was the
feeling of connection to the interests and enthusiasm that led me to the start
of my National Park Service career so many years ago.
A year ago I advanced my involvement at Boxerwood by becoming a member
of their Board of Trustees. More recently
I have stepped up that commitment again by accepting the job as Managing
Director for the Boxerwood Education Association. In this position I am responsible for the
administrative and financial health of the organization in addition to the
management of the facilities and grounds including a woodland garden. You can learn more about Boxerwood if you
visit the web site at;
You can also view an article about my new job in the Rockbridge Weekly newspaper at:
My time dedicated to writing may be challenged for at least
a while, but I hope to keep this blog going with points of interest as to the
career of being a Park Ranger, our National Parks, and answering any questions
posed by readers. If you should have a question or topic of interest you wish to hear about, I can be reached at:
And if ever in the area of Lexington, Virginia stop by at Boxerwood Nature Center and say hi.
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