authentic profile: Patrick Haulter, dnr ranger
While hip-hop head and nature enthusiast typically aren’t two qualities that would be found in the same person, they are only two of the many quirks that make up Patrick Haulter, park ranger for the Department of Natural Resources and Southern Indiana native. The natural beauties of Southern Indiana have been Haulter’s playground since he was a kid.
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“I grew up on Beckett Street in Clarksville, literally three blocks away from the Falls of the Ohio. I’ve lived in this area my entire life,” Haulter said.
A fascination with both the outdoors, and more specifically a focus on the natural structures and history that is the planet Earth, came with the extensive traveling he’s done in his life. He’s explored the overflowingly populated lands of China, explored the jungles of Madagascar, and trekked through Africa, on more than one occasion. With each trip, he said his enthusiasm for learning about the history of the lands flourished. Haulter graduated from Indiana University Southeast with his degree in geosciences. When a position opened up for the Department of Natural Resources working in the Falls of the Ohio, it was no question where Haulter wanted to work. “It was perfect for me. I was fresh out of school, and here’s this job working in this giant fossil bed, right in my backyard.” Haulter said. And the Falls of the Ohio isn’t just some fossil bed – it’s the largest collection of Devonian fossils in the world entire world. Haulter’s has led groups on nature hikes and leading bird watching sessions, and he said people come from all over the world to study these fossils. “The location is twice as old as dinosaurs. The most intelligent life form at the time was a fish. There were no flowers, no plants, no trees. And it’s still here today,” Haulter said. Obtaining the position, however, wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. |
“There’s not a shortage of people that want to work in and with the outdoors," Haulter said. "Every interview I’ve ever had with the DNR has been highly competitive.”
In order to gain experience before applying for positions, Haulter began volunteering, doing whatever he could to gain exposure and knowledge of working in the geoscience field.
“Volunteering originally started out as a selfish thing," he said. "I was only really doing it to gain the experience I needed to land a job. I still volunteer, but I do it for different reasons – I like to be able to give back to the land and the animals. We’re all animals, and it’s not all about us.”
Finding his calling, however, wasn’t something that came immediately.
“I spent the first year of college looking at all the wrong majors," Haulter said. "One day, I asked myself, ‘What will people say about you when you die?’ Some people will be remembered for selling shoes, or running a law office. I want to say that I did my part to make the world a better place to live.”
Haulter said he believes that by educating the public on the history of the land we live on and explaining the scientific meaning behind why things are will lead to a more informed population, which will In turn cause more people to make more eco- and Earth-friendly decisions, thereby improving the quality of life for years to come.
When he’s not working with the public, Haulter is hard at work assisting in field research.
“The technology we have today to be able to do more research is incredible," he said. "It’s amazing the amount of information you can store on your phone that can assist with research out in the field.”
Since Haulter has been in Southern Indiana his entire life, it’s no surprise that he’s familiarized himself with the local natural attractions of the areas.
“Besides the Falls of the Ohio, I spend a lot of time at Charlestown State Park," Haulter said. "If you want to see animals, this is the place to go. It’s both one of the largest and newest state parks in Indiana. They just recently reopened Rose Island, which is home to an old theme park from the 1930s. You also have Loop Island, a natural wetland preserve that’s privately owned but is opened to the public. It used to be called ‘Blood Pond’ because dyes from a neighboring tanning factory would leak into the waters. There’s also an old train bridge back there."
In Haulter's spare time, he said he enjoys exploring one of the local parks with his wife and dogs, being a rap star in his group the River Wolves, and doing what he’s passionate about: studying the history of the rocks, soil, fossils and stones of the world.
“Education is the number one thing I advocate, especially education in nature."
In order to gain experience before applying for positions, Haulter began volunteering, doing whatever he could to gain exposure and knowledge of working in the geoscience field.
“Volunteering originally started out as a selfish thing," he said. "I was only really doing it to gain the experience I needed to land a job. I still volunteer, but I do it for different reasons – I like to be able to give back to the land and the animals. We’re all animals, and it’s not all about us.”
Finding his calling, however, wasn’t something that came immediately.
“I spent the first year of college looking at all the wrong majors," Haulter said. "One day, I asked myself, ‘What will people say about you when you die?’ Some people will be remembered for selling shoes, or running a law office. I want to say that I did my part to make the world a better place to live.”
Haulter said he believes that by educating the public on the history of the land we live on and explaining the scientific meaning behind why things are will lead to a more informed population, which will In turn cause more people to make more eco- and Earth-friendly decisions, thereby improving the quality of life for years to come.
When he’s not working with the public, Haulter is hard at work assisting in field research.
“The technology we have today to be able to do more research is incredible," he said. "It’s amazing the amount of information you can store on your phone that can assist with research out in the field.”
Since Haulter has been in Southern Indiana his entire life, it’s no surprise that he’s familiarized himself with the local natural attractions of the areas.
“Besides the Falls of the Ohio, I spend a lot of time at Charlestown State Park," Haulter said. "If you want to see animals, this is the place to go. It’s both one of the largest and newest state parks in Indiana. They just recently reopened Rose Island, which is home to an old theme park from the 1930s. You also have Loop Island, a natural wetland preserve that’s privately owned but is opened to the public. It used to be called ‘Blood Pond’ because dyes from a neighboring tanning factory would leak into the waters. There’s also an old train bridge back there."
In Haulter's spare time, he said he enjoys exploring one of the local parks with his wife and dogs, being a rap star in his group the River Wolves, and doing what he’s passionate about: studying the history of the rocks, soil, fossils and stones of the world.
“Education is the number one thing I advocate, especially education in nature."
