Author: DNCR Education & Outreach Team and Sean Higgins
How long have you been with DNCR?
18 Years with N.C. State Parks (started back when it was part of DENR)
Can you explain your role and responsibilities at N.C. State Parks?
The Interpretation and Education team helps people make personal connections with amazing places. State Parks protect unique and exceptional resources. Protecting them matters! Through guided programs and exhibits, park visitors better understand how parks protect a healthy environment and how they enhance the North Carolina experience.
“Even on days that are mostly administrative (reports, emails, cybersecurity videos), there is typically something interesting and unexpected that we learn about North Carolina's natural resources.”
What do you most enjoy about your work?
Our education team gets to be themselves at work. One team member takes pride that they have hiked on every trail in our system, which is hundreds! One is a geology enthusiast who can turn any conversation into learning about the rocks beneath our feet. An interesting looking moth or spider on the wall will distract us from just about any meeting. I think our geekiness helps make us better educators!
What is your team like?
We have a team of 10 whose primary responsibility is Interpretation & Education. It's a FUN team. People seek the great outdoors for fun, and students learn best when they are having fun. Even when the topics we teach aren't uplifting, we find ways to help people enjoy the learning. We are joined by another 550 full-time division employees, and over a thousand non-permanent employees. While I&E may not be their primary duty, they all have an important role in helping people understand why the parks matter.
What does a typical day look like for you?
No day is typical. It could be guiding 5th graders on Lake James in our 14-passenger Big Canoes. It could involve helping a college class figure out what the mysterious jelly blobs are in Lake Norman (they're freshwater bryozoans - relatives of coral). Even on days that are mostly administrative (reports, emails, cybersecurity videos), there is typically something interesting and unexpected that we learn about North Carolina's natural resources.
Can you share a particularly memorable moment on the job?
I love helping people experience things for the first time in the great outdoors. During a hike, a high school student who had never been to the mountains remarked, "Wow, I never knew waterfalls were so loud." That memory reminds me of all the nature we sometimes forget to appreciate because it becomes typical. How many different birds can you hear walking to your car in the morning? What is the phase of the moon today? These common wonders make my life more enjoyable when I try to pay attention to them.
Can you share with us a fun fact about you?
I love the Simpsons and am enjoying re-watching old episodes with my kids.
What’s your job in another life?
If Rock Skipping were an Olympic sport, I'd have tried out for Team USA. At this point in my athletic career, I'd settle for being a Rock Skipping coach.
“Sean & the entire Interpretation & Education team at NC Parks are doing incredible work to make our state parks available as centers for education and discovery. In addition to standing up the new Schools in Parks program, they support our individual state parks in serving over 36,000 students and teachers annually through school-sponsored fieldtrips. They also consistently develop fresh and innovative exhibits and interpretive materials to equip our parents and teachers with the tools they need to make our state parks the outdoor classrooms we know they can be. This amazing team personifies what we mean at DNCR when we say ‘Learning Happens Here.’"
~Jeff Michael | Deputy Secretary for Natural Resources