Student Spotlight: Debbie Stavish
I’ve wanted to do this for a while and when I heard Debbie’s news - that she was hired as a Naturalist at Colorado Parks and Wildlife, it seems the perfect opportunity to shine a light on folks putting their interpretive skills to use! You can read about Debbie in her own words, and if you want to know more about the Natural Journaling program she mentions, you can read a review of it here!
Name, org, position: Debbie Stavish, Naturalist at Mueller State Park
Describe what you do in interpretation: I'm employed as a naturalist. I interpret natural history, ecology, wildlife, and have an affinity for Indigenous history as it applies to the park's plants, ground, trees and, honestly, everything. I provide programs for campers and the public to help them better understand and appreciate the location's richness. An example of a program I've created is Nature Journaling in which participants journal about natural subjects that they discover in on a hike. Their subject could be a tree, a cloud, the wind or a bird. They observe not only objective information about the subject such as its physical componets, but they also go on to discover subjective observations about it such as how they personally relate to it. An example would be the aspen tree: Populus tremuloides. Dormant during winter months - quiet and bare; but come fall its golden leaves can be heard rustling in the wind. How am I like an aspen I might ask? What causes me to tremble, and how about when I'm quiet and at peace? My hope is that the subject helps to provide personal reflection and inspiration. Many people leave having written poems or having created sketches and paintings. They seem to have a new sense of appreciation and everyone leaves reporting feeling better.
What is your favorite part about your work? I love educating people- the part where 'aha’ moments happen is my favorite. When folks share, within the group, their experience, my heart tends to swell up, it's as if I'm experiencing it with them.
How does the CIG/interpretation help you in your work? I consistently utilize the CIG model of interepretation with regard to preparation of my programs, implementation of it, and review afterwards. My focus is making sure I'm reaching all audiences and creating an atmophere for personal discovery. Kristin has been a great help with this!
Brag a little! Tell us about a recent success. A recent success is being hired by Colorado Parks and Wildlife as a Naturalist for 2025! I had been volunteering for them for a year. During that time I took Kristin's class and had goals of becoming employed by CPW. I won the Random Acts of Kindness award for my volunteer efforts at the park. This past April I became officially employed!
What’s next for you? I'm hoping to continue to offer programs that help people to feel more connected to nature for the sake of feeling well and creating a sense of stewardship of nature. I'm in the process of creating a Junior Naturalist program at the park that is year round.
Can people contact you? Yes! In addition, I have my own business, Into Nature with Deb https://www.intonaturewithdeb.com/ . My mission is to help people connect with nature for the sake of well-being and in return become inspired to care for our planet.
They can also visit Mueller State Park's website to attend a program! Combine that with camping at the park! https://cpw.state.co.us/state-parks/mueller-state-park