Portraits of Acadia: Chris Silcox

Chris Silcox, Education Ranger, talks to school group in front of a white board in the Schoodic education classrooms. NPS photo by Brady Richards

Hello! I am a seasonal Education Ranger working out of the Schoodic district of Acadia National Park. This is my third season with the National Park Service. I’ve previously worked at Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

Chris identifies a crab species during a crab survey with an out-of-state school group. NPS photo by Brady Richards

My love of learning and the outdoors got me into outdoor education—working seasonally with the National Park Service has given me a chance to see for myself how beautiful, vast, and diverse our nation truly is, all while getting to connect kids with the natural resources in their own backyards! I think one of the most valuable things I do for Acadia National Park is giving local kids a few days to experience a place they may not ordinarily get to due to crowding, lack of time, or other constraints. Our parks are symbols of America’s incredible natural wonders that people come from all over the world to see; by bringing young people into Acadia for a few days of programs we teach them not just facts about these places, but also show them that the landscapes they call home are precious enough to have national significance.

Connections between youth and nature are under threat, but our multi-day Schoodic Education Adventure program helps ensure that young people continue to have opportunities to treasure the wild places of the world. When teaching I hope to find at least one “wow” moment where a student can come face to face with some special wonder of our world.

Occasionally I even get them myself—one of the most memorable experiences I’ve have at Acadia was getting to see the northern lights during a campfire program; I looked up in the middle of telling a story and saw the sky ablaze with a dancing red and green glow. Sharing that moment with the students was a powerful experience that will stay with me forever. The northern lights occur when intense storms of solar radiation interact with our atmosphere, briefly illuminating the normally invisible gasses all around us in dazzling displays of color.

To me, this is what Acadia is; just as the Aurora makes us see our atmosphere in a way we might not otherwise I think Acadia is a place that highlights nature so that we can marvel at it and—hopefully—return to our homes with a greater appreciation of the wonders that are all around us.

– Chris Silcox, Education Ranger

Chris instructs a citizen science crab survey with a mixture of graduate and undergrad students from Tuskegee University. NPS photo by Brady Richards

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