Posted: 9/23/2024
SNR Alumni: Kathryn Lenz lands Rocky Mountain National Park job
By Ronica Stromberg
Kathryn Lenz has found postcard-perfect Rocky Mountain National Park the ideal workplace to use her fisheries and wildlife degree.
"I love it here," the 2013 alumna of the School of Natural Resources said recently. "I’ve been enjoying my position."
Lenz has worked as the executive assistant to the park superintendent since January 2023. She said every day on the job differs for her but most involve answering emails and scheduling meetings. She is certified in CPR and first aid and also helps with search-and-rescues when needed. She is not an emergency medical technician but has been able to assist in carrying out injured visitors, logistics and planning.
"It's a lot of in-between work when, potentially, a day can be going all different directions, you're there to assist, and someone could be like, 'Oh, I need to get this information.' You're like, 'I got it,' or 'I'll go get it,'" she said.
Rocky Mountain National Park consistently ranks as the fourth or fifth most visited U.S. national park, with more than 4.1 million visitors in 2023, according to National Park Service records. It especially attracts hikers, climbers and sightseers, Lenz said.
Since the park is rocky and covers 415 square miles with elevations from about 7,000 to 14,259 feet, visitors in it can twist an ankle, get lost or suffer altitude sickness and need help. Lenz said search-and-rescues last anywhere from less than a day to multiple days.
Before landing her permanent position with the National Park Service, Lenz worked seasonally for six years, checking backcountry permits and making sure campers had the required hard-sided bear canisters.
"With those patrol days, I was able to make hundreds of visitor contacts and see beautiful areas," she said. "That was just incredible. With my current position, it's a little bit more desk job versus in the field, but I’m still able to get out occasionally into the park, which is just fantastic."
In off-hours, she and her husband, Jason Lenz, like to hike, run trails and walk their dogs in the surrounding national forests. The two met in the Husker marching band when she was still Kathryn Moore. The Lincoln native expressed gratitude to the university for the introduction to her spouse and preparation for her career.
"I really enjoyed my time at UNL,” she said. "And I feel like when I was there, the classes I was able to take were a great variety that really assisted me coming here because, especially when I graduated, I didn't know for sure if I wanted more of a hands-on-with-animals job, more of a lab research or what that might entail. I really was interested in the National Park Service and being a park ranger as a whole, but I didn't know all the opportunities."
Since taking her administration position, she said she has learned so much more about the way the National Park Service operates and the many employment opportunities it offers and pathways in.
Working as a volunteer or as a seasonal employee, as she did, are both common ways for people to start out with the National Park Service, Lenz said. She encouraged students interested in working at national parks to apply through the USAJOBS site and apply early. When she was seeking seasonal jobs that would start in May, applications usually closed in October.
"I would say the one thing is just not being afraid or nervous about the system, because it can be kind of daunting, especially like a lot of the positions are on USAJOBS," she said. "It looks very federal government, and that can be very intimidating sometimes, and I feel like, 'Just go for it.'"
She first applied online during a hiring freeze, for five or six jobs. She said it was a weird experience not knowing anyone and not feeling as if she could do any more than fill in data on the site and hit send. When the hiring freeze lifted, though, three people called her in one day, offering her a position.
One thing she said she learned about applying for federal jobs is that federal employers want detailed resumes listing all job tasks performed and where. She said her federal resume typically runs 14 pages whereas the ones she wrote in college ran only one or two pages.
Once people are employed by the National Park Service, they can take trainings to improve their knowledge and skills to advance in their career. Lenz said park employees can also apply for details, 120-day assignments in which they may go to another park and assist in a position there before coming back to the park they normally work in. This builds job skills and knowledge of U.S. parks and the National Park Service as a whole.
Lenz said people who work as seasonal employees also commonly park hop, which is just moving from one park to another between seasons. In the off-season, many work at ski resorts or other odd jobs, she said.
Lenz said she is happy at Rocky Mountain National Park and plans to stay there at least another two years.
"Being able to learn and see so much of the park as a whole has been a really cool opportunity," she said. "I feel like there's so much that comes up or changes every other day. So, it's been a great learning opportunity to always be on my toes, too, and being able to get thrown things and be like, 'OK, here's the new priority. Let's go.'"
