When Rachel Nunlist and her husband have a day off together they often visit one of the many Florida State Parks.
Some may think that odd because Rachel is a park ranger and manager of nearby Lake Griffin State Park.
“Visitors often ask about other parks and I want to be able to answer their questions,” she explains.
Lake Griffin State Park is familiar to many Villagers – a small gem just off U.S. Hwy. 27/441 in Fruitland Park at the northern edge of Leesburg. They come the park to hike the trail, boat, fish and just enjoy the outdoors. Visitors to the area mean that the 40-site campground is 100 per cent occupied from November through April and reservations are necessary during that time.
Visitor numbers are climbing, Rachel notes.
“We had 24,000 in 2014, 29,000 in 2015 and 33,000 in 2016. About 75 per cent of the campers are from Florida,” she said.
The park staff has three full-time and one part-time position.
“Because of the small number of staff, I take my turn in the field work rotation,” Rachel says. “Every few days I’m out of the office and in the Park just like everyone else.”
She also heads up efforts to expand and improve the boat launch area, bring in new canoes, maintain good relations with the Park neighbors and ensure full compliance with ADA regulations.
Part of Rachel’s work includes supervising the development of the new boardwalk trail loop through the Park’s marsh area which was scheduled to open this fall, however Hurricane Irma has delayed that. “The water levels still haven’t gone down enough to open it, but we’re hoping that will happen soon.”
One of her other responsibilities is the pontoon boat tours that are scheduled for Wednesday and Friday throughout the winter. The six-passenger boat is manned by a licensed captain and a park staffer who narrates the tour.
If you had the time and knew where to go, you could end up in the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the St. Johns River, so the area is considered part of a navigable waterway. That’s why they need a licensed captain.
“Our three current captains are all volunteers,” Rachel says. “And we’re looking to add to that number.”
Villagers have always been very supportive, providing expertise in building and grounds maintenance and repairs. The Park’s Citizen Support Organization volunteers were instrumental in the clean-up and getting the Park open again Hurricane Irma.
“Fortunately, we didn’t have any infrastructure damage,” Rachel reported. “Just a lot of debris and damage to limbs and trees that we had to clear away.”
Rachel grew up roaming her family’s 30-acre property of lakes and upland woods near Longwood, Florida, where her family had first settled in 1904. An only child, and self-confessed ‘tom boy,’ she liked the snakes and other animals that inhabited the area.
Graduating from high school in the mid-1990s she tried law enforcement and then became a volunteer intern with Florida State Parks for a year. She learned the basics of electrical, plumbing and how to use a chain saw, handling maintenance and repair chores in several Parks. She knew she wanted make it her career.
Rachel received her degree in psychology in 2003 from Eckert College.
“I wanted to apply to the Florida Park Services, but I also needed a back-up plan because it’s so difficult to get accepted. They get hundreds of applications.” She was accepted on her first interview and credits her year of volunteer experience as the deciding factor.
After working in several other State Parks in Central Florida she took the job as Manager at Griffin Lake where she lives on-property with her husband, six cats and her dog – a Catahoula Leopard, the state dog of Louisiana. Rachel is also a fierce competitor in road and mud races in the area. “In a road race you can relax and get into it. But in a mud race, with the difficult terrain and obstacles, you have to concentrate all the time. I enjoy that.”
One of the natural wonders Rachel oversees in the Park is the ancient, giant live oak tree believed to be 300 to 500 years old. While officials in St. Augustine have done a trunk boring and determined that the live oak in the city’s downtown park to be over 500 years old, Rachel says that the Park has decided not to take that route. “The procedure can injure the tree and there are other ways to estimate the age.”
Although a relatively small Park, Lake Griffin has a wide variety of plants, animals and insects. Largemouth bass, bluegill and speckled perch (specks or crappie) live in the canal and Dead River. Florida black bears, coyotes, bobcats and small mammals roam the woods and marshes. “We recently saw a Shermans fox squirrel which has not been seen in the Park before,” Rachel said. There are plenty of insects – “We recommend that everyone carry bug spray in the summer,” Rachel laughs – including mosquitos, numerous varieties of dragon flies, moths, butterflies and caterpillars. Birds include egrets, kingfishers, anhingas, herons and hawks. Of course, there’s also the occasional alligator, so swimming is not permitted in the Park.
Amenities abound in the Park – volleyball, horseshoes, children’s playground, canoe rentals, nature trails, picnic areas, boat ramp, restrooms and a pavilion that can be rented for group picnics and get-togethers.
One of the questions often asked at the Park entrance is why there is fee. “The Florida State Parks are not funded by the state government,” Rachel explained. “Our only revenue comes from document stamps and the Park entrance, usage and activity fees.” She recommends the annual pass that covers the entrance fee for most of the Florida State Parks.
After achieving her dream, Rachel says that she plans to stay with Florida Parks for a long time. “I’ll be here until I retire,” she laughs.
John W Prince is a writer and Villages resident. Learn more at www.GoMyStory.com.
