Current Position: Assistant Manager at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park.
How long have you been working in the Montana state park system and in what capacity?
I have worked with Montana state parks summers since 1986, so 21 years. I was a tour guide when I was attending college; then a ticket settler for 16 years, and finally became park manager (a year-round position) in February of '05.
How did you become involved in working in the park system?
I started working here because I grew up in Cardwell (less than 10 miles from the park) and this was preferable employment when compared to my farmer job as farmhand/pipe-changer for my father whose maximum pay was $8/day (daylight - not just 8 hours). It was fun, paid for lots of my college bills and I could live at home. I continued summer employment after I received my elementary teaching positions because my summers were "open" and this added income enabled me to travel. I enjoyed the people (both coworkers and the public), the challenges and decision-making experience, and totally LOVED the site!
I happily taught second grade three years then a combination 7th/8th grade for 15 years, but when the opportunity to work full-time in the park came along; it was too good to pass. I took a year's leave of absence to apply for the assistant manager's position and finally was awarded it in February of 2005.
Describe a typical day at your job. (If there is no such thing as a typical day, then please tell us about your primary responsibilities and duties.)
A typical day here varies greatly. In the summer (tourist season) I oversee the 12-15 tour guides, 3 ticket sellers and fill in if any of them are sick. I also schedule Friday evening campground programs in the winter but have to implement them during the summer. We also have a campground of 39 sites, 1 tipi and 3 cabin rentals, plus a group use area. I assist with reservations and handling problems. I help (and am assisted by) a park naturalist who offers programs every Wednesday and Saturday and an information coordinator. I am also an ex-officio game warden, so monitor the park in a small law capacity.
How many hours a week do you work in this position?
I normally work an 8-hour day five days a week but to amass overtime during our events (stargazing-overnight campout and December candlelight tours) or as needed. I work one weekend day through the end of November to help monitor the hunting activity in the area even though cavern tours have halted. From January to March I get weekends off, then April to November back to only one day of the weekend off. It is harder to attend family activities but I can often switch a shift or take a vacation day if I know events in advance. Most of our state parks do not have both an assistant as well as a manager, so Lewis & Clark Caverns allows me a little more flexibility.
What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy the outdoor and cavern natural resource stimulation and
conservation. I like that new problems and ideas are constantly in the works. I really appreciate the developments and continuing focus on the outdoors/education that we are seeing. It is a lot like continuing to teach only at a "voluntary" environment.
What do you find to be the greatest challenges of your job?
The greatest challenges often deal with a balance of offering more/better to the visitor while doing less interference to the site (or determining when to stop). We deal largely with an appreciative public, but it can be challenging when they are upset or demanding. Funding for state parks varies with new government position turn-overs and current priorities, so that can be interesting.
What kind of training/schooling is required in your position?
I actually had no formal training for this position other than that provided from 20 + years of experience working on the site. The University of Montana does offer a parks degree and courses, plus we have over fifty state parks, two national parks, and numerous federal interpretive sites so a wide variety of people qualify as applicants to such positions.
Is there any kind of training or general experience that you wish you had before taking your job?
I wish that I had more computer experience because everything is so advanced from the few courses I took in college; it is all a little intimidating but necessary. I think my farming/ranching background has always made me consider wise use of resources plus I feel a responsibility to be a good steward. I hope to continue growing in knowledge in this particular area.
What are a few of the projects that you've been working on recently that have been the most interesting?
My most recent interesting projects are the new lighting system and the possibility of a reservation system to parks. The lighting is LED, so does less damage to the cave while providing a much-needed improvement for safety. It is exciting to be a part of what is history-in-the making. We only did the portion of the cave that our budget would allow, so I hope to see this continue. The reservation system is less noticeable, but could become an asset to visitors.
If someone were interested in working in your position, what advice could you give them?
My advice to someone looking to apply for an assistant park managers
position (or in general for any state park opening), is to look at your experiences in a new light. It may seem that you have no training, education or experience that is considered necessary, but so much of life is made of informal, life lessons. Try to see these opportunities and list them as well the most obvious. Emphasize your strengths; admit but show that you are working on your weaknesses. Most of all, find a job that suits you.
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