Riley Scantlebury
Environmental Education Ranger II
Arizona State Parks & Trails
Sedona, AZ USA
“I care a lot about the outdoors and if I can transfer just a little bit of that onto other people, then I’m happy.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationRiley Scantlebury
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I went to Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, for college but didn’t know what I wanted to do.
I waited until my junior year of college to declare a major and ended up picking biology.
I got the opportunity to do research on wild bird populations and found that I loved working outside in nature.
My degree was in general biology but I tried to gear most of my classes towards conservation and natural resources.
After college, I did a few internships in things like water conservation and invasive plants.
I started at Red Rock State Park in Sedona, Arizona, as a seasonal employee and was hired on as a full-time environmental education park ranger when a position opened up.
I’ve been in this position for two years now and I’m primarily focused on connecting students to nature.
Education
High School
Certification/License
Certified Interpretive Guide
National Association for Interpretation (NAI)
Certified Interpretive Guide
National Association for Interpretation (NAI)
Career
Environmental Education Ranger II
I'm an educational park ranger at Red Rock State Park in Sedona, Arizona.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Environment & Nature
Education
Teaching / Mentoring
Day to Day
I wear many hats but my main job is to head our environmental education program. I run field trips for students and organize park events. I'm also in charge of our interpretive museum and various education displays around the park. In a typical day I'll work in our entry station booth or Visitor Center. I'll do trail work, lead guided hikes, and do park maintenance. Other days I'll write lesson plans, design displays, update the park's social media, or film educational videos.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
There are endless paths you can take to become a park ranger. I have a degree in biology, which has been a perfect stepping stone for me in my career path, but almost any natural or cultural resources degree is a great way to become a park ranger. You can have a degree in history, geology, forestry, archaeology, wildlife management, parks and recreation, etc. You can determine your own path based on your interests and the type of park or public land area you'd like to work at.
Interviewed By
All Paths Arizona
Young Arizonans explore opportunity in their home state
