Camping Magazine, Nov-Dec, 2007 by Ray Bivens
Through my travels, I encounter many nature-themed camps. They have names such as “Young Explorers,” “Nature Nuts,” and “Outdoor Adventurers.” Sadly, I discover that nine times out of ten, these camps have no naturalist or professional outdoor educator on staff. No camp director would theme a camp around sailing without a trained sailing instructor, so why should nature camps be any different?
As a former program director myself, I realize what program directors face every day. It can seem like a hundred urgent matters occur each day, often at the same time. If you do not spend your week putting out one small brush fire after another, please give me a call; I want to know your secret. Unfortunately, environmental education at camp is often something that is easy to put on the back burner on your “things to do list” that you create each morning. Environmental education never seems to get the attention it deserves when you are dealing with a plumbing problem, preparing for the staff meeting, and trying to balance the budget.
You can give your environmental education program a face-lift. The first thing to do is to make a commitment to creating a properly staffed program by hiring a camp naturalist or outdoor educator. Develop a written job description, and advertise the position using “camp naturalist” or “outdoor educator” as the job title. If you advertise for a horseback riding instructor, you do not get lifeguards applying; the same rule applies here. Why should a naturalist apply to a camp that is only looking for camp counselors?
Finding Your Naturalist
Let’s start with what not to look for in a camp naturalist or interpreter.
1. You are not necessarily looking for an ornithologist. Just because he or she knows the mating call of the chestnut-sided warbler by heart does not mean he or she understands camp and campers. You need someone who can be part entertainer, part educator, and part famous TV naturalist Marty Stauffer, all in one.
2. You are not looking for someone to run a nature center. It takes too much time and money to bring a nature center to life–leave that job to the pros at local parks and nonprofit groups like the National Audubon Society. You need someone who can make your camp property his or her living classroom.
3. You are not looking for Freeman Tilden (aka: The Father of Interpretation). With the salary you are able to offer, you will not attract the world’s elite naturalists. However, do not be afraid to emphasize the positives of your position: time off, free meals, free lodging, and a great chance to save money.
The Interview Process
Many camp directors would not know a fish hawk from an eagle but certainly want a naturalist who does. One easy, nonintimidating way to discover what a candidate knows is to give a short quiz. Visit www.enature.com, use downloaded photos of local trees and animals to create your own quiz, and then see how prospective camp naturalists score.
As part of the interview process, consider asking each applicant to come prepared with a ten-minute program to present. This technique is common in the field. Chances are that if you enjoy their teaching style, so will your campers. A warning concerning this practice: it can make phone interviews very difficult, but the good naturalists will still shine through.
Empowering Your Staff Member
Your outdoor education program is one that needs your support not only fiscally but also emotionally–and with your own sweat equity. Traditionally, naturalist positions attract individuals with personalities that thrive on daily feedback, and they are committed to their work so that they can share their love of the outdoors, not just receive a paycheck. Failing to set aside time to regularly attend programs or check in on a daily basis, will certainly alienate a camp naturalist much quicker than most other staff members. Traditionally, camp managers stay “out of the hair” of staff members who are doing a good job and watch from a distance. This is not a good management approach when working with an educator.
What Focus Will Your Environmental Education Program Take?
Try not to dictate to your camp naturalist specifically what subject matters he or she should teach–the educator needs some latitude for creativity. In addition, if your naturalist comes with a specialty in Herps (Reptiles and Amphibians), the last thing you want to do is force them to conduct lessons about marine biology all summer.
Ask for a written lesson plan in advance and provide input and ideas to help enrich the programs. Having a written lesson plan one week in advance allows the naturalist time to be creative but keeps him/her from procrastinating and using the “fly by the seat of my pants” planning method.
Retention of Good Staff
Turnover in the interpretive field is much higher than in traditional camp positions. Great camp directors will find a way to do the little things that make it easy for good staff to return. Here are a few ideas:
* If a good staff member returns for a second season, offer to pay their way to an advanced training opportunity or conference. Leave No Trace Master Trainer workshops, Audubon workshops, or National Association of Interpretation workshops or conferences are all good choices. You might never see a dime of return on this investment, but it is certainly a risk worth taking. You could call it inducement, but most definitely, you could call it a good investment.
