“The most rewarding part of my job is when I look young children in the eyes during interpretive programs and delegate to them the responsibility of becoming the future caretakers of our environment.”

~ Carmelo J. Duesler

Carmelo J. Duesler
Park Services Specialist at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park

Division of Recreation and Parks, Dania
 

During my 33-year career working for the Department Of Environmental Protection in the Division of Recreation and Parks, I have witnessed many positive changes in the way we manage our environment.

Over the years, I have experienced many rewarding challenges. I was given the latitude and responsibility of changing monocultures into diverse natural plant communities. I have managed and monitored endangered and threatened animal and plant species, and have often played a significant role in revisions to the park’s management plan.

The most rewarding part of my job is when I look young children in the eyes during interpretive programs and delegate to them the responsibility of becoming the future caretakers of our environment. I tell them that nature will never give you a second chance because once a species becomes extinct, it is gone forever, and as land managers and teachers we are in control. I will never forget when a father of one student in a fourth-grade interpretive program approached me and remembered when I addressed him as a student in his own ninth-grade science class. It is very satisfying to have had the opportunity to touch and impact two generations during the span of one career.

I feel my career achievements would not have been possible without the support of my managers and a healthy working relationship with my peers, and I will always remember the satisfaction of working with countless park volunteers. These are the people who inspire me to do my best to make this world a better place by simply doing the right thing.