Sarahsville native Wyatt Flood's love of animals leads him to job at The Wilds
UMBERLAND — He’s living his dream, close to where he grew up.
“I dreamed of being a zookeeper as a child,” recalled Wyatt Flood. “I knew I was interested in animals from the start. We had always had a small farm with goats, horses, and rabbits, and even had a pig at one point. My first interest was either mammals or amphibians. Me, my family, and friends would spend many days going to zoos or exploring the woods searching for frogs, salamanders, and other wildlife. I still have a khaki safari shirt signed by Jack Hanna from one of many visits to the Columbus Zoo."
“I also spent a fair amount of time at The Wilds growing up,” he added, “going on tours and even staying at the camp I now help run with our sixth grade science class. I met some of the educators and knew I wanted to be in a related field.”
Today, Flood is the coordinator of on-site programs at The Wilds.
“I help to coordinate all of our on-site educational programs,” he explained, “such as Wildecamp (our residential summer camp), as well as the school and scout programs we offer in the shoulder spring and fall seasons. I ensure all the programs run smoothly, support my staff who make the programs possible, and work with other team members to plan and execute them.”
Flood, 24, grew up near The Wilds in Sarahsville.
“I was a Shenandoah Zep from kindergarten through sophomore year of high school,” he said. “Junior year, I decided to try my hand at natural resource conservation at our local technical school, Mid-East Career and Technology Centers in Zanesville. After I graduated in 2017, I knew I wanted to work around animals, and I enjoyed educating people but wasn’t quite sure what direction I wanted to go. I took a year before enrolling in college, working at Wolf Run State Park before landing at Hocking College in Nelsonville. I really came into my own during this time honing my skills as an outdoor educator and finding my love and passion for birds. Hocking’s hands-on approach to teaching natural resources gave me many tools to dive into the world of natural resources.
“My time at The Wilds started in 2015 as a food service team member — my first real job,” he continued. “I then returned in 2019 while attending Hocking College in my first paid outdoor education position as a camp counselor at Wildecamp. After that, I was hooked.
“I spent the next few years,” he added, “coming back to The Wilds in different seasonal capacities in the education department, as well as substitute teaching and gaining more experience in outdoor education roles at other facilities. In the zoo/natural resource world, there is a lot of moving around and seasonal work that usually must be done before landing a full-time position. It can be hard not having set roots, but the work is worth it.”
Danny Lough is director of conservation education and engagement at The Wilds.
“Wyatt has been a real asset to the team at The Wilds,” assessed Lough. “With his experience, leadership skills, clear communication, and positive attitude, we not only had an incredibly successful summer camp with over 300 campers but are also going to be growing our on-site program offerings.”
“This work is definitely from the heart," Flood responded. “There are some long, hot, bug-filled days, but as soon as I see a guest making a connection with nature, all the hard work is worth it. We need everyone to be aware of the challenges the living organisms around us face and ways we can help them. I very much believe that humans benefit so much from being out in nature and making those connections. It is also a way to pay forward all of the teachers, educators, and everyone who has helped me connect with and enjoy nature.”
The Wilds is located at 14000 International Road in Cumberland. For more information, call 740-638-5030 or log on www.thewilds.org.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Love of animals leads Sarahsville native to job at The Wilds
