Abby Schauer, 23, is a new permanent park guide at Fort Scott National Historic Site.
She is from Spencer, Iowa and was hired on August 4, 2019.
Family vacations inspired Schauer to pursue a career with the National Park Service.
“Every year, my family would go on vacation to national parks across the country, mainly Rocky Mountain National Park,” she said. “These vacations were something that I looked forward to every year and countless memories were made during these trips.”
Hiking trails, completing Junior Ranger books, attending ranger programs, camping in a little pop-up camper, looking for wildlife every evening, or skipping rocks on a pristine mountain lake, these are the memories that inspired her.
“I enjoyed every single moment in these amazing places,” she said. “So, when deciding what I wanted to do for a career, I chose to pursue a path with the NPS so I could help to preserve and protect these places that have so much meaning and to help people experience their parks and make memories just like I had the chance of doing.”
She is passionate about National Parks and feels honored to take part in protecting them so that both this and future generations can learn, enjoy, and be inspired by them, she said.
Her main duties at FSNHS include guiding tours, working in the visitor center, working with school groups, helping to plan and execute special events, and is in charge of the park’s living history clothing.
Her priority is to help people learn about and connect with Fort Scott National Historic Site, she said.
Schauer has served at five national parks.
“I began my career with the NPS as an Interpretive Intern at Mount Rushmore National Memorial during the summer of 2017,” she said. “I completed my last year of college after that internship and then started working seasonal jobs around the country.”
Following her time at Mt. Rushmore, she became a fee collector at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, then Tumacacori National Historical Park in southern Arizona where she completed an interpretation and education internship, and then worked at Grand Canyon National Park as an Interpretation Park Ranger.
Schauer believes each park contributes to the American story.
” Fort Scott tells several stories that are not well known but were pivotal in the development of the United States,” she said. ” Not only does Fort Scott offer the opportunity to learn about these important stories, but the facility offers a look into the past with the impressive original and reconstructed buildings on site.”
FSNHS park visitor center, park store, and historic structures will be open daily from 8:30 am–4:30 pm through March 31, 2020.
Check out FSNHS website