My Park Story: Kaia Lohr

Kaia loved driving on Cumberland Island. Watch out for armadillos!

Kaia Lohr is serving as a National Leader for the Community Volunteer Ambassador Program. They work directly with the National Park Service Volunteers-In-Parks program and provide peer support to over 50 Community Volunteer Ambassadors at national park sites across the US. In celebration of Pride Month, read about Kaia’s path to volunteer management and their passion for storytelling as a tool for inclusion.

What interested you in this internship?

Before applying for the Community Volunteer Ambassador program, I was a member of AmeriCorps NCCC. In this program, I was able to experience volunteering with a variety of organizations, so I was able to spot good volunteer management tactics and recognize what makes volunteers want to keep coming back. I received an email that Cumberland Island National Seashore was looking for a Community Volunteer Ambassador. I had loved volunteering for a year with NCCC, so it only seemed right to keep moving forward with positions in the realm of volunteerism.

In AmeriCorps NCCC, Kaia helped create trail markers for the Placer Land Trust.

At Cumberland Island, I got to deeply understand and fall in love with the Volunteers-In-Parks program. I also finally understood why people loved national parks! The stories of Cumberland Island enthralled me even more than the beautiful historic structures and wildlife it houses.

When my term was nearing its end, I was suggested to apply for my current position by a mentor. In my current role as Community Volunteer Ambassador Leader, I work directly with the Servicewide Volunteers-In-Parks Program Manager and serve as a peer leader to interns who are stationed in parks across the country.

Why is it important for national parks and historic sites to tell diverse stories?

Storytelling is a universal trait among all people that is as old as humanity. Telling and sharing our stories invites us to engage in vulnerability and empathy. In queer and black culture, storytelling is also rooted in resilience, resistance, and reenforcing the fact that we are here and we matter. Challenging historically dominant narratives reveals the ways that diversity and inclusion relate to our everyday lives.

Kaia at Atlanta Pride 2022.

When historically unrepresented communities are excluded from storytelling, it reinforces harmful beliefs and perpetuates systemic inequalities. However, when we tell our stories, we enrich the cultural tapestry by introducing unique thoughts, themes, and perspectives that dispel misconceptions and stereotypes.

The National Park Service plays a unique role in storytelling because it is designated as America’s storyteller and is tasked with Telling All Americans' Stories. Despite its roots, I think the National Park Service has come a long way in telling, sharing, and listening to the stories of people of color, women, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ people, and I am proud to be a part of that change.

What sort of projects are you working on currently?

I am currently working on a digital accessibility analysis of training resources, webpage edits for volunteer programs across the National Park Service, and supporting the upcoming George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service ceremony.

What project are you most proud of? 

I am most proud of the writing skills I’ve gained in my current role. I love to write, and I have been lucky enough to work in a position that challenged me to write for new audiences. In this position, I have done technical writing, written professional articles, and have even published an article on behalf of the Director of the National Park Service.

I am also proud to be a queer black person engaging with public lands and telling some of my story.

Kaia presenting at River Raisin National Battlefield Park for National Early Service Training

What is your favorite memory in the volunteer program so far?

My favorite memory in the Volunteers-In-Parks program has been National Early Service Training, which is a national training for Community Volunteer Ambassadors to prepare them to assist park units in building lasting connections to local communities. I helped plan and present some of the training content. I had an amazing time connecting with all the members of my cohort and completing a service project with them at River Raisin National Battlefield Park!

About the Community Volunteer Ambassador Program:

As a fifty-week professional internship, the Community Volunteer Ambassador Program is managed in partnership between the National Park Service Volunteer-In-Parks Program and the Stewards Individual Placement Program of Conservation Legacy. Members are youth (ages 18-30 or 18-35 if veterans) from diverse backgrounds who aspire to future careers in service and conservation stewardship.

The official logo for the Community Volunteer Ambassador program
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