Posted by Graciela on February 16, 2004

Q: Hi. In my class we are doing a job proyect were we could research any kind of occupational field. I chose to be a naturalist. I was wondering if you could tell me anything related to your job; salary, why you like it, what instruments you use to perform your research, what you do,... I think it would be very interesting to hear of it from a real naturalist, and not from a book. Any nit of information is higly valuable for me.

thanks!

graciperarnau@hotmail.com

A: salary - Being a naturalist is not a high-paying job. Since one can work for a variety of institutions, it really depends on who one works for (a nature center is likely to pay on the low side and a state or federal job will probably be on the high side of the pay scale).

why you like it - I truely like what I do. I've always enjoyed animals and plants and the outdoors and my job allows me to focus my interests in my professional life. How can it get any better than to be able to take a walk in the woods "when you're on the job"! I especially like being able to teach others about the things that I'm enthusiastic about too.

what instruments you use to perform your research - I'm not a reseach biologist, I teach about the environment. Usually a naturalist is an instructor in some capacity and although may do research, this is not the emphasis of their job. Probably the fanciest piece of equipment I use is a binocular.

what you do - naturalists do all kinds of things but most jobs revolve around education. One may work with school children or adults at a nature center, one may be an instructor at a museum, one may even work at a zoo, or as in my case, produce educational material for the public with the Electronic Naturalist. There are all kinds of jobs that a naturalist can be used.

If I may suggest, use your own personal strengths (science, art, writing skills, whatever) and apply that toward a naturalist's position. You'll need a good background in the sciences because you'll need to be able to understand and pass on the interrelationships of animals, plants and the environment but there are many ways of using reaching the public - who knows, maybe you could even be a songwriter. Environmental awareness is crucial to the health of our world, we need good people to help everyone understand our role in keeping the earth habitable. Good luck.

John Wiessinger ( February 17, 2004)