Park Naturalists

Plan, develop, and conduct programs to inform public of historical, natural, and scientific features of national, state, or local park.

Most important skills

Speaking
Active Listening
Writing
Reading Comprehension
Critical Thinking
Social Perceptiveness
Service Orientation
Monitoring

Key knowledge

Customer and Personal Service
Biology
English Language
Education and Training
Geography
Public Safety and Security
Communications and Media
Sociology and Anthropology

What the work involves

Provide visitor services, such as explaining regulations, answering visitor requests, needs and complaints, and providing information about the park and surrounding areas.
Conduct field trips to point out scientific, historic, and natural features of parks, forests, historic sites, or other attractions.
Prepare and present illustrated lectures and interpretive talks about park features.
Perform emergency duties to protect human life, government property, and natural features of park.
Confer with park staff to determine subjects and schedules for park programs.
Assist with operations of general facilities, such as visitor centers.
Plan, organize and direct activities of seasonal staff members.
Perform routine maintenance on park structures.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Social, Realistic, Investigative.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Bachelor's Degree (75% of expert ratings)
Related experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (48.2%)
On-the-job training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (40.7%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Park Naturalists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Projection education uses SOC 19-1031 (detailed_parent); it may describe a broader group.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Moderate	Higher on contact with others than 56% of occupations compared	57% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Very high	Higher on dealing with the public than 97% of occupations compared	82% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	High	Higher on teamwork than 71% of occupations compared	57% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	High	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 65% of occupations compared	54% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Very low	Lower on time pressure than 84% of occupations compared	54% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Conflict situations	Moderate	Lower on conflict situations than 53% of occupations compared	43% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Moderate	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 52% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Consequence of error	Low	Lower on consequence of error than 75% of occupations compared	36% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: very low
Conflict situations: moderate
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
Consequence of error: low

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions