Mya Huetter (they/she) recently obtained their B.S. in Biology from the University of California, Irvine, with a specialization in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. After graduation, they participated in Crystal Cove Conservancy’s Natural Resources Internship, a recipient of Parks California’s Career Pathways grant program, which led to a full-time role as a Natural Resources crewmember with California State Parks.
Career Pathways is a workforce development program that supports paid skills training and helps establish career pathways for traditionally underrepresented groups into parks-related careers. According to a Journal of Forestry published study, there is an aging workforce in natural resources and current challenges of attracting young and diverse people to the field. As experienced professionals reach retirement, programs like Career Pathways offer a critical opportunity to bring in talented individuals like Mya, who are committed to preserving and managing California’s natural landscapes.
We met with Mya at Crystal Cove State Park to chat about their pathway into natural resources, the impact of early career opportunities, and their new job at California State Parks.
Amanda: Tell us about your path into a natural resources career.
Mya: When I went to college, I wasn’t sure what to study. I knew that I really liked the natural world, but my interest really solidified when I took a class in Ecology. I went on to take part in an internship at UCI’s Center for Environmental Biology, where I learned about natural resources, ecological restoration, and was connected to the Crystal Cove Conservancy internship opportunity, which seemed like a next step in furthering my career.
Mya interned with the Crystal Cove Conservancy during the summer of 2024, where their intern team built a 10-year community-based restoration plan targeting Crystal Cove’s coastal bluffs. Beyond knowledge sharing within their team, Mya learned how to utilize GIS (geographic information systems) to document and map natural resources such as invasive plants and vegetation cover. “Mapping helped us explain how to target patches of the bluffs and when”, Huetter explains, “we categorized areas with the highest percentages of invasive plants as high priority areas to be seeded with native plants whereas lower percentages only required invasive plant removal.”
Amanda: Is there a particular moment from your intern experience that stands out to you?
Mya: Our final presentation stood out to me. Personally, I was very nervous because there were many Conservancy and State Parks personnel listening to the outcomes of our project. Presenting it in a way that I was proud of gave me a lot of confidence going into job interviews and was an opportunity to network with other state parks folks. I felt pride in my team and being able to share our work.
Paid internship experiences like Mya’s have the potential to create long-term impact on the natural landscapes and career trajectories alike. As Mya puts it, “having a financial income while being able to learn this type of work makes [natural resource careers] more accessible. You also learn to recognize the worth of your work with pay. I got the job I currently have because I was able to work with mentors from Crystal Cove Conservancy and California State Parks, especially maintaining a working relationship between the two groups. I formed connections, built a network, and from that experience was able to then show California State Parks staff the knowledge and skills I had learned. Mya is now a few weeks into their role at California State Parks, where their Crystal Cove Conservancy internship mentors are now their managers.
Amanda: As a Natural Resources crewmember, what are some projects your crew works on?
Mya: Our main long-term project is working in Crystal Cove’s back country in something referred to as ‘The Bowl’. This large patch is surrounded in all ways by hills and historically was used for agricultural purposes because of its almost natural fencing for cattle. So, the area is very ecologically degraded because of that. Beyond that long-term restoration plan, we remove invasive plants with a combination of manual and chemical treatments, perform vehicle, tool, and trail maintenance, and survey wildlife. When asked to reflect on new learnings about themself through the internship and the start of their new role, Mya wants to continue building their knowledge by exploring the world around them. “After leaving college, I find that I still want to keep learning. I can do that through exposure to new people and new ideas in natural resources, and my job at California State Parks will help me do just that.”
During this giving season, join us in creating early-career opportunities that foster curiosity and love for the natural world by donating to Parks California’s Career Pathways Grant Program.
