Carol Spears was convinced by the view of Crater Lake National Park.
When she visited the Oregon park with her sister on a holiday, she was already on her way to having a job that required her to be outside — a non-negotiable prerequisite for her.
“I decided I wanted to return there to serve one day when I visited,” she said. “I promised my sister I’d return and work there, and four years later, I did.”
Spears started working at Crater Lake in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s degree in zoology and an “all but dissertation” for a doctorate in wildlife ecology. She spent a long time teaching people about national parks and helping to preserve them in places like Alaska, Oregon, California, Arizona, New York and Ohio. She served as a park ranger for 30 years at eight different parks, rising through the ranks to park manager and then superintendent.
Protecting the parks and their resources raised a number of problems, including park guests who were unaware that such laws were in place for a reason.
She continues to convey her expertise in national parks by instructing students at The Villages’ Enrichment Academy.
She said, “I wanted to continue what has been a lifelong passion and mission for me. It is my mission to educate others about the value of protecting our natural areas.”
People in her classrooms are often shocked to hear how much effort it takes to maintain the parks, she explained.
“This is a job,” she said emphatically. “Some people believe that park rangers go out and do whatever they want. If the park is managed properly, it is a well-oiled machine.”
Spears had difficult days on the job as a public information officer for Channel Islands National Park, which she admits is her favorite park.
She faced more “contentious problems” while serving at the park off the coast of Southern California, such as explaining to the public why the park had to kill thousands of non-native wild boar from one of the islands.
They also played a key role in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, according to her, which contributed to her collaborating with Santa Barbara police on a sting operation targeting people stealing from Chumash burial sites. The Chumash initially refused to allow the remains being used as evidence in the case, but Spears agreed that if they were convicted, they would be reburied.
She requested the Chumash to rebury their ancestors on the island.
“One of the Chumash elders told me it was the first time they’d been welcomed back out to their island in 200 years,” she said. “That said a lot about the importance of preserving and protecting their culture. I was honored to be a part of it.”
She also had several days in the parks where she was able to see the breathtaking beauty of nature and wildlife.
“We had to scuba dive because we required to teach people about the Channel Islands’ underwater wealth,” she said. “…I could see the incredible richness of marine life the first time I put on my fins and all and put my head underwater in the Pacific Ocean… I can still visualize it.”
She even walked in fresh grizzly footprints in Alaska, saw a blue whale from a helicopter, went 1,200 feet underwater in a submarine and more.
“That’s why I did it — for the thrill of exploration,” the Village Santiago resident said.
Spears announced her retirement in 2008, but she continues to inspire people to visit national parks with precautions and following rules obviously.
– Attributed Source, The Villages Daily Sun