Parks, Recreation and Ecotourism - Explore A Career

• Skills Needed
• Career Advice
• Jobs Sites 
• Position types
• Where do alumni go after Unity?
• Gift Ideas 
• Graduate School Sites
• Professional Associations
  

This is a listing of skills that will supplement your college education. Develop them early!

Develop skills and knowledge

• Low Impact Camping
• Public Speaking
• Watercraft
• Outdoor Cooking
• Wilderness Survival
• History/Geology
• Creative Writing
• First Aid
• Law Enforcement
• Search and Rescue

• Landscaping
• Chainsaw Operation
• Maintenance Skills
• Rock Climbing
• Audio-Visual
• Equipment
• Map and Compass
• Plant and Bird Identification

• Recreation Leadership
• Life guarding
• Fire Fighting
• Firearms
• Radio use (dispatch)
• Animal Care/Handling
• Carpentry Skills
• Foreign Languages
• Money Handling

• Obtain a valid driver's license
• Learn to drive standard transmission
• Learn to handle 4 X 4
• Learn to operate tractor, snow plow, etc.

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• ATTEND the Unity Career Fair-talk with the professionals in your field, conduct informational interviews
• TALK with upperclassman - where did they volunteer, intern, and find employment?
• ASK faculty, and CRC about Unity alumni who are employed in the Parks, Recreation and Ecotourism field. Call alumni who are working in an area you want to work; introduce yourself, let them know you are looking for advice, internship, job

• JOIN National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA), Maine Recreation and Parks Association (MRPA), or the National Association of Interpreters (NAI).
• READ Monthly publications  from NRPA, MPRA, and NAI. Also read the newsletter of the Employees and Alumni of the National Parks Service which is available in the college library
• PARK RANGER - visit this site to find about more about become a Park Ranger Click here

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• Avue Central is a federal employment service provided absolutely free to the public. This site has been highly recommended by students as easier to use than the USAJOBS site.  We gave it a try and it seemed pretty good.
  
• National Recreation and Parks Association Great listing of positions across the country
  
  
• Student Conservation Association  Complete one application - SCA matches you to positions with federal, state or non profit environmental/conservations agencies.  Website has searchable database. Positions available for 16, 26 or 52 weeks. 
  
  
• STATE GOVERNMENT  Most states have links to their state parks and natural resources employment agency pages. Start you search on the CRC "State Jobsites" webpage
  
  
• Sustainable Business.com Business Jobs - Environmental Jobs - Environmentally Responsible Employers.  Great site with a variety of positions all over the US.
  
  
• United States Office of Personnel Management/ USAJobs ---Just about all federal positions are listed on the OPM site. It will take you some time to learn to use this resource, but it is worth the effort.
  
  
• USDA Bureau of Land Management
  
  
• USDI National Park Service
  
  
• Career Resource Center's Job Webpage-Tons of other web links to jobs.

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Positions to look for when you are first starting:

• Local Parks  - Volunteer at a local park. Even if it means fee-collecting or picking up trash you are getting valuable park experience that will look good on your resume. Positions with concessionaires are another good way to "get your foot in the door."
• Museums  - Volunteering at a museum provides valuable human relations & interpretive experience.
• Private Campground  - Commercial campgrounds will provide you with valuable experience. It is usually somewhat easier to get a position with a commercial operator than a state or national park.
• Outfitter - Get a summer job with an outfitter. Even if you just work in the store you are still expanding your knowledge of outdoor equipment and techniques by dealing with your adventurous clientele.
• Local Land Trust - Volunteer to help monitor the local preserve, work on a trail clean up, staff the land trust outreach display at a local festival.  Getting involved helps you build skills and a network

Volunteering even half a day a week for the summer will provide you with valuable
experience. You may need to ask repeatedly before being taken on as a volunteer.

When you have some skills and experience and are looking for a summer job or internship:

• Season, part-time and temporary positions - Apply at the the places suggested as volunteer options; if you volunteered for the organization the previous summer or school break your chances of employment are greatly increased
• Student Conservation Association (SCA) - They match applicants with federal and state agencies across the country
• Federal, state and local parks - Federal parks hire early so apply by mid December. 
• Contact the state and local parks you are interested in to find out when they hire 
• Land trusts, nature centers and other non profit organizations that manage land for recreation and/or environmental education
  

Remember it's all about NETWORKING. If you don't network how is anybody to know who you are and what you have to offer? Volunteering is where you are given the chance to schmooze with the professionals, use it wisely. This is where a lot of people get their first jobs.

Definition of "NETWORKING"- Introducing yourself to, and getting to know, people who might be able to tell you about a job. "An estimated 80% of all jobs are filled by word of mouth eventhough they may be advertised." The Career Search Handbook

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Title and Organization

• Ranger, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park
• Ranger, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head
• Park Manager, Hale Reservation
• Property Manager, Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm
• Corrections Officer, State of Maine
• Special Agent, U.S. Fish & Wildlife
• Park Ranger, Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
• Game Warden Specialist, ME Fish and Wildlife
• General Manager Family Resort, Rockywold-Deephaven Camps Inc.
• Superintendent IV, Parks and Forestry, New Jersey Park Service
• Education Technician/Behavioral Technician, Goodwill Hinckley
• Campground Supervisor, Shenandoah National Park
• Sgt. Conservation Officer, NH Fish and Game Department, Law Enforcement Division
• Project Leader, Southeast Alaska Guidance Association (SAGA)
• Trail Maintenance and Rehabilitation, USDA Forest Service/ Inyo National Forest

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If anyone asks what you would like for your birthday, Christmas, Chanukah, graduation etc. suggest the following

• Hiking Boots
• Camping Equipment
• Backpack
• Rain Gear
• Plant and Wildlife ID Field Guides

• Outdoor Clothing (polypro, fleece, etc.)
• Compass
• Binoculars
• $ for a professional association membership
• $ to attend a conference of workshop

Need some equipment in the meantime?  Stop by the equipment room in the OAC.  With a $20.00 refundable deposit you can take out equipment including canoes, backpacks, snowshoes, skis, wet suits and much more!

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• GradSchool.com select "Parks and Recreation"
  
  
• Peterson's Graduate School Search select "Recreation and Park Management"
  
  
• GRADUATE PROGRAMS Below are a few schools that offer a masters in park management. There are many, many others on the web, however this is a good start for those students looking to further their education.
• Indiana University
• Nicholas School of the Earth and Sciences/Duke University
• North Carolina State University
• University of Minnesota Are you interested in attending the Park Ranger Seasonal Law Enforcement Academy? Doing so enables you to work for the Department of the Interior: National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and US Fish and Wildlife. As a law enforcement ranger you interact with natural resource violations as well as traditional law enforcement. Check out the link below to gain further information.

• • Park Ranger Seasonal Law Enforcement Academy

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• Wilderness Education Network Home page
  
  
• International Society for Ecotourism A great start for learning about the expanding markets in ecotourism.
  
  
• Association of National Park Rangers "An organization created to promote and enhance the park ranger profession and its spirit."
  
  
• Federal Wildlife Officers Association, Inc. "Dedication to the protection of wildlife and the enforcement of federal wildlife law."
  
  
• National Recreation and Park Association "To advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people."
  
  
• North American Wildlife Officers Association "Committed to wildlife protection and to the public we serve."
  
  
• Maine Association of Environmental Educators  "Facilitates and promotes environmental education in the Maine."
  
  
• National Society for Experiential Education  "Association committed to all forms of experiential learning."
  
  
• North American Association for Environmental Education "Network of professionals, students, and volunteers working in the field of environmental education throughout North America and in over 55 countries around the world."
  
  
• Park Law Enforcement Association "To improve law enforcement and visitor protection services in park and recreation areas."

For more information about the Parks, Recreation and Ecotourism degree at Unity College 
click here or contact Associate Professor Tom Mullin at 207-948-3131 ext.291

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