Throughout 2024, our staff have celebrated the Park and Historic Site Centennial by recounting moments in their careers through the Share Your Story project. Ladders to the Outdoors Statewide Coordinator KeJuan Harmon reflected on his upbringing in a disadvantaged community and what it means to provide children of a similar background with their first outdoor experiences. Environmental Educator Conrad Baker recalled his awe at seeing neurodiverse visitors connect with nature through the nation’s first Autism Nature Trail at Letchworth State Park. And Melissa Ann Miller looked back fondly on the experience of raising her children within Grafton Lakes State Park.

In this latest staff account, Gabriella Cebada Mora shares how her defining State Parks moment began with something simple but profound: a sound. Cebada Mora is the Director of the Division of Environmental Stewardship and Planning, “basically the environmental wing of the agency,” she explained. Having limited experience with wildlife initially, she first moved to the Albany area for her career and was eager to get outdoors. To become acquainted with the region and with the agency, she visited Moreau Lake State Park in Gansevoort, roughly 40 miles north of the city.

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It was there, by the lake, that she heard the eerie sound.

“I absolutely freaked out. I was like, ‘what is that?’ Sounds like a rabid dog. Maybe it’s a chupacabra. Maybe I should go inside,” she said, laughing.

After her initial fright had passed, she noticed that none of the people around her seemed distressed by the loud, haunting cry that had pierced the air. A fellow park employee pointed out the source of the sound: a common loon, gliding on the lake.

“That absolutely blew my mind, that an animal I had no idea about could sound like that. It was just embedded in my soul. It was the most haunting sound I’ve heard in my life, and now I actively seek it out,” she said.

For those who spend a lot of time hiking, camping, or birdwatching, Cebada Mora’s story may seem unremarkable and routine: a simple bird cry, leading to a pleasant conversation with a team member nearby. But in addition to leaving her with an affection for loons, the experience illuminated the greater purpose of the agency and illustrated how Cebada Mora’s daily work forges connections and affects lives.

“Being there and being able to have that in-person connection with wildlife and with other people is just truly an experience that Parks provides to everybody,” she said.

Now that you’ve experienced Gabriella Cebada Mora’s story, we invite you to share yours. Use the online form, email stories@parks.ny.gov, or post on social media using #NYStateParksStory and tell us about a memorable moment you experienced at one of our parks or historic sites.

– Written by Kate Jenkins, Digital Content Specialist, Public Affairs