Conservation Diaries: Sarah Nolan, International Volunteer (U.S. National Park Service)

Conservation Diaries: Sarah Nolan, International Volunteer

Listen to this episode of Conservation Diaries as Sarah Nolan shares her experience as an international volunteer at North Cascades National Park.

Audio Transcript

[intro music]
Celeste: Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Conservation Diaries, a National Park Service podcast. I am your host, Celeste Morales. And in these episodes, we are featuring youth from around the world volunteering in national parks through the National Park Service’s International Volunteers In Parks Program.
Sometimes called "IVIP” for short, this program brings many talented people from different cultural, educational, and professional backgrounds to gain experience to work in conservation-related fields in National Park Service parks and programs. Our agency also has the opportunity to learn from their knowledge and perspective. While this podcast series focuses on youth, the International Volunteers-In-Parks Program is open to all ages.
Celeste: Our guest today is Sarah Nolan, from Buckinghamshire County in the United Kingdom, she is a recent graduate of the University of Cambridge, UK, where she studied medieval history, literature, and languages. After thru-hiking for two weeks in Finnish LAPland-ED, she realized that she wanted to pursue a career working in natural history. She decided that she would spend a year volunteering abroad to gain more outdoor skills and learn about national park management. She spent the first part of the year in Brasov, Romania, working with bears. Then, last summer she volunteered at North Cascades National Park.
Sarah: So, the exchange program with the Park Service seemed like an opportunity where I could actually use my skills and be a contributing member of the society. I was in for the time I was there. And equally I wanted to learn, expand my experience of natural history and working with natural history because natural history is something I'm very interested in a personal level, but I haven't had a lot of exposure in a professional level. And so, if I'm looking for jobs that kind of combine heritage work with natural history, I thought it would be a real benefit to have experience in a more natural history-based work environment. So, I could sort of point to that as professional experience as well. And then also there are just so many beautiful places in the US that I wanted to visit.
Celeste: Sarah worked for four months as a volunteer interpretive ranger in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area of Washington state, which is managed by North Cascades National Park. The park contains a rugged mountain landscape with 300 glaciers and many pristine lakes. The Lake Chelan Area is a very remote place that can only be reached by ferry. There is no cell phone service and groceries stories, supplies must be delivered there. Sarah worked at the park visitor center providing talks and helping orient the public.
Sarah: So interpretive rangers are kind of like the human link between the visitors and the park. So, it was a lot of visitor services, answering questions, learning cool things about the park and then educating people about those cool things.
Celeste: Sarah discovered that she loved sharing stories with visitors. Being a historian, she was drawn to research topics about the history of the area. She loved digging into the park’s archive collections, where she discovered a photocopy of a map from about the year of 1857. It was drawn by a guide from the Native American, Solish Tribe. She realized that it was illustrated very differently from modern GPS maps. She was fascinated and decided to develop an interpretive program about how cultural perspective affects the way people view land. Her talk focused on comparing historic maps made by local tribes and those drawn by early western explorers.
Sarah: So, the essential question that I used for my ranger talk was how do different styles of maps influence our imagination and exploration of place? So that was feeding back into the Solish map that I used where for example, waterways and trails weren't distinguished on the map. They were kind of both just referred to as equal ways of travel. So again, there's that kind of emphasis on travel and kind of practical use over a literal GPS representation of the landscape as seen from a bird's eye view. So, this question was aiming to kind of challenge how when we look at a map, we kind of take it for granted, but how even modern maps can shape the way we think about the landscape. Are we limiting ourselves to the beauty points that are noted on a map? Are we thinking about it in terms of trails, in terms of roots of travel?
Celeste: Learning to develop interpretive talks benefited Sarah by showing her what kind of a career that she might like to pursue. Her program allowed her to combine academic research with working outdoors interacting with people. It helped clarify things for her and gave her some professional experience.
Sarah: And I hope that the park has benefited from me because again, with being a small team, even having an extra pair of hands on board meant that they could keep services running, that they might not have been able to keep open otherwise. And also, it means that future rangers will have access to the kind of research and programs that I prepared. So, for example, the talk on maps that I did, all that research is now available for them. Other programs that I've run such as once on wildfires, I've now kind of put together resources that other rangers can then go on and use. So hopefully I've been an asset to the park too.
Celeste: International volunteers bring diverse perspectives to park’s projects. Having opportunities to explore natural and cultural resources in American national parks is exciting as it may be the first time that they’ve seen them up close. They help parks tell important stories in unique ways inspiring staff and visitors.
Sarah: Yeah, I think whether it be volunteers or interns or workers from all across the globe is only ever going to be a positive because you get so many different experiences, like whether they be cultural or just from different life experiences for example. I think I would approach my work in interpretation from a very historical viewpoint.
Celeste: Volunteering in another country is a great experience for young people especially in a national park. In many developed countries the land was altered more than a thousand years ago, and their parks do not contain as much wilderness as those in the US. Additionally, America’s national parks are a great introduction to our country and to the things that we most value. The International Volunteer Program is designated by the State Department as an official exchange visa program for this reason.
Sarah: I would absolutely recommend that people do it. I think as well with it being a sponsored visa, even if you are in a volunteer position and you're not getting paid for that time with the visa being sponsored, it does feel like you're not being taken advantage of; you are being valued. And it's a fantastic way to actually get to know the character of a place. I don't think you can get to know the character of a place unless you're there for a significant time and you're contributing something. So absolutely would recommend it.
Celeste: Working in national parks provides young people with a wealth of opportunities to challenge themselves and try new things. Sarah hadn’t done any overnight hikes since she was a teenager, so she wasn’t expecting to do any during her volunteer program. However, she met a lot of people at North Cascades who were experienced backpackers.
Sarah: So actually, I ended up borrowing one of my colleague's tents and sleeping bag and camping stove so that I could go on an overnight hike. And it was probably a highlight of my time there because I think if you just tell somebody, oh I went on a solo hike for two days in a wilderness area with a can of bear spray, particularly in the UK where we don't have any animals bigger than a badger, people are like, oh my goodness, what are you doing? You're an insane person. But actually, when you're there and you are around experienced hikers, it really doesn't feel like you're doing anything particularly scary or unsafe, particularly if you are properly prepared. So, it was actually a really great exercise in seeing how you can expand your own comfort zones.
Celeste: Sarah has since returned home to the UK and has discovered a career in the field of interpretation. She credits her volunteer program with providing skills that will be essential to her new career path. The National Park Service’s International Volunteer-in-Parks program coordinates opportunities like Sarah’s for nearly 100 foreign nationals in many US national parks. It is one of several programs that helps the NPS share its expertise with individuals from around the world.
And remember, there are many opportunities for youth and young adults 15 to 30 years old and veterans 35 years old and younger to work with the National Park Service. To learn more about these jobs, internships, and volunteering opportunities, you can go to nps.gov slash youth programs.
Thanks for listening and happy trails!
[music fades]

Volunteer Sarah talks next to an easel displaying maps — Sarah presenting an educational program
NPS Photo

Meet Sarah Nolan, a British citizen born and raised in England. As an international volunteer, Sarah spent three months in 2022 at North Cascades National Park Service Complex serving as a volunteer interpretive ranger with the International Volunteers In Parks program. Sarah graduated from the University of Cambridge where she studied early medieval history. From her experience, Sarah hopes to combine her love of history with her love of the natural world to continue promoting environmental stewardship.

North Cascades National Park Service Complex surrounds the town of Stehekin, a remote community that can only be accessed by water or trail. Visitors to the park range from day-hikers, families, hunters, to long-distance hikers travelling the “Pacific Crest Trail”, a national scenic trail leading from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Volunteer interpretive rangers like Sarah are usually the first point of contact for visitors and must seek to address their varying needs.

Volunteer standing next to very tall trees — One of the benefits of volunteering was exploring the outdoors.
NPS Photo

While volunteering in the interpretation team, Sarah conducted campsite roves, educated visitors on Leave No Trace principles, issued backcountry permits, and acted as a source of information for visitors on all aspects of the park. Sarah also, had the opportunity to challenge her story telling techniques, and interpretive research skills to develop her own ranger program.

“My programs comprised of a drop-in table about forest adaptations to wildfires, and an evening talk all about how different styles of maps can inadvertently shape the ways in which we think about landscapes. The evening program had as its centerpiece a photocopy of a hand-drawn map of the area from the late 1850s, produced by a Coast Salish guide on an expedition to survey the Canadian border.” - Sarah Nolin

Visitor talking to a volunteer behind a desk — Sarah talked to visitors from around the country and world as they arrived.
NPS Photo

Sarah discovered that she loved sharing stories with visitors. Being a historian, she was drawn to research topics about the history of the area. She loved digging into the park’s archive collections, where she discovered a photocopy of a map dating from about the year 1857. It was drawn by a guide from the Native American Salish Tribe. She realized that it was illustrated very differently from modern GPS maps. She was fascinated and decided to develop an interpretive program about how cultural perspective affects the way people view land. Her talk focused on comparing historic maps made by local Tribes and those drawn by early European and European American explorers.

The research that Sarah produced will add to the body of resources available to future interpretive rangers at the park. International volunteers bring unique cultural perspectives with them, and in turn, have experiences that have an impact on their own lives and potentially an impact on conservation in their own countries. The National Park Service’s International Affairs Office coordinates programs like the International Volunteer in Park Program that helps the national parks share its mission with countries around the globe.

“I strongly encourage other internationals interested in interpretation or conservation to participate in the IVIP Program.” - Sarah Nolan

Celeste Morales on a rooftop with the Washington Monument in the backround — Celeste Morales at the National Park Service's headquarters in Washington, DC
NPS Photo

Meet the Host

Celeste Morales, a Chicana with a Hispanic heritage stemming from Jalisco, Mexico, is serving as the National Leader for the Community Volunteer Ambassador Program. For the 2022 cohort of this program, she works directly with the National Park Service Washington Support Office and provides peer support to over fifty Community Volunteer Ambassadors at national park sites across the US. In her role, Celeste also serves as a liaison for the Volunteers-In-Parks Program which works to inspire the next generation of stewards through volunteer services. Celeste aspires to continue working in the field of parks and recreation to strengthen opportunities for diverse communities to show their support and commitment to permanently protecting our natural, cultural, and recreational resources.

LInda Bennett standing next a representative from a Kenyan national park — Linda Bennett with a representative from a national park in Kenya
NPS Photo

Meet the International Volunteers in Parks Coordinator

Linda Bennett is an International Cooperation Specialist with the National Park Service's Office of International Affairs. She serves as the International Volunteer in Parks (IVIP) Coordinator, as well as the main contact for the National Park Service's international cooperation efforts with countries in Europe. Her 30-year career with the National Park Service has included being an interpretive ranger and volunteer coordinator at National Mall and Memorial Parks, assignments in Canyonlands National Park and Natural Bridges National Monument, and graduating the Mid-Level Intake program. She finds working with international volunteers rewarding with the knowledge that their experiences working in the US national parks will have a lasting impact upon their careers and lives.

Conservation Diaries: Sarah Nolan, International Volunteer