Laurie Eytel
Laurie Eytel
Fish and Wildlife Technician, 1987
Laurie Eytel, a Fish & Wildlife Technician ’87 graduate from the Frost Campus, Fleming College has enjoyed a fulfilling career with job opportunities stationed across Canada and the USA. During the summers while still at Fleming, and afterwards, Laurie worked for The Great Lakes Forest Research Centre (Elliot Lake), Science North (Sudbury), Balsam Lake Provincial Park (Kirkland), The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (Lanark) and The National Capital Commission (Ottawa). She then volunteered and later worked for The Leslie M. Frost Natural Resource Centre in Dorset – one of her favorite posts.
Her search for full-time employment led her to Virginia, USA where she was a naturalist and Interpretive Specialist for one of the larger parks in the Fairfax County’s park system. Speaking about the experience, Laurie says “I love the creative process and the researching a wide range of subject areas that being a naturalist offered. Exposing children to the wonders of nature will hopefully create a connection for caring for our planet throughout their lives.”
After ten years as a naturalist and Interpretive Specialist, Laurie transitioned to Family Services, where she was able to use her psychology degree she had attainted before attending Fleming College. She wanted to be able to serve people who did not have the same advantages in life that she had experienced.
After a 23-year career with Fairfax County, Laurie retired in 2013 and moved to western Pennsylvania and is still involved in the environmental stewardship field. She is planning to move into a co-housing ecovillage which is currently being developed with her co-housing colleagues. Laurie is also currently in the final stages of writing a book on her naturalist experiences titled “A Flying Squirrel in My Pocket” and other tales from a park naturalist. It has short vignettes of many of the experiences she had in her career.
Reflecting back on her time at the Frost Campus, her advice to new graduates just starting out is “Don’t give up on your dreams (even when it can be challenging to continue), and volunteer in your chosen field when possible. It creates valuable connections and lets you try out an area of work you might like. This can help you meet your career goals.”