As the assistant park manager at Silver Springs State Park in Ocala, Nicky aids in the management of a popular and unique park. She helps staff and volunteers protect and maintain the park’s natural and cultural resources and always emphasizes quality visitor services.
In 2003, Nicky served a one-year term with the AmeriCorps READ program, where she helped to increase literacy with elementary-age children. While doing this, she was also working on a project at Ravine Gardens State Park. She went on to serve at Ravine Gardens and at other parks in Central Florida in 2004 and 2005. Her projects included outreach, interpretation, and removal of invasive plants. She also helped with large events such as the Florida Folk Festival.
While at Ravine Gardens, Nicky implemented the use of air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) collection baskets, as well as a collection and education event called the Air Potato Rodeo. Due to its ability to displace native species and disrupt natural processes such as fire and water flow, air potato has been listed as one of Florida’s most invasive plant species since 1993 and was placed on the Florida Noxious Weed List by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in 1999.
The use of the baskets provided helpful visitors and volunteers various collection points throughout the gardens while bringing attention to invasive plant issues.
As an AmeriCorps member, Nicky received lots of training - the most impactful of which might have been her prescribed fire certificates.
Before assuming her current role at Silver Springs, Nicky’s career led her to Ravine Gardens, Kissimmee Prairie Preserve and Rainbow Springs state parks. At Rainbow Springs, she worked on volunteer recruitment and management, interpretation, cultural resource protection and prescribed fire.
“What I learned in the AmeriCorps program is a huge benefit to me,” said Nicky. “I learned a great deal about the removal of non-native plants and management that has helped me to this day.”
