Naturalist safety concerns

We continued discussions with leadership regarding safety concerns brought forward by naturalists. Most of the concerns centered around naturalists conducting programming by themselves during evening hours. A safety manual does exist, but new staff have not had the opportunity to take safety training, such as self-defense classes that have been offered in the past. HR emphasized that the chain of command (calling a supervisor first for the next steps) does not need to be followed in a situation where someone feels unsafe. It is reasonable to call law enforcement first in these situations.

HR committed to conversations with PAT management and training for naturalist supervisors. The goal will be to provide updated protocols to cover these situations.