Meet the Web Team

Ever wonder who masterminds our social media messages? Meet the people behind the initials.

 

Neal (nh) watches for falling anvils

A healthy dose of Looney Tunes during childhood might have predisposed Neal (nh) to a life in the desert southwest. His first visit to Canyonlands in 1994 felt more like coming home, even when the wind blew his borrowed field camera off a cliff. Many years later, Neal still can't imagine living anywhere else. At work, he's the park's Visual Information Specialist, which means he writes, designs and photographs for all four National Park Service sites in southeast Utah. And he always weights his tripods.

 

Strong winds might steal her hat, but never (kh)'s smile (nor karate-chop gestures)

Though she spends a fair amount of time both in front of and behind a camera lens, Karen (kh) feels most at home when engaged in conversations with visitors. "Whether it happens on a trail, in the visitor center, or on our Facebook wall, each dialogue is an opportunity to learn more about why national parks are important to people. Plus, it's a ton of fun." If you have the opportunity to chat with Karen during a visit to Arches, make sure to allow ample room. "I don't know how to talk without gestures, and my descriptions of rocks can get pretty animated. I once accidentally whacked a coworker who was standing too close." Perhaps an online forum is safer.

 

Gary (gc) seeking some shade

A connoisseur of remoteness and isolation, Gary (gc) has worked at the Maze District for 26 years. Now an Archeological Technician, his job combines cultural resource investigation and monitoring, long term amphibian research as well as backcountry ranger work. He joined the web team in the hope that social media will help spark in the public's imagination an awareness of the supreme importance of preserving what is best in America through its national parks.

 

Melanie (ma) on a good day at the office

As a capstone project for her master's degree, Melanie (ma) lugged a 12-pound laptop through a national park to analyze how interactive media might improve people's park experience. Ten years later, she carries a smartphone in her pocket and tweets from the Island in the Sky, still marveling that she can get cell phone service out here (that is, if she holds the phone just so….) The best days at work, however, happen when she drops out of cell phone range to play in the canyons.

 

Sierra (sc) enjoys a new perspective

Sierra (sc) first discovered Canyonlands on a geology field-trip in 2000 and never really left. Even when she lived in other places and worked at other parks, Canyonlands was always calling. Eventually, the red rocks, deep canyons, and blue skies became home. Sierra enjoys being a member of the park's web team because she knows what it is like to pine for Canyonlands from afar. When she's not cooking up Facebook posts, you can find her helping in-person visitors to the Island in the Sky District discover its many wonders.

 

Kait (kt) thinking about her next hike

When Kait (kt) was 12 years old, she visited canyon country for the first time and discovered that rocks make fantastic companions. "They're great listeners, they never talk back, and they do an excellent job keeping the secrets of Earth's past." While her love for all things geologic only grew as she got older, she never forgot the whimsical swoops, towering spires, and Swiss-cheese holes of southern Utah. The day she started work at Arches National Park, she felt like she was rejoining her long-lost friends. This winter, she's working at Canyonlands for a change of scenery -- and a chance to get to know all new rocky landscapes.

 

Jake (jwf) searches for views on the San Juan River.

After his 2010 season in Glacier, Jake (jwf) and a coworker took a 25 day road trip through the Colorado plateau and surrounding areas for the first time. On that trip, his camera broke and he was unable to photograph his travels to the parks. He promised to return one day, and after living and working in Grand Teton, Glacier, Carlsbad Caverns, and Denali National Parks, he has kept that promise. He volunteers his time with the National Park Service when he isn't busy working full-time for AmeriCorps VISTA. He enjoys exploring the red rock country in search of beautiful views, wildlife, wildflowers, and the remnants of past cultures.