FRIENDS OF EDGEWOOD NATURAL PRESERVE
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FRIENDS OF EDGEWOOD NATURAL PRESERVE
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RANGER ROUNDUP: NEW KID ON THE BLOCK By Susy Boyd
Then some friends of mine told me about working for the parks, which got me to thinking about working as a ranger. I was a Park Aide at Memorial Park in Loma Mar while I waitressed at night and began the Park Management Associate of Science degree at West Valley College in Saratoga. To my complete surprise, I was selected to be a permanent ranger after only one season as a Park Aide! Since that time, I have returned to West Valley College, and I will be finishing my degree at the end of summer. I have taken courses in Fire Management, Ecology, Geology, Interpretation, GIS/GPS, Maintenance, and Natural Resources. Eventually I would like to study Resource Management with an emphasis in Forestry. After a number of years working in an urban environment, I am very happy to feel dirt under my feet again. I have been so impressed with both the dedication and the level of knowledge of the volunteers here at Edgewood Park. I learn from the volunteers every time I work with them. The bulk of my time here has been spent learning about the Yellow starthistle weed eradication program. It is amazing to look at one side of a path where weed control has taken place, and across the path to the other side where nothing has been done and to see the difference. I would have thought the task to be too large to be accomplished, but luckily, the volunteers felt otherwise and got to work, and the results are truly inspiring. The other feature of Edgewood that has caught my eye are the Black-tailed deer. I have always had a soft spot for deer, and it is a joy to be going about my duties here and look up and see a family cruise by. I hope to learn more about these beautiful animals here at Edgewood. The oak woodland ecosystem as a whole is interesting, and I thank all of you who are sharing your knowledge about the plant and bird/animal life with me. |
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Actually, I’m not really a
new ranger, I’m only new to Edgewood Park. I worked for 3 ½ years as a Park
Ranger at Coyote Point Park in San Mateo prior to arriving here at Edgewood.
After getting a Master’s degree in Communications from UC Davis, I realized
that all I really wanted to do was work in and for the great outdoors. I
followed my friend up to Oregon and Washington to work as a seasonal Forestry
Technician for four years. Returning to the Bay Area, I thought about being a
veterinarian and took many math and science classes (after failing them in high
school!) and found that I loved the challenge of these classes, and that I had
actually become good with numbers and analytical skills. But the cost of
veterinary school was daunting.