This Biologist Helps Restore the National Park Environment

Katie Vinzant and her son, excited to be sitting in a cool tree Kauai, HI.

Meet Katie, one of our vegetation ecologists and hear about what she does.

What is your name and job title? Katie VinZant, Vegetation Ecologist in the Revegetation and Compliance Program of the Denver Service Center (DSC) Transportation Division.

What experience and education do you have? I am a newbie to the National Park Service (NPS), but I have 15 years of experience working as a botanist and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) specialist for the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Geological Survey. I also have had the opportunity to work in fire as a resource advisor and post-fire restoration specialist. I have a Bachelor's in Biology with an emphasis in plant science from Colorado College.

What is a typical day like? Since I work in both NEPA compliance and revegation worlds, I get to see a wide array of projects from different angles. I certainly have my fair share of cubicle time writing documents and contracts, but the best days are those in the field working with different park staff and getting to know more about the park ecosystems.

What career advice would you give to someone who wants to follow a similar path? I would advise someone to be willing to learn/take on new positions/responsibilities as you never know when these skills will be useful to you or even help you obtain your next position. I would also say never lose sight of the awesome resources we are here to preserve and protect and that in order to best care for our resources you have to get dirty and really understand the intricacies of the particular environment you are in.

What is one of the bigger projects you are working on and what about that project might surprise people? I am working on a road revegetation project in Petrified Forest National Park and the strategies for establishing plants after disturbance are really pretty different in that part of the U.S. given that they have two growing seasons, with the main season typically being after monsoon rains in August-September.