PARK NATURALIST

Job Definition:

Job Description:

• Plan, develop, and conduct programs to inform public of historical, natural, and scientific features of national, state, or local park.

Duties and Tasks:

• 1) Provide visitor services by explaining regulations; answering visitor requests, needs and complaints; and providing information about the park and surrounding areas.
• 2) Conduct field trips to point out scientific, historic, and natural features of parks, forests, historic sites or other attractions.
• 3) Prepare and present illustrated lectures and interpretive talks about park features.
• 4) Perform emergency duties to protect human life, government property, and natural features of park.
• 5) Confer with park staff to determine subjects and schedules for park programs.
• 6) Assist with operations of general facilities, such as visitor centers.
• 7) Plan, organize and direct activities of seasonal staff members.
• 8) Perform routine maintenance on park structures.
• 9) Prepare brochures and write newspaper articles.
• 10) Construct historical, scientific, and nature visitor-center displays.
• 11) Research stories regarding the area’s natural history or environment.
• 12) Interview specialists in desired fields to obtain and develop data for park information programs.
• 13) Compile and maintain official park photographic and information files.
• 14) Take photographs and motion pictures for use in lectures and publications and to develop displays.
• 15) Survey park to determine forest conditions and distribution and abundance of fauna and flora.
• 16) Plan and develop audiovisual devices for public programs.

Activities:

• 1) Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• 2) Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• 3) Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• 4) Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• 5) Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• 6) Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• 7) Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• 8) Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• 9) Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• 10) Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

  11) Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

• 12) Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  13) Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

• 14) Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• 15) Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• 16) Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• 17) Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• 18) Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• 19) Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• 20) Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• 21) Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• 22) Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• 23) Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• 24) Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment — Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• 25) Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• 26) Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates — Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• 27) Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Abilities:

• 1) Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 2) Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 3) Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• 4) Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• 5) Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• 6) Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 7) Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• 8) Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• 9) Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• 10) Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 11) Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 12) Far Vision — The ability to see details at a distance.
• 13) Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• 14) Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• 15) Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• 16) Flexibility of Closure — The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
• 17) Perceptual Speed — The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
• 18) Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

Knowledge

• 1) Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• 2) English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 3) Biology — Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• 4) Communications and Media — Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• 5) Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• 6) Public Safety and Security — Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• 7) Clerical — Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• 8) Geography — Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• 9) Law and Government — Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• 10) History and Archeology — Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• 11) Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• 12) Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• 13) Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 14) Sociology and Anthropology — Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.