The Wildlife That Stays With You

Every summer, someone asks me, "What is your favorite wildlife story from STEAM in the PARK?" It's one of those questions that should be impossible to answer. We've watched bears disappear into mountain forests, elk graze quietly across alpine meadows, river otters play without a care in the world, and fireflies turn ordinary evenings into something that feels almost magical. Every park has its own cast of characters, and every one of them leaves a mark on our hearts.

But if I had to choose one, I always think about Stella.

It was early one morning on Cumberland Island National Seashore when the sea turtle patrol interns invited our group to join them on the beach before sunrise. The world was still quiet. The only sounds were the waves and our footsteps in the sand as we hoped we might be lucky enough to witness something extraordinary. Then we saw her. She had just finished laying her eggs. Standing at a respectful distance, we watched as she carefully covered her nest, using her powerful flippers to disguise it from predators. There was no hurry. Every movement seemed intentional, almost sacred. We couldn't help but wonder how many miles she had traveled and how, after all these years, she had somehow found her way back to the very beach where her own life had begun. We named her Stella.

When she was finally satisfied that her nest was hidden, she slowly turned toward the Atlantic Ocean. For the next twenty minutes, we watched her waddle across the sand. It wasn't fast, and it certainly wasn't graceful, but every determined step felt like a lesson in perseverance. No one checked a phone. No one wanted to leave. We simply stood there together until the waves welcomed her home. It remains one of the most beautiful wildlife moments I've ever experienced, not because it was dramatic, but because it reminded us that some of nature's greatest moments happen quietly. They simply ask us to slow down long enough to notice.

Then there are the prairie dogs of Bryce Canyon National Park. They couldn't be more different from Stella, yet they capture our hearts every single summer. If you've never spent time watching a prairie dog colony, you're missing one of nature's greatest performances. One stands guard while the others search for food. At the first warning call, they disappear underground in an instant. A few moments later, tiny heads cautiously begin popping back out, one after another, as if they're checking to make sure everything is safe again. They make us laugh every single time.

Our campers quickly discover that prairie dogs are much more than adorable animals. They are remarkable communicators, devoted neighbors, and an essential part of the ecosystem. Their burrows provide homes for other wildlife, and their teamwork reminds us that healthy communities depend on everyone doing their part. That's why our Prairie Dog Challenge has become such a favorite during STEAM in the PARK. We laugh together, act like prairie dogs together, and somewhere along the way we realize that nature has been teaching us about communication, stewardship, and community all along.

We certainly teach science, but the parks teach wonder. Wildlife has a way of slowing us down. It reminds us that we are guests in these extraordinary places. It teaches patience, curiosity, humility, and respect. Some of our most meaningful lessons don't happen in front of a PowerPoint or around a table. They happen standing quietly on a beach before sunrise, watching a sea turtle disappear into the Atlantic, or sitting on the edge of a prairie, waiting for one curious little face to peek out of a burrow.

Those are the moments our campers remember years later. Those are the moments we remember, too. Long after the lesson plans have been packed away and the suitcases have been unpacked, it's often the wildlife that stays with us. They remind us why these places matter and why protecting them matters even more.

So now I'd love to hear from you. If you've joined us for STEAM in the PARK, what is your favorite wildlife story? Was it Stella on Cumberland Island? The prairie dogs of Bryce Canyon? The wild ponies of Assateague? The dragonflies of New River Gorge? The salamanders in the Smokies? The elk in Rocky Mountain? The bears in Sitka? The Burmese python in Big Cypress? Or was it another unforgettable encounter that has stayed with you ever since? We'd love to hear your story because I have a feeling the best wildlife stories are the ones that continue long after we leave the park.