Fishing in VA

Women’s Wellness Weekend Caters to Mind, Body & Spirit

Friday, March 12, 2010 by Zoe Rogers

Women are looking for affordable vacations where they can leave their hectic lifestyles behind. A three day weekend is just what the mind needs. Women’s Wellness Weekends at Virginia State Parks is just that place; we offer a picturesque setting where women can unwind and regain balance in their lives.

Our wellness weekends offer a wide variety of workshops and outdoor activities for women of all ages. Women participating in the upcoming weekend in April will enjoy activities such as fly fishing, yoga, aromatherapy, hiking, and kayaking.

The weekend begins on Friday, April 23rd with registration at 3 p.m. and ends Sunday, April 25th at noon. And it’s affordable. Share your stay with friends or make new ones. You can also bring you RV or camp in the campground. No matter where you stay you’ll have the opportunity to explore the natural beauty and the scenic views of Fairy Stone State Park. So call your girlfriends and make your plans today. Call our reservation center at 800-933-7275, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or visit our website at www.virginiastateparks.gov.

If you’re unable to attend this weekend, our next Women’s Wellness Weekend will be held in October at Bear Creek Lake State Park in Cumberland County.

Fairy Stone State Park - Magically Delightful

Friday, March 12, 2010 by Nancy Heltman

Sometimes I marvel at how I get my ideas for blog posts. I get an email with the "Lens of the Day" from Squidoo (neat stuff by the way). Today's title was "Purple Star Awards." I confess I haven't read the post yet but it made me think of Lucky Charms Cereal. Then I thought, "Hey it's almost St. Patrick's Day" and then I decided it was time to do a blog about Fairy Stone. Not sure what this says about my creative process.

The connection between St. Patrick's Day and Fairy Stone is a little more obvious. Fairy Stone State Park is located in Patrick County. Okay, so Patrick County has nothing to do with St. Patrick. Once in Virginia there was a giant county called Patrick Henry County named after that famous Virginia forefather. In 1791 they split the county into Patrick and Henry counties.

In addition to the tenuous "Patrick" connection, the story behind the park's name sake involves fairies and wee people right out of Irish folklore. Fairy Stones are naturally formed staurolite crystals that form cross-like shapes. The Captain John Smith/Pocahontas legend talks about Pocahontas giving Captain John Smith a necklace of lucky fairy stones. Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson as well as Charles Linberg and Thomas Edison reportedly carried the crosses for luck. If you have jewelry made out of the crosses (and we sell some at the park), a lot of work went into making the rough stones into crosses appropriate for jewelry.

While nothing beats a good fairy stone hunt, the real magic of Fairy Stone State Park is the more than 4,600 acres which makes this park an outdoor paradise. The park is situated on Fairy Stone Lake which was created by damming Goblintown Creek. The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the park infrastructure and Fairy Stone opened June 15, 1936 as one of the six original Virginia State Parks.

A CCC Log Cabin at Fairystone State Park

Today the park features a campground with great views, twenty-five cabins with some lakefront, a family lodge that sleeps 16 people, Fayerdale Hall Conference Center, and a seasonal swimming beach. There are nine miles of multi-use trail for hiking, biking and horseback riding as well as about six miles of hiking only trail. The 168 acre lake offers great fishing (no gasoline powered boats allowed). The park rents rowboats, paddleboats, kayaks and canoes on a seasonal basis.

The swimming beach is loaded with fun for the kids

For camping and cabin reservations, call our reservation center at 800-933-7275 or book on line.

Park Ranger Geoff Hall

Thursday, March 11, 2010 by Tom Cervenak

In a career that has spanned 24 years since I started with Virginia State Parks, I have worked with a lot of great people. One of the nicest people you could ever encounter is a friend of mine named Geoff Hall at Hungry Mother State Park. I hired Geoff as a seasonal employee back in the 1980's. I left the park and transferred to Mason Neck State Park, while Geoff left the park altogether to pursue other goals in life. About 20 years later at an Employee's Fishing Tournament at Kiptopeke State Park, one of our employees looked at me and said, "you don't remember me do you?" Well the name I may had temporally forgot, but that kind voice and smile were unmistakable. Geoff had come back to Hungry Mother and was now a Park Ranger where it all started for him. I manage our customer service program and I can tell you he gets some of the nicest comments from our visitors. I'm talking the above and beyond kind of acts of kindness that just reinforces what I already knew about my old friend. You are one class act Geoff Hall with a big heart to help your fellow man. Next time you are at Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, VA, stop in and see Geoff and tell Tom sent you.

Fight For Your Parks

Thursday, March 11, 2010 by Tom Cervenak

With shrinking budgets across our nation, one of the first things that is thought of to be cut is our parks. What's interesting though, is that these cuts amount to only a tiny portion of the overall budgets' of cities, counties and states and the benefits that we lose when closing a park are in measurable. Think about your childhood and where you went to play; think about some of the tougher times in our life and where you went to clear your head or to have a quiet cry; think about where you took your children to plan on the playground equipment; think about where you took your son to fish for the first time or where you had a family reunion or picnic. I would bet most of your answers were a "park", whether a city, county, state or national park, I would bet we all have gone to one for memorable times in our lives. Today now more than ever we need places to go. In these tough times you may find the answers during a walk in the park, or at least, you had a break from the pressures of life. Our parks are tonics for the mind, body and spirit of America. So when you hear someone talking about closing parks to save money where you live, go ahead and fight!

Your Next Family Reunion

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 by Nancy Heltman

Virginia's State Parks have always been fantastic family vacation spots. The parents can relax and unwind from their normally busy vacations while the kids enjoy swimming, boating, fishing, hiking or a variety of programs offered at the park.

Many parks have water features for swimming and boating fun for the family

What's good for the immediate family is even better for larger family groups. We have families who come to a particular state park year after year or every other year to celebrate their annual family reunions. Twenty-four of our Virginia State Parks have campgrounds for families that enjoy the camping experience. Nineteen parks have comfortable cabins for those family members who prefer a bed, kitchen and bathroom all under the same roof. Thirteen parks now have our family lodges that have five to six bedrooms and sleep 15-18 people (most sleep 16). The family lodges offer large gathering areas where many family members can gather and prepare meals together.

The family sitting down for dinner at the Bear Creek Lake State Park family lodge

Photo by Bill Crabtree Jr., Virginia Tourism Corporation

In the summer, all of our parks offer special programming and events. We are all about catering to our customers, so for a large group you can arrange a special program just for your family group. Hungry Mother and Douthat state parks offer catering for your event and many other parks like Claytor Lake, Twin Lakes, Bear Creek Lake and Westmoreland have meeting facilities you can rent for an event.

Our cabins and lodges do require a week stay during the Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day period. We accept reservations up to eleven months in advance so if you have a big group coming, plan in advance. Normally we require payment in full fourteen days after making a reservation but for a large group with one coordinator, we will make special arrangements if you ask to speak to the Reservation Center or Assistant Manager. Reservations and information are available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 800-933-7275.

Photo by Bill Crabtree Jr., Virginia Tourism Corporation

If you are not sure which park you want to visit, try our new park amenity search.

If you have been coming to Virginia State Parks for years with your family, tell us about it! Add your own blog here. If you have more than one picture, you can email me the others at nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov. If you post your own blog between now and August 31, 2010 you will be eligible for a drawing for a week cabin stay at any of our parks.

Family camping trip at Pocahontas State Park

Hungry Mother State Park Hosts Alternative Spring Break Group

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 by Amy Atwood

Grand Valley State University ASB group at Hungry Mother State Park

March brings many things like longer days and more sunshine. It also means it is spring break time. One group of college students is spending their spring break at Hungry Mother State Park volunteering. They are a part of Grand Valley State University’s Alternative Spring Break program. The school is located in Allendale, Michigan.

Lunch with Hungry Mother State Park staff and Friends of Hungry Mother.

After a first morning of orientation, the group was treated to a potluck lunch hosted by the park staff and Friends of Hungry Mother. After lunch the work began. Some of the projects the crew will be working on are creating fish habitat by tying cinderblocks to old Christmas trees, help the Friend of Hungry Mother pick-up trash along Hwy 16 leading into the park. & to help the park to prepare for the busy season. Their evenings are spent soaking up local culture and attractions. They will spend one afternoon exploring Grayson Highlands State Park.

Alterative Spring Break is designed to give students opportunities to reach out to help people in different parts of country by serving with various types of organizations. The students pay all the expenses for the trip and come to lend a helping hand. Especially during these economic times, volunteers make a huge contributions to Virginia State Parks. Many things would not happen without the effort of volunteers.

Thank you, Grand Valley State University for choosing to spend your Spring Break at Hungry Mother State Park.

Helping Wildlife

Monday, March 8, 2010 by Tom Cervenak

I started working for Virginia State Parks in 1986 and in a long career have had the chance to get up close with wildlife and working on enhancing it. I can't even begin to count how many blue bird boxes, wood duck boxes, squirrel boxes, bat boxes and other artificial homes I build in the Park maintenance buildings and then placed into the wild. At York River State Park we had a great bluebird program in which we would go check the boxes and count the young chics. At other parks I helped stock fish, including trout into a river out of a transport truck. In numerous lakes at our parks I participated in recycling Christmas trees as fish structure. There have been times I rescued wildlife, like a red-tailed hawk hit by a car that a took to the vet. There was one time I even captured a baby Emu running down the road and returned it to a neighbor that was raising it. I have also gotten the chance to work with many reptiles in interpretive programs. I also got to work on controlled deer hunts to help over an overpopulated herd. I guess my Recreation and Wildlife Management Degree has come in handy through the years.

Boy Scouts and Virginia State Parks

Monday, March 8, 2010 by Tom Cervenak

I use my vast knowledge of Virginia State Parks that I acquired since I started in 1986, to take Troop 340 out for fun and to learn about the great outdoors. I have taken the boys to several parks, but no trip compared to last May at Douthat State Park. Things started off good with a great campfire breakfast on Saturday morning, followed by a visit to the park's annual car show. Next came some fishing time so they could get their fishing merit badge, but it turned out I was the only one to catch fish. We then took a great hike up the mountain to Blue Suck Falls. The hike up there was beautiful and it helped get some of that energy out of the boys. It was at the top that the memorable moments of the trip began. One of the boys twisted his ankle and we had to carry him the whole way down, with looming thunderstorms developing rapidly. Upon return to campsite the skies opened up and some of the heaviest rain I ever saw fell in buckets for hours. Dinner on the fire was canceled and we fed the boys in shifts under a dining fly on a camp stove. In the middle of this incredible storm, one of the boys ran smack dab into a tree nearly knocking him out. Also, one of the tents became saturated with all the gear in them. The 3 boys from that tent ended up sleeping in one of the vehicles that night. It was nice to get home to my own bed and dry clothes, but it is wonderful trips like this that none of us will ever forget. If you have a Boy Scout or Girl Scout Troop, I strongly suggest utilizing a State Park for your next outing. They are affordable, safe and FUN!

Connecting Children with Nature

Friday, March 5, 2010 by Tom Cervenak

Technology has been great in many ways, for instance I'm using it this very moment to communicate to an entire audience of people I don't really know. There are so many cool games and interactive video games. There is a down side to all of this electronic fun, a disconnect of our children with the great outdoors. Do you remember growing up and going to the park with the family, or playing stick ball in the street, chasing lightening bugs, riding bikes, playing kick the can, camping, fishing, swimming or so many other great outdoor things? Virginia State Parks would like to connect your kids with those same things you had the chance to experience growing up. For the first time in our history our kids life span will be shorter than their parents. This is due in part to childhood diseases brought on by spending too much time indoors with technology and not enough time in the great outdoors. Don't let your children fall into the this trap, as the weather gets better get them outdoors. I think you'll both find something special.

Time for Fishing

Thursday, March 4, 2010 by Tom Cervenak

Almost all Virginia State Parks have some sort of body of water associated with them. From small creeks that you can hop across with native brook trout at Grayson Highlands State Park, to the awesome Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke State Park, anglers can find their favorite spot for fishing various species. This year DCR/Virginia State Parks, DGIF, Virginia Tourism and numerous County tourism agencies, have teamed up and launched, Fish Virginia First. This effort is to promote a fishing trail through SW Virginia, which includes 20 of our State Parks. The interactive website will help you plan a trip based on species, location, or body of water and will also help with lodging, activites for the family in the area and even fishing tips. At the end of the month a fishing show will be filmed to air on one of the sports networks to promote this area and the quality fishing. Good weather is on the way, so get out and go fishing!

Chippokes State Park

Friday, February 26, 2010 by Kristen Uerz

Chippokes Plantation State Park located in Surry County is truly like stepping back in time. I hear there have been some renovations to the cabins, but when I was there it was a little different. We stayed in Cabin 1 and it looked like someone had just built little houses in a long stretch of fields. The cabin was really nice and it was the first cabin I had been to that had two floors and a television. You kind of figure that you wouldn't need a t.v. when you are staying in a cabin, but it is quite the opposite once you get there. Maybe it's just because we are so used to always having a t.v. around and when you don't you get a little nutty. Plus, you need some entertainment once the sun goes down.

The only thing that was a little bit of nuisance were the swarms of ladybugs. They seemed to be everywhere we went, but it was okay since they are said to be good luck.

One thing I have found quite entertaining is the Cabin Log Books that are in every Virginia State Park cabin. I enjoy passing the time by reading the entries from previous visitors as well as writing my own entry. The cabin we stayed in at Chippokes spoke of the ghost of a woman who most visitors had recorded. We were a little concerned, but after doing some research I found out that the "ghosts" were people there to tell the sotries of Chippokes history. We were still a little on edge not really sure if they were the "ghosts" referred to in the log book. So remember to log your cabin visits in the log books so everyone else can enjoy you trip as well.

We spent most of our time outdoors enjoying the nice weather. We walked down to the water to check out the scenery and to do a little fishing. Another wonderful sight you may want to catch is the park during cotton season. I can almost imagine looking out across a vast field of white in the warm summer months reminding yourself that it is not snow you are seeing. During some special events at Chippokes Plantation, visitors are allowed to help harvest the cotton.

If you are planning a trip to Chippokes Plantation during their off-season you can click here for more area attractions in Surry, VA to help prepare for your trip.

Spring Wellness Weekend Planned for Fairy Stone State Park

Monday, February 8, 2010 by Zoe Rogers

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary spring fever is a listless, lazy, or restless feeling commonly associated with the beginning of spring. Over the past several weeks, I’m finding myself daydreaming about warmer climates and the upcoming spring season in Virginia. This anticipation of blooming flowers and temperatures above 60 degrees was shattered when I learned Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and we were told to look forward to six more weeks of winter! I’ve decided to take a different approach to this situation and look at it as only SIX MORE WEEKS TIL SPRING! I’m ready for spring fever and all the silliness that goes along with it.

I’m also ready for the upcoming Women’s Wellness Weekend hosted by Virginia State Parks this spring at Fairy Stone State Park in Stuart. This weekend is a perfect opportunity for women of all ages to treat themselves to a weekend of pampering and fun activities. Fairy Stone is a picturesque setting where you can unwind and regain balance in your life. For the entire weekend, a wide variety of workshops, programs and outdoor activities will be offered. The only decision you’re need to make is what programs to attend. Participants will enjoy choosing between hiking, fly fishing, canoeing, yoga, aroma therapy, searching for fairy stones and outdoor photography just to name a few. But don’t worry, there will be lots of time to socialize, relax and have fun.

The weekend begins on Friday, April 23rd with registration at 3 p.m. and ends Sunday, April 25th at noon. And it’s affordable. The commuter program is $149 and includes dinner on Friday, three meals Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. The full package includes meals plus two nights lodging and ranges in price from $180 to $332 depending on cabin size and the number of people in a cabin. You can also bring your RV or camp in the campground. So call your girlfriends and make your reservations today. Cabins go quickly!

If you are unable to attend this session, don’t worry the next Women’s Wellness Weekend will be held at Bear Creek Lake State Park the weekend of October 15th – 17th, 2010.

For more information or for reservation, call 800-933-7275 or visit our website at www.virginiastateparks.gov.

Camping at Laka Anna State Park

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 by Annette Bareford

For those of you that grew up camping, do you remember how good food tasted cooked outside over a campfire? Wasn’t it the best? My family spent many seasons camping at Virginia State Parks. I can still taste the peanut butter toast my father made. He would toast the bread over an open flame on a long fork turning it over until it was crisp and brown. It was so good! Just time spent with family was so much fun. Waking up to the birds singing and the sun rise over the water was incredible. Memories like that last forever. I will never forget those wonder filled days spent swimming, hiking, canoeing and wildlife watching. No television (and in those days no cell phones) just magical times created by the magnificent surroundings and our imagination.

In our own “back yard” there is an excellent campground at Lake Anna State Park. The campsites and bathhouse are the best Virginia State Parks has to offer. Water and electrical sites as well as pull through sites for large RV’s are available. If you don’t have a tent or camper and would still like to experience “camping out”. Lake Anna has six new camping cabins. The cabins have four beds (two sets of bunks), tables and chairs. Each cabin has a great front porch complete with rocking chairs. The camping cabins are a unique way to introduce your family to camping without actually pitching a tent! The cabins are very basic, they do have electricity but no running water. The modern fully equipped bathhouses have hot showers and a laundry room. There is a picnic table, fire ring and a pedestal grill for cooking outside. There is even a ceiling fan to help cool down warm summer days.

To make your experience even more memorable, the park offers seasonal swimming and paddling. There are a variety of things to do through the year. Hiking, geocaching, orienteering, biking, fishing, birding and wildlife watching. The park also offers exceptional educational programming year round. So grab your family and get outside and play!

For reservations call 1800-933-PARK or visit the website www.virginiastateparks.gov For more information on the park call (540)-854-5503

Egret Rookery in Back Bay at False Cape State Park

Monday, January 25, 2010 by Staci Martin

The Great White Egret is the symbol of the National Audobon Society and represents the regal beauty of all bird species.

Great White Egrets are found throughout the world--Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia. They tend to be solitary birds, but range together in a common habitat area called a rookery.

These 10 birds were feeding in the shallow water off Back Bay eating invertebrates, small fish, and amphibians.

It's Cold Outside

Thursday, January 14, 2010 by Sarah Lankford

Sure, it's cold outside here in Virginia. It's cold at Holliday Lake State Park, but things are happening here! The lake is partially frozen and beautiful. There are migrating Canada Geese laying over here for a few days because most of the smaller farm ponds in the area are completely frozen. Construction is going great on our new campsites and bathhouse. Park staff is working hard on winter projects: repairing fishing platforms, getting new bluebird boxes ready to put up in the spring and painting our office, just to name a few. Volunteers are mapping wildflowers. . .

Yes, I said mapping wildflowers. We have a dedicated group of volunteers working very hard to document some of the wonderful flora here at Holliday Lake State Park. Skunk Cabbage is one of the most amazing flowers. And they are making their way up out of the frozen ground right now! You can read Cynthia's blog here: http://briarpatchposts.blogspot.com/2010/01/its-cold-outside.html She has posted some great photos of the Skunk Cabbage and other things.

While it's tempting to stay inside and cozy, I hope you will consider venturing outside for a hike around the lake. If you look closely along any of our trails, you may see flowers beginning to come up, interesting designs in the ice, or some of our abundant wildlife. Just bundle up and have a thermos of hot cocoa waiting in the car.

Wanted - A Few Good Men and Women

Friday, January 8, 2010 by Nancy Heltman

You may have read my post earlier this week about the Virginia State Parks Youth Conservation Corps (or any of the probably 20 posts from last year). OK, so I have a real weakness for the program.

The Virginia State Parks Office of Volunteer Services is part of the Operations Section that I manage. I have taken a personal interest in the program since the beginning and the Director, Gaston Rouse, and I try to visit as many of the crews we can each summer.

Part of the success of the program is Gaston's hands on management and love of the program and probably mine too. Gaston is also responsible for the basic program design. While he will tell you that he did a lot of research and copied what he found in other successful programs, there is still an art to knowing what the right things to copy are and putting it all together.

But the other key is the wonderful people we have found to be Supervisors for the program.

Emily Patterson, Sally Scott and Christina Williams, Supervisors from the 2009 York River SP Crew. Taken on the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry

Typically we have three college aged or older supervisors for ten youth. Finding the right people and sometimes even enough of them and enough of the right sex (since we have all female or all male programs) can be a challenge. In the beginning we thought we would recruit teachers interested in working six weeks of the summer for $3,700. That hasn't really happened and mostly we recruit college students.

We do "grow" our own. Last summer I blogged about Casey Duvall a young man who has the distinction of being in every program we have had. But there have been others. Just today I was thinking of one, John Wargo, because he found me on Facebook. John started out as a youth in the program and then served as a supervisor as he got older. John is making a career in outdoor recreation. John is working as a Recreation Assistant with the US Forest Service Job Corps. He works with disadvantaged youth facilitating canoeing, kayaking, fly fishing, rock climbing, horseback riding, skiing/snowboarding, snowshoeing, paintball, and other activities.

We have now had a number of our most senior supervisors graduate college and go on to their careers or graduate school. So, we are looking for a few good men and women to take their place this year as Supervisors for the YCC.

If you have never been part of our YCC program, you must be at minimum a rising junior in college and over 18 years of age. We have two three week sessions and successful applicants either work one or the other or both. We also require a training session which will be held June 10-13, 2010 at Bear Creek Lake State Park. All of the details can be found on our webpage and the application is on line. The deadline is noon on February 15th. We provide a program completion stipend of $1,500 and a travel stipend of $350 for each session.

The supervisors work along side the youth on the projects and also coordinate logistics, shopping and menu planning. It is a physically demanding position since you are responsible for the youth 24/7 for the three weeks of the program. But nearly every supervisor we have had would tell you that it's a rewarding experience.

For more information, call (703) 583-5497 or email vspycc@dcr.virginia.gov

Staying on Our Game in the Off Season, Part II

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 by Staci Martin

This is the second of a four-part series about what we do in parks during the off-season.

Virginia State Parks' campgrounds close in early December and re-open in early March. However, during the off-season many of our cabins, trails, and visitor centers are open for visitors. In addition to supporting the services that stay open year-round, our staff takes time to make sure the "busy season" is chock full of fun activities for our visitors.

One of the most important things we offer at Virginia State Parks are interpretive programs. Interpretive programs are the guided hikes, craft programs, Junior Ranger programs, bird watching events, canoe/kayak trips, fishing clinics, etc. that we host to help you interface with the natural, cultural and historic resources in the parks. During the off-season, we plan our programming, inventory our supplies, work on finding grant funding and sponsors, and train our Park Interpreters.

If you are interested in volunteering or if your company/employer is interested in sponsoring some programming please contact the park in your area or email staci.martin@dcr.virginia.gov.

As schedules get sorted out, you will see our events posted on the www.virginiastateparks.gov website under "Park Events" and listed in the Virginia State Parks E-News. You can sign up for the E-News through our website. Remember some programs have limited space and require reservations so sign up early!!

Don't forget--we also schedule private programs. If you see an activity that you are interested in, but want to bring out a large group like a classroom or scout troop--call your local park so they can get your group worked into the schedule. Private programs do have a cost, but the fee is very reasonable.

We look forward to seeing you at a Virginia State Park!!

So You Want To Be A Park Ranger - Chapter 5 Part 2

Sunday, December 20, 2009 by Tom Cervenak

Ed Note: Readers you are in for a treat as Tom Cervenak, Visitor Services and Marketing Manager for Virginia State Parks, weaves the story of how he came to work for parks and what his career has been like. This series will run nine chapters, with many of them split into two parts.

Chapter 5 Paying My Dues (Part 2)

Next came a summer at Big South Fork National Recreation Area in Tennessee as a Youth Conservation Corps Leader, again. Great place for a little white water rafting. The place was vast with over a 125,000 acres and I got to experience a new skill, trying to find a lost child in that large area. But our team was successful and I received a nice letter of accommodation. Again at the end of the summer I didn’t have a whole lot of cash to show for a summer of work. Between the seasonal positions only and the low pay, I’m sure Mom and Dad were wondering if I was going to be a permanent fixture in their house.

I finally landed a full time position, just not quite what I had in mind. I was hired as a grounds leader for Cuyahoga County (Cleveland area) Board of Mental Retardation. I had a crew of 5 mentally challenged adults that used mowers and weed eaters to cut grass for businesses. It was an extremely challenging and in the end a very rewarding position. Before leaving I discovered my boss was quite a bit more challenged then those wonderful folks working for me.

And then it happened in September of 1986, the call my parents had been waiting for…

Sinking used Christmas Trees for fish structure at Hungry Mother Lake

Watch for Chapter 6 tomorrow

So You Want To Be A Park Ranger - Chapter 4

Thursday, December 17, 2009 by Tom Cervenak

Without a doubt, one of the best moves I ever made was choosing my first college, Hocking Tech (now called Hocking College). It was in Southern Ohio in the small town of Nelsonville, best known for the home of Rocky Boots. At the time, the college was actually larger than Lakewood High School, graduating class of 756. I enrolled in a 2 year program to get an Associate Degree in Recreation and Wildlife Management. Because it was such a small school and you chose a certain program, you had all the same people in your classes for 2 straight years.

Almost all our classes were outdoors hands on learning. What a blast learning can be under these circumstances. We had birding classes, forestry classes, fish and pond study classes, wildlife classes and so many other cool things. As part of our studies for a quarter, we also had to go work at an actual park of our choice. You needed to do well at this job in order to pass. I remember the first day of work I burned up the clutch on this big dump truck. I wondered if my 2 year program would turn into a 3 year program, but I ended up passing.

Some of my closest friends came from these 2 great years. We played euchre, a card game, whenever we had spare time and a deck of cards. The second year, I had 3 of my best friends as roommates. What I find really remarkable when I see so many others that change careers, is that we all made it. Besides me, one roommate is a Park Manager for one of our Virginia State Parks, one is a Park Manager for Ohio State Parks and the other went on to get his Masters Degree and does Urban Stream Restoration in the Cleveland area. It is nice to see even in tough times, we never waivered and we achieved our goals.

Watch for Part 2 of Chapter 4 tomorrow