By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Harold “Hal” Brown delights in showing a group of fourth graders the brilliant blue of a Bottle gentian peeking out along a park trail during a late fall trek.
He spends hundreds of hours every year in the greenhouse at the Wood County Park District’s J.C. Reuthinger Memorial Preserve dedicated to the life cycle of native plants by helping to plant seeds, transplant seedlings and prepare for the annual plant sale.
As a Certified Interpretive Guide, he spends several hundred additional hours each year telling fascinating facts and the wonder of nature to groups of all ages.
That passion for the outdoors and a commitment to sharing his love of nature with others landed him in the spotlight as the winner of the National Association of Interpretation’s Outstanding Interpretive Volunteer of the Year award.
Jim Witter, program coordinator for the county park district who nominated Brown for the award, said, “Hal has shown himself to be an exemplary volunteer for the Wood County Park District in supporting and presenting educational programs that further the park district’s educational mission.”
From school field trips at parks and in schools to wildlife monitoring programs and special events, “He has shown excellent knowledge, poise, patience and good humor in leaving participants with a positive experience,” Witter added.
Brown transitioned from a 42-year career as a local journalist to an interpretive guide without much fanfare. After spending countless hours taking notes in the back of a meeting room and then sitting at a computer writing and editing stories, in 2014 he was more than ready to retire from the newsroom and return to nature.
The exhaustive/draining/stressful/demanding work of a journalist’s life contributed to his decision to retire; however, he acknowledged that his reporting and writing career probably contributed/ amplified his communication skills. The difference was instead of telling stories from sitting behind a computer, he was front and center sharing stories about nature. Because he was talking about topics he cared deeply about and was often surrounded by nature, he quickly adapted to the change.
His connection to nature started well before the interruption of his journalism career, Brown said. As a Boy Scout growing up, he discovered the joy of camping, being outdoors, and paying attention to the circle of life in plants and animals. Family camping trips fueled the interest and cemented the bond he had with the outdoors, he said.
With limited free time, while he was working, Brown missed spending a lot of time in parks, but he learned the joy of bicycling and used weeknights and weekends for short trips along the Slippery Elm Trail and vacations for longer outings such as Across Ohio Bicycle Adventure (XOBA).
He also started to explore the Yellowstone Field Seminars in 2010 and became enamored with the magnificence of the national park, only to spend summers at the Yellowstone Lamar Buffalo Ranch from 2015 to 2017 as a field seminar leader.
“I can’t think of a better place to spend your summer than living in a cabin with another volunteer in the middle of the Lamar Valley. So what if there are 20 bison in your front yard this morning. You just wait inside until they move through, and they will,” he recalled fondly.
In the meantime, after retiring in 2014, he had time to participate in the Certified Interpretive Guide training with his local buddy, Randy Huber. Together they traveled to the Cincinnati Nature Center where they attended 32 hours of classes and had to do a presentation to earn certification.
The nature center director at the time questioned why someone who had been a news reporter for over 40 years would be interested in interpretive certification.
“I told him I wanted to do something different and to be outside,” Brown said. The certification would allow him to go places and see things he hadn’t seen before, as well as learn from people and share what he’s learned with others.
The certification also provided membership in the National Association of Interpretation where he gained access to and friendships with some of the 6,000 like-minded members.
“The members are people who work in parks, museums and historical sites in the 10 regions across the country and Ontario,” Brown said. The people and the organization are rich resources for learning about different parts of the country, new ideas for presentations and plenty of interesting facts that come in handy during his local presentations.
He’s had the opportunity to visit the Byrd Polar and Research Center at Ohio State University, the planetarium and museums in South Bend, Indiana, and to hear about eclipse planning by Allen County, Indiana.
All of his experiences advanced his interpretation and presentation skills for the volunteer work with the parks.
“He is adept at communicating with audiences from adult and senior groups to elementary-aged children, which is useful when trying to accommodate large groups and staff resources are stretched thin,” Witter said.
A few years ago, when the county park district was short on staff, he was helping with programs more often than during the past year or two. “They have enough people now who are really good. They are all so easy to work with,” Brown said.
“Hal is an enduring source of inspiration to staff and volunteers alike. His dedication and positivity lift our spirits on the busiest of days and most trying of circumstances,” Witter said. “As an asset to the county park district and to the Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist program for mentoring new volunteers and making them feel like a member of a valued group of folks, we are so glad to see him recognized.”
