Erin Cowan canal community story
My relationship with the canal has been a little like the Potowmack Company’s with the Potomac: skirting. Always bordering, but never fully being involved until I moved over 1000 miles away, came back, and got my first job out of college working an AmeriCorps service term with the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park in 2022.
Photo Credit: Erin Cowan
I grew up in Frederick County, enjoyed kayaking with my family, usually through Antietam National Battlefield or nearby creeks. In 2018, I graduated from high school and left Maryland to study marine biology at Nova Southeastern University in South Florida. There, my passion for environmental science grew as I spent time in Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, and countless state and local parks.
NPS Photo E. Cowan
In 2022, I graduated with a bachelors in environmental science and minors in digital media production and applied research. I still remember looking on the environmental job board and seeing the posting for an AmeriCorps position at the C&O Canal. At the time, I knew I had visited for a field trip at some point, but I couldn’t describe the history of the canal without a google search. I had no idea the amount of admiration and knowledge I would accumulate for the canal in less than two years.
Photo Credit: Erin Cowan
Working at the canal, I saw my hometown in a whole new light. I was trained to engage visitors at the Williamsport and Cumberland visitor centers alongside creating digital content for the park. My favorite parts of my internship involved interacting with our volunteers and meeting new people both from all over the world and from local communities who wanted to make memories at the C&O Canal.
I am also incredibly grateful for the opportunities I got to improve and showcase my photography skills, especially when visiting Great Falls Tavern to shoot the mules or incredible staff manning the 90+ ft canal boat.
Photo Credit: Erin Cowan
As my service term came to a close, I was accepted to work as the assistant to the superintendent. I’m currently nearing one year of service as a federal employee, and I couldn’t be more proud of the park and people I work with.
NPS Photo E. Cowan
Recently, I was helping my parents move, and I found some envelopes of photos from the disposable cameras my mother gave me for my school field trips. When looking through the photos, I had a whole roll of film dedicated to the Monocacy Aqueduct and surrounding locks from a fifth-grade field trip! I took the photos to work and kept them on my desk. It’s a nice reminder of how meaningful things will come back to you.
Photo Credit: Erin Cowan
While I may have been skirting around the canal, taking for granted a national treasure, I’m glad that my path finally converged, and I can do my part in preserving and uplifting the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park and its visitors.
NPS Photo E. Cowan