For my spring 2004 internship I chose to work with the Golden Gate National Park Service on Alcatraz in the San Francisco Bay. I worked on the island once a week under the tutelage of Park Ranger Lori Brosnan. Lori specializes in interpreting and presenting the history of Alcatraz to the visiting public. In my time volunteering on Alcatraz I contributed to the conservation effort by working directly with the visiting public. I worked a total of 84 hours as a docent and performed some of the duties of a park ranger on the island.
The majority of my time was spent interacting with the visiting public. I would gather the visitors (up to 300 at times) as they stepped onto the island and then would proceed with the “dock greetings.” Dock greetings consisted of telling the visitors about: the park rules and regulations, programs and tours, short stories about the history of the park, and answering any questions they might have. Alcatraz has over a million visitors a year from all over the world so the language barriers could be challenging at times.
I also worked with smaller groups while on Alcatraz. During my day I’d spend around two hours walking the ground and leading small behind the scenes tours. The groups were usually school groups or families of tourist ranging in size from 2 to 10 as opposed to the massive crowds of 300 that came off the boat every half hour. I would walk and talk with the group, teaching them about a certain aspect of the history as we passed through the physical remains.
Part of my internship was also spent operating audio/video machinery, organizing the dock office, and preparing for the first park visitors. Starting the films, keeping track of visiting school groups, posting program times and other preparation work was a necessary part of the job. I would sometimes handle tools for the group in charge of garden restoration or put calls in to Blue & Gold (the boat company that handles transportation to and from the island) when alarms went off because of sewage or power issues. In rare cases I would be called upon for minor first aid assistance and would later record anything of significance in the daily log book. Essentially I performed a number of problem-solving tasks that are necessary in running an operation of this size.
Finally, I spent a part of each day researching in the private Alcatraz library to fortify my knowledge of the island. The Ranger office has a small library devoted to the history of Alcatraz. I spent time reading through books that addressed different aspects of the island like the native plant and bird life, the 19 month Native American occupation, and the prison years, both military and federal. I also took the opportunity to read through FBI investigations and reports on a few of the classic escape attempts. This was a rare opportunity to increase my knowledge through original reports and black and white photos. The time I spent researching was key for advancing my knowledge for small tours and fueling the visitor’s interest in the park and its history. (Anonymous - Volunteer Training Manual 2003) (Esslinger 2004)
I received on site training throughout my internship. Lori Brosnan and the rest of the NPS and Conservancy staff modeled effective ways to communicate with the large number of visitors each day. Lori emphasized that the best way to get a person interested in history is to relate it to something they already know from everyday living. I was also shown how to operate some of the prison machinery, such as the prison door system, as well as how to access the areas that are closed to the public. Much of my training was spent watching the staff relate the history of the island through dock greetings, large tours, and private behind the scenes tours.
My previous job experience helped to prepare me for my internship on Alcatraz. Before starting at SF State I taught 5th and 6th graders at an outdoor science program in the San Bernardino Mountains for two and a half years. Creating and presenting programs for visiting schools of Jr. High students helped prepare me for the public speaking aspect of the internship. I was comfortable explaining the history of Alcatraz to children as well as adult because of my time spent teaching. At the science school I lead nature hikes for staff, students, and their teachers and I gained an understanding of how to communicate most efficiently with the varying age groups. This experience was called upon throughout my internship when giving tours to families or helping lost children find their parents.
My Work Unit:
I volunteered to work with the NPS on Alcatraz as part of an internship at San Francisco State. I worked with the Rangers, the Conservancy staff and other interns and volunteers. Through my efforts and hour spent volunteering I helped maintain the NPS operations on Alcatraz and supported the long term goals of the Park Service. Though I only worked a total of 84 hours, my actions were in alignment with the NPS mission statement. I contributed by protecting the native plant and animal life and by communicating the rich history of the island to the visitors. My internship supported the conservation of Alcatraz Island National Park for the enjoyment of current and future generations. |
