About our Staff
Since the program's inception in 1929, accomplished instructors from across the country have been traveling to teach, learn, and explore in the unique Appalachian Highland habitats. The staff at Mountain Nature Camp consists of talented teachers and regional experts in the fields of natural history, nature study, and education who strive to inspire campers through hands-on field trips and lively discussions.
Greg Park: Mountain Nature Camp Director
A native of Ripley, West Virginia, Greg Park has been teaching about nature and history for over 35 years. Greg first became interested in wildlife and the outdoors through his participation in the Boy Scouts of America where he reached the rank of Eagle.
He received his Bachelors Degree from Concord College in Athens, WV and his Masters Degree from West Virginia University in Biology Education. Greg has served as a swimming coach at the US Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey where he studied, taught, and lived in one of the premier birding locations in the world.
Moving to the Wheeling area, Greg has worked at Oglebay Institute for more than 15 years. Currently, Greg serves as Associate Director of Environmental Education. A highlight of his professional career was his participation as a Re-Enactor Specialist in the film The Patriot.
Though teaching is his passion, Greg has also completed important scientific research including the discovery of a new species of troglobite cave beetle named in his honor- Pseudanopthalmus parki.
Greg spends the last weeks of summer working with young people as the senior naturalist at Junior Nature Camp.
| |
 |
| |
Bill Beatty |
Bill Beatty: Program Director, Mountain Nature Camp
Bill Beatty is the longest serving naturalist in the history of Oglebay Institute. His work for the Institute started in 1972 and today he serves as a consultant on curriculum design and professional development.
Bill graduated from West Liberty State College with a degree in biology. In addition to his work with Oglebay Institute, he founded Wild and Natural, a nature education and photography company. Thousands of his screech owl, insect, spider, and patterns in nature photos appear in the world’s top magazines, books, and field guides. Bill accompanies his photography expertise as an acclaimed nature writer.
Bill’s additional teaching experience includes serving as an instructor for West Virginia Northern Community College, West Liberty State College, Elderhostel, and the West Virginia Governor’s Office of The Center for Professional Development. He’s also been a bird and wildflower instructor at the WVDNR’s Blackwater Falls Wildflower Pilgrimage since 1977 and is a guest lecturer, teacher, and presenter at sites and schools across the region.
Bill’s research focuses on population dynamics and color phases of the eastern screech owl, Otus asio; he holds a Master-Personal bird banding license with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
In addition to recruiting the MNC’s expert instructors and designing the camp curriculum, Bill’s fondness for the camp menu ensures that all plates are clean after each meal.
| |
 |
| |
Zachary Loughman |
Zachary Loughman: Program Director, Nature Leaders Training School
Zachary Loughman spent his childhood in search of salamanders and snakes in Marshall County, West Virginia. Because the natural history of Appalachian fauna is his passion, he is still chasing these herps along with any other enigmatic animal that crosses his path.
Zac received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from West Liberty State College and a master’s degree in Biology from Marshall University. While studying herps at Marshall, Zac's curiosity led him down a path to astacology; the study of freshwater crayfishes. He hasn't looked back since, adding crayfish state records to multiple state lists and working on projects describing crayfish species, all the while still working on projects elucidating reptile and amphibian life histories in Appalachia. Zac's research on herps and crayfish has been published in journals and presented at several scientific meetings.
Upon completion of his master's degree, Zac returned to Wheeling and worked for Oglebay Institute as a Natural History Research Specialist. He also spearheaded Schrader Center's Natural History Research Program, and, currently Zac is the Natural History Research Coordinator for Oglebay institute and Instructor of Biology for West Liberty University, where he instructs environmental and biological classes for the School of Sciences and Mathematics.
Zac spends his summers researching crayfish conservation biology projects across the mid-Atlantic region and teaching natural history weekends and Mountain Camp classes at Terra Alta. When he's not in the field, he's usually day-dreaming about his next field excursion.
|
