2020 Distinguished Service Award
Nicki Buckley
2020 Distinguished Service Award
Park Ranger Nicki Buckley started out as a seasonal park attendant at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Through a lot of hard work and determination, she was promoted to full-time park ranger and hasn't looked back since. Nicki is a very hard worker and truly loves being a park ranger.
Being a ranger at Homosassa Springs isn't that much different than being a ranger at any other park: They all have more to do than time allows. However, Nicki far exceeds what is expected of her on a routine basis. She is always one of the first to volunteer for any assignment outside of her job responsibilities. An example of her going above and beyond is taking the initiative to manage the park's intricate staff schedule.
The park has 21 employees on a rotating schedule, and it is a daunting task ensuring the critical daily shifts get filled. Nicki does a fantastic job in managing the schedule with little or no supervision involvement. Nicki is punctual at getting the schedule out, and before finalizing the schedule she gets supervisor approval on requested leave.
She is also one of only a few staff members trained in every position in the park - including being a Class I animal shifter - and fills in whenever and wherever needed, even if it is on her day off.
Prior to the pandemic, Nicki played an important role in scheduling volunteers and staff for the park's boat and tram schedule, ensuring there was sufficient coverage for this very important and popular means of transportation. Nicki is also the cyclical maintenance coordinator for the park and is responsible for ensuring all of the various chemicals/products are entered into the safety data sheet.
Bureau Chief Brian Fugate once said that Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park sets the bar when it comes to proper safety data sheet documentation in the district. Nicki's attention to detail and dedication is the sole reason why. Nicki is highly regarded by her co-workers and volunteers, and she is a great asset to Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park and the Florida Park Service.
The Distinguished Service Award is awarded annually to recognize contributions that require a high degree of personal initiative, professionalism, leadership, effort or skill; must represent a significant benefit to the division; and must be made on a voluntary or special assignment basis completely above and beyond the requirements of the employee's position description.