Staff Spotlight, Kate Smithson
Park Services Specialist, Kate Smithson
Little Manatee River State Park
As soon as Kate Smithson stepped off the plane in Florida, she knew that she had made the right choice moving here. The citrus trees and tropical vegetation were very different from North Carolina but reminded her of her time spent in Kenya. While they’d moved here for her partner’s job opportunity, Kate wasn’t immediately sure what exactly she was going to do. She decided to do some soul searching, not sure where it would lead.
Kate has always loved the outdoors, having grown up playing in the woods of her backyard. She says, “My parents helped foster a close connection with the land, growing and raising our own food, and instilled values of environmental sustainability and self-reliance.”
With that in mind, Kate eventually stumbled upon a volunteer position at Hillsborough River State Park which started her journey to becoming a park services specialist at Little Manatee River State Park. At the park, Kate supervises several programs including the park’s natural resource management program and Florida Conservation Corps Americorp members. You can most often catch her in the field, checking on firebreaks, or in the ranger station handling a variety of administrative duties. What drew her to Little Manatee River in particular was how picturesque it was, like a wild garden. When she looks across the landscape she feels like she is “transported to a place where time stands still.”
What Kate loves most about the outdoors is the peace and tranquility and the rare and unusual moments of beauty or discovery. She says it’s about “watching a gopher tortoise bury eggs or a fledgling cardinal hop and flutter its first awkward flight… experiencing those amazing rare moments that only align once or twice in a lifetime.” She’s inspired by these little moments and is proud of seeing the impact that her and her team have in protecting the environment. She aims to be part of the solution and do her part to protect and preserve our natural communities.