Ep. 14 - Connecting Campus to Nature: The Journey of National Park Ambassadors

On this episode, host Dr. Joy James sits down with Madi Heater and Nick Perkins, two passionate students from Appalachian State University who serve as National Park Trust College Ambassadors. As leaders of the App State National Park Trust Club, Madi and Nick share their journeys into outdoor recreation, their love for nature, and their mission to make the outdoors accessible to all students. From birdwatching and fishing to trail stewardship and caving expeditions, their experiences highlight the transformative power of outdoor engagement. Through their work, they not only foster a deeper appreciation for national parks but also build a thriving community of like-minded adventurers. This episode delves into their personal connections with nature, the challenges and joys of outdoor recreation, and the impact of their roles as ambassadors, inspiring others to step outside and explore the world around them.

 

 

Show Notes

Madi Heater, [e-mail] Nick Perkins, [e-mail]

 

National Park Trust Club Taught members how to fish (Price Lake), stewardship events, clean trails, caving expeditions (Worley's cave) https://parktrust.org/asu-college-ambassadors/ https://www.worleyscave.co/ (Bluff City, TN) https://www.exploreboone.com/listing/price-lake/881/ (Blowing Rock, NC)

Congaree National Park- Madi  https://www.nps.gov/cong/index.htm

Shenandoah National Park- Nick https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm

Birding apps. Merlin & eBird Merlin is based off of the calls that the birds give eBird has a larger database  https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ Merlin asks three questions about the bird (Size, Main Colors, and Behavior) It also can use the microphone on your smartphone to listen to and ID the bird's call as well as take a picture using the camera to ID the bird based on a photo. https://ebird.org/about/ebird-mobile/ eBird makes it easier to log the locations of birds seen and shows hotspots of bird sightings by region and species. It seems to be less of an “identification” app and more of a GPS and locator app.

Fishing  App state health physical activity for fishing and fishing club  https://engage.appstate.edu/organization/fly-fishing-club

Some of the activities discussed in this episode like caving, hiking, and fishing are offered as classes here https://rmpe.appstate.edu/academics/pe-activity-program/course-descriptions

How to join clubs is through “Engage” also remember that the National Park Trust Club is free and has no dues  https://engage.appstate.edu/

 

Transcript

Becki Battista:

Welcome to Appalachian Outdoorosity, where we encourage you to get outside and keep going outside. Here, we will share Appalachian state stories that entertain, inspire, and inform listeners about living an active outdoor lifestyle. Each episode features a story, the goal to get you outside and keep you going outside to improve your overall wellness. This podcast is presented by the HOPE Lab, where our purpose is to investigate the role of outdoor physical activity, exercise, and play on the health, the environment, and human development. The vision of the HOPE Lab is to continue developing the foundation for promoting and supporting outdoor physical activity, exercise, and play through interdisciplinary research. Feel free to check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu.

Hi, my name is Becki Batiste and I'm a professor in exercise science at Appalachian State University, and a self-proclaimed outdoor physical activity addict. I'm your host for today's episode of the Appalachian Outdoorosity Podcast. In today's episode, Dr. Joy James, a professor of Recreation Management, is joined by Madi Heater and Nick Perkins from the App State National Park Trust Club. They share their journey to becoming National Park College ambassadors, highlight some of the exciting activities they've organized as club leaders, and reflect on their experiences as ambassadors and their passion for engaging fellow students with the outdoors.

 

Joy James:

All right. Welcome to Appalachian Outdoorosity Podcast. Today we have two guests here, Nick Perkins and Madi Heater. They're going to be talking not only about their outdoor experiences, but their work here at Appalachian State University as the National Park College Ambassadors. What I'