Staff Spotlight, Amy Slusser
Administrative Assistant, Amy Slusser
Big Lagoon State Park
Amy Slusser has always had a love for the outdoors, despite having grown up in a city that didn’t afford many outdoor opportunities. A Chicago native, Amy remembers having to drive several hours outside of the city to find a place where she could be surrounded by nature or go camping. Understanding the importance for people to connect with nature is what led Amy to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Conservation. After graduation Amy was drawn to the Florida Panhandle where she became a Park Ranger with Florida State Parks. Amy spent 12 years as a Park Ranger before being recently promoted to Administrative Assistant.
Being a park ranger would allowed Amy to indulge her two passions: being outdoors and educating people about nature. Her ultimate goal of working at the park is protecting the states natural resources by educating people about the ways in which nature plays an important part of our daily lives. She especially likes talking about all of the endangered plants and animals and what people can do specifically to help protect them.
Amy’s favorite place at Big Lagoon State Park is the observation tower. From the top, she loves looking out over the vast expanse of sea and land, and simply taking a moment to appreciate the wonder of nature. What Amy is most proud of at the park is the array of interpretive programs, like guided nature hikes, that they offer at the park. She especially loves leading these programs for the children’s groups, such as the Girl and Boy Scouts. Of the various nature hike programs, her favorite is the Nature Hike to Long Pond. During this program, she explains the park’s different ecosystems and teaches about the important of the various plants and animals in the area, as well as the importance of prescribed burning.
When you visit Big Lagoon State Park, Amy highly recommends that you take a kayaking trip through the Big Lagoon Intercostal Waterway, the park’s namesake. Here, she says, is where you can really see what the park is all about, and appreciate the awesomeness of nature.