![Resource managers like Lynette have a wonderful opportunity to work outdoors. A woman wearing an NPS uniform smiles. A large lake and conifer are behind her.](/rlc/greatlakes/images/Profile3.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
NPS Photo
Lynette Potvin grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where she and her family spent a lot of time outside. She loved being outdoors. When she began her career as a student at the University of Michigan, she was interested in pre-law and business. Lynette’s brother was a graduate student at Michigan Tech University, and he helped her find her first job assessing vegetation at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It wasn’t until she finished her freshman year and this job, that she realized pre-law wasn’t her passion.
![Lynette routinely works to monitor the park resources and sometimes also has opportunities to assist with research projects. Out on the ice covered lake, a man and woman stand in front of a small plane. An island is nearby. a plane](/rlc/greatlakes/images/Lynette-Rolf-2.png)
NPS Photo
![Driving a boat is part of a routine day’s work for staff at Isle Royale National Park. A woman in an NPS uniform wearing a PFD stands up while driving a boat called “Merganser II”.](/rlc/greatlakes/images/Lynette-in-boat.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
NPS / Jacob W. Frank
Before Lynette worked for the National Park Service, she was an ecologist in a Forest Service research lab. In this academic type setting, she realized it wasn’t fully motivating her and that it was time to get back into a field-centric position. When an ecologist position opened up on Isle Royale, Lynette was thrilled about this new opportunity. She was enthusiastic about new challenges, and living on the island for six months out of the year. She was eager to get up in the mornings and go to work at a job she loves. She was always forest driven, and now she’s able to spend even more time outside!
![Early snows on the island bring opportunities to ski out to research locations in the wilderness. A woman cross country skis down a forest trail.](/rlc/greatlakes/images/skiingISRO.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
NPS Photo
Last updated: September 28, 2020