Staff Spotlight, Ethan Bass
Park Ranger, Ethan Bass
Florida Caverns State Park
When he was a child, Ethan and his family would walk the old fields and forests where they lived.
Ethan was fascinated by the mystery of the past. He always hoped to find buried artifacts from long-lost civilizations and long-ago battles. He wondered who had walked in those same fields and forests and what they had been like. Seeing stone and metal relics made the past real, not just words on a page. His desire to share that feeling is part of what drew Ethan to the Florida Park Service. To Ethan, one of the best feelings in the world is seeing visitors’ eyes light up when they see formations that are millions of years old. He’s a park ranger because sharing that feeling of wonder, curiosity and awe is always rewarding. Ethan hopes kids who visit or participate in the Junior Ranger program will begin a lifelong journey of curiosity about the environment and the people who lived in it.
“Florida Caverns is one of the most special places in the world,” Ethan said. “People have lived here for thousands of years and you can feel that when you’re in the park. All our visitors should see the museum. The artifacts, photos and exhibits there bring the park’s history to life in a way that you can reach out and touch.”