Staff Spotlight, William Register
Park Services Specialist, William Register
Ichetucknee Springs State Park
William Register grew up wanting to be a Florida State Park Ranger. He was born in Jasper, FL and lived in the nearby town of White Springs for 27 years. He started his career far from the world of state parks, working as a self-proclaimed “tech geek” in the computer sciences industry before realizing a desire to switch paths. He soon got his chance to work for the park that he feels he practically grew up in, Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park.
He started as an OPS Park Attendant and soon fell in love, determined to become a park ranger. A year later his hard work paid off and he has since worked as park attendant, park ranger and today a park services specialist at both Stephen Foster and Ichetucknee Springs State Parks. William says that his favorite part about working outdoors is the calm and distance you can get from crowded places (yes, even at Ichetucknee there are quiet spots!) He loves the fall season as both the weather and summer activities cool down providing a chance for more wildlife to be seen in the park.
The last mile of the river is William’s favorite, where old-growth cypress trees can be spotted in the floodplain forest giving a prehistoric appearance to the river. As far as park activities, William enjoys the moon-lit paddle programs most. He says it enables visitors to have a totally unique view of the park, and is the only official way to see it after dark. He tries to use as little light as possible on these trips, as well as make very little sound, to have the best chance of seeing nocturnal wildlife. William also enjoys teaching visitors about the best-kept secrets of the park, and educating them on the many untapped features that there are to explore in this pristine piece of Florida.