Nurturing the conservationists of the future inside and outside the classroom

Danica Jackson-Park’s passion for nature and conservation glows like a lighthouse beacon over Newfoundland’s rugged Atlantic coastline. For Danica, spending time outdoors isn’t just a hobby, it’s part of who she is.

“I’m Gen X and I basically grew up feral,” Danica laughs. “As soon as I woke up in the morning my older brother and I were outside in the dirt. My mom would blink and I would be across the road in a mud puddle, looking at flowers, watching birds or chasing butterflies — being outside has been a part of my life forever.”

Raised in Corner Brook, N.L., Danica left her hometown to pursue a degree in marine biology and a second degree in environmental science. She built a career working for the wildlife department in Newfoundland and, later, with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in Quebec. Even though Danica moved away from the place where she grew up, she’s never strayed far from her true home: the woods and waterways she calls her “happy place.”

Bringing the outdoors into the classroom

After leaving DFO in Quebec, Danica wanted to move closer to home to be with her mother, who was managing health challenges at the time. When she returned to Corner Brook, she decided to start a new chapter as an educator, teaching biology and English at the local high school.

It turns out that education is where Danica’s inextinguishable enthusiasm for the outdoors shines brightest. She spends her weekends walking the trails through Gros Morne National Park and enjoying the wetlands on a bit of property she and her husband own. On Monday, she reports back on her adventures to her students.

“My kids think I’m crazy, but they like it at the same time,” she says. “They’ll ask me, ‘Where did you go this weekend?’ and I’ll show them the photos I took on the trail. I’ll tell them about the plants and animals I see out there. I want them to know that ecology — and the importance of conservation — isn’t something that’s just in a textbook, it’s something that’s happening right here.”

Turning passion into community action

Volunteering with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) was a natural extension of Danica’s previous career in conservation.

She first got involved with the Corner Brook committee in 2010, then became chair in 2016. Since then, she has been at the forefront of organizing annual fundraising dinners for the community, gathering donations from local businesses and making sure the night runs smoothly — with help from some of her eager student volunteers. She has also worked on conservation initiatives like cutting back invasive purple loosestrife in the area and facilitating nest box projects.

“My students know I am heavily involved in Ducks and I’ve gotten them involved, too,” says Danica. “About two years into volunteering, I realized we needed way more help with the dinner. I knew the kids needed volunteer hours to graduate, so I started asking them to help us out. I had 20 students sign up last year but 30 showed up. It only took us an hour to get set up.”

Rekindling curiosity about the natural world

Danica generously invests her time and expertise in teaching kids about the natural world on their doorstep through her work with DUC, at school and beyond. Danica loves sharing her passion for nature with her students. In turn, that passion inspires them to get curious about conservation.

“I often tell kids about a whale rescue that I was involved with during a summer course at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in New Brunswick,” she says. “There was an entangled right whale and we were able to go out and cut the ropes off of her.”

Stories like these get students interested in what’s happening to ecosystems around them and Danica is delighted to field their questions. “I ended up showing my class the documentary Last of the Right Whales and I explained to them that some of the whales that would have been around when I was in New Brunswick are no longer there,” she says.

Talking about her personal experiences makes conservation feel relevant and meaningful for her students. Many of them have gone on to pursue post-secondary studies in biology, ecology and environmental science themselves.

“I feel like the technology kids are using has taken away their sense of wonder. I think we really have to get that curiosity back,” Danica says.