By Lindsay Peyton 

Classifying animals, leading strolls through nature and teaching about natural science--sound like a walk in the park? Then, becoming a Seattle Urban Nature Guide might just be the job for you. 

Seattle Parks and Recreation is currently recruiting a new crew of volunteers for the program. The deadline to apply is Thursday, March 22. 

Urban Nature Guides are charged with leading hands-on activities for adults and children in parks around Seattle. The volunteers train with Seattle Parks and Recreation to learn techniques to introduce others to green spaces within the city.  

“We hope to get new folks to see the magic of the parks and join us,” Urban Nature Guide Elaine Chuang said. 

She joined as a volunteer two years ago. “I’m a living example of an enthusiastic volunteer for the parks department, but particularly for environmental education,” she said. “I’ve always been a nature lover, since childhood.” 

After retiring, Chuang started spending more and more of her free time in the parks, especially Discovery Park, which is close to her home. She is an avid birder, and it didn’t take long chasing after her feathered friends in the city before she started encountering Urban Nature Guides at area parks. They encouraged her to join their ranks. 

“I’ve been bitten by the bug of passing along something you love,” Chuang said. “I was already addicted to that.”

Sharing her love of nature with others seemed a natural next step. She signed up and has been an active guide ever since. 

“This, in so many ways, molds a great attitude for the parks, and it’s a way to plant seeds in the heads of young people,” Chuang said. 

Seattle Urban Nature Guides offer educational activities during special parks events, like the Duwamish River Festival and the Big Day of Play. The volunteers also lead clean-ups and provide programs at various parks throughout the year. 

Chuang often leads school groups through West Seattle’s Camp Long. She enjoys pointing out molehills, salamander eggs and different types of trees to students. 

She has led groups of all ages in nature experiences. The themes of each trip vary with the seasons, but each time the goal is to encourage environmental stewardship. 

“There’s a sense of making a difference to groups of people, and you do it with the intention of making a difference in our own backyard,” Chuang said. 

Chuang said that Seattleites join the Urban Nature Guides for a variety of reasons, from the camaraderie of fellow volunteers who share an interest in the environment to the opportunity to practice teaching and group management. 

She enjoys the training, which has taught her much about the flora and fauna found in the Pacific Northwest. 

“There’s an altruistic streak in those of us who do this, but it’s also hugely, personally rewarding,” she said. 

Penny Rose, public education program specialist with Seattle Parks and Recreation, is one of the founders of the Urban Nature Guides program. 

“Volunteers bring something to the table,” she said. “Volunteers have a passion.”

Rose added that the guides come from diverse backgrounds and add their own variety of ideas and interests to add to the program. The guides program started at Discovery Park and has since expanded to cover green spaces around the city.

Rose said that the guides partner with schools like Roxhill Elementary School, 9430 30th Ave SW, and community centers across Seattle.

The Seattle Urban Nature Guides complete a five-day training program in the spring and may take additional courses in the fall. They are expected to join in eight programs a year. 

For more information, visit www.seattle.gov/parks/volunteer/environmental-education-volunteers#SUNG.