She points out a trumpet vine twining


around a tree and tries to find a little Northern Parula bird she hears chirping high in the branches. She shares how per- simmon seeds can be roasted and ground to make a coffee substitute. Dandelion, a wild edible, has hundreds of times the rec- ommended daily dose of vitamins and minerals.


“It’s the little odd things that make peo-


ple remember,” Julie says. Always learning


Julie is able to share these fascinating tidbits because she’s spent years reading, researching and learning. When the time was right to pursue her


Lovett takes a moment to smell the flowers, in this case a wild bergamont.


dream, she volunteered at Parkin Arche- ological State Park in the Arkansas Delta, which is the site of a National Historic Landmark preserving a 17-acre Mississip- pian Period American Indian village. Next, she was park interpreter at Lake Poinsett State Park in northeast Arkansas, and then at Woolly Hollow State Park in cen- tral Arkansas. While at Woolly Hollow State Park, she began helping with pro- grams at Bull Shoals-White River State Park. Working as a park ranger interpreter


has allowed her to fulfill her curiosity about nature.


“I’m continually learning,” Julie says,


adding she used to fall asleep every night reading field guides. “A big part of my job is research.” Throughout the years, she’s written


programs on a variety of topics, such as in- sects, spiders, bats and birds of prey. “She absolutely brings years of experi- ence in the interpretive field,” says Bull Shoals-White River State Park Superin- tendent Billy Lindsey. He describes her as guest-friendly and says she makes people feel at ease. “They’re a pretty dynamic duo,” Lind-


Lovett talks with Jerry Wilcoxen as he takes photographs of wildflowers in the park.


sey says of Julie and park interpreter Zack Fisher. “We have a great interpretive pro- gram and a great interpretive team.”


32  SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019  LIVING WELL


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