*Please note: Alisa is a seasonal lead interpretive ranger on Ocracoke Island!

Social media can be a great place to stay connected to the people and places you love. If you’ve followed and enjoyed our social media posts since June 2020, please say a big THANK YOU to our volunteer Social Media Coordinator, Alisa! She uses her talents for story telling, photography, and love of the outdoors to bring you amazing posts each week to stay in touch with your OBX national parks even when you can’t be here in person.

Home State: Pennsylvania (Go E-A-G-L-E-S)
Current Home: Ocracoke Island
Education: B.S. in Business Management from Metropolitan State University in Denver, Colorado

What brought you here to OBX?

My husband, Rodney, and I started working as seasonal Park Rangers for the National Park Service about 4 years ago. We’ve worked in the Redwoods, at Yellowstone, in the Everglades and currently at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Our first season here was in 2018 and we’ve been here permanently since 2019.

What do you like most about volunteering with Outer Banks Forever?

Alisa and husband Rodney during the 2019 summer season

Because our National Parks are managed by the government, that also means they operate from a government budget, which changes annually. Projects that help and enhance our parks don’t always make the cut, which is what I love about Outer Banks Forever! Being a nonprofit partner for the parks, we help make these fun, dream projects a possibility for us all to enjoy!

Why are your OBX national parks important to you?

Our OBX national parks preserve some of the most beautiful coastline in America and our monuments remind me of the innovation, progress and history that has taken place right here in our backyard. I still get that warm and fuzzy feeling whenever I visit Wright Brothers National Memorial or crest the walkway of the dunes in Cape Hatteras to see that first glance of the ocean.

What is your favorite memory in your OBX national parks?

Surfing my first wave and catching my first Red Drum. Those are two memories I will never forget!

Why should locals and visitors care about their OBX national parks?

Our National Parks offer us an everyday escape — even if it’s as simple as taking a walk on the beach. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we all probably appreciate that even more. The chaos of life can sometimes overwhelm us, but right when we step our bare feet in the sand, nature almost acts like a medicine for us. It’s important to take care of our parks for the wellbeing of ourselves, for wildlife and for the environment.

Is there anything else you would like to share or have people know about you?

Two winters ago, my husband and I left Hatteras Island to hike 900 miles of the Te Araroa in New Zealand. We hope to take what we learned from backpacking and someday hike the Mountains-to-Sea Trail!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to see more of your OBX national parks with Alisa. You can also follow Alisa’s personal adventures alongside Rodney, Kona, and June on Instagram at @serialhomesteaders!