When Lezlie Murray was in the fifth grade, she took a class outing to the nearby Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwestern Washington State. "My best friend's father was a ranger, and he took our class out into the forest and talked to us about the trees and everything that was a part of that environment. It really stuck with me." Now an interpretive naturalist and director of the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center at Portage Glacier in Alaska's Chugach National Forest, Murray has always cherished that early turning point in her life. "Every day I pinch myself when I get up," she explains. "I'm in the most beautiful place in the world. I've done a lot of traveling, so I can say that and really mean it."

In many ways, Murray's story is not unusual for those who live and work in the forests, whether public or private, in the United States. Growing up near a forest, or having a relative who has worked outdoors with natural resources, seems to influence one's choice of career path.