My Park Story: Kari Prassack

Selfies from the park plane!

Kari Prassack/NPS

What was your pathway to the National Park Service (NPS)?

I grew up in Pennsylvania and went to graduate school in New Jersey. My original plan was to become a museum curator, and I had no idea that the National Park Service even had positions in paleontology or curation. I had just defended my dissertation and was looking for a postdoc when a friend told me about USAJobs. As luck would have it the park paleontologist/curator position at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument had just posted. I applied not knowing much about what the NPS was or how a “Monument” was even a park. This was in 2012.

What interested you in NPS?

Originally because it was a permanent job and not a one-year post doc! But once I got settled into my job it quickly became the mission; I didn’t just want to study things, I wanted to protect them as well.

What do you do for NPS?

I spent over nine-years working as the park paleontologist and curator of fossils at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. I did a detail in archaeology at Yosemite and really enjoyed the work I was doing there. I was an advocate for including paleontology in compliance NPS-wide and thought that gaining experience in compliance could help me push for that change. I applied to a few archaeology jobs where compliance was the primary duty and landed at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. There, I help make sure the park can move forward on facilities, recreation, and other visitor services without damaging or threatening archaeological or paleontological resources. At Hagerman I co-directed a geology-based research project with the USGS and continue to work on that project from afar.

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

Knowing that I am one of many focused on protecting our nations natural and cultural resources for current and future generations of visitors, scientists and educators to learn from and enjoy.

What advice do you have for youth and young adults thinking about a career at NPS?

Find internships that expose you to the field of work you are interested in. Take advantage of the opportunities to live in different parts of the country and network during your internships. Not just for connections to help you land a job but because you will quickly have friends from all over the country!

What are your hobbies?

My hobbies include scuba, snorkeling, hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, kayaking, camping, wildlife photography, birding and travel. I love Phish and travel all over the country to see them play, so sometimes I get to visit parks before the shows. My favorite was backpacking and kayaking at Olympia National Park before seeing Phish at the Gorge in 2021. I’ve lived in Tanzania and have been to some amazing places like Borneo and Turkey. A career goal for me is to someday travel internationally to assist with one of our agency’s sister park projects.

Do you remember the first park you visited?

The various monuments of Washington DC when I was a kid, but I did not know they were part of the NPS and was not super excited about them. My favorite parks tend to be those with bears and epic scenery, like Yellowstone and Glacier.

What is your background? College? Study?

I am a collector of degrees with a BS in Paleobiology, a BA in Archaeology, a PhD in Evolutionary Anthropology, and graduate certificates in Quaternary Sciences and in Biodiversity, Conservation and Ecosystem Health. I think having a diverse background helps me to recognize needs that might fall outside of my main areas of expertise, approach problems in different ways and to see the bigger picture.