Geography wasn't Schein's only interest. When Schein entered college at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he declared history his major, but that was about to change. That was the year Schein's father took him to Everglades National Park where Schein was not only intrigued by nature, but also the work of the park rangers with the National Park Service. It was after that trip that Schein decided that he wanted to be a park ranger.

As a result, Schein began searching for a degree that would help him reach his goal. Schein found a brochure that listed geography as a good degree for getting into the National Park Service. With that advice, Schein zealously pursued his Bachelor of Arts degree in geography with minors in history and geology and received his Masters degree in geography from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Although Schein didn't get his dream job with the National Park Service, he works at FEMA using his skills in geography to deal with resource management and natural hazard mitigation for Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Schein's principal responsibilities involve working with local communities and state government to encourage the adoption and enforcement of floodplain management ordinances designed to lessen the impact of future floods. “Most of the problems I face are sociologic and economic,” says Schein, “People don't think it will flood where they live and won't pay for flood insurance when they are already paying for homeowners insurance.”

“We map '100-year floodplains' using state-of-the-art programs and present this information to communities that participate in the government-subsidized National Flood Insurance Program,” says Schein, “Federally-backed flood insurance becomes available to people in these communities because no homeowners insurance policy covers overland flooding.”

“I make presentations to citizens, interest groups, developers, local and state officials, bankers, insurance groups, and Realtors and describe the program's floodplain development regulations and mapping criteria,” says Schein, “I also hold flood insurance forums for agents and lenders.”

“The National Flood Insurance Program is an attempt to change the way we look at disasters,” says Schein, “Since FEMA is the principal federal relief agency for natural disasters, we are hoping to change the culture and encourage public- and private-partnerships to mitigate before a disaster strikes.”

Another initiative is the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which is offered after a presidentially declared major disaster, and allows for the removal, acquisition, elevation, floodproofing, or relocation of substantially-damaged buildings.

“I use my geography background by interpreting maps and the landscape for the people I serve, and my training in natural hazards, geomorphology, andenvironmental studies gives me a perfect perspective to try to get the pointacross that we need to incorporate natural hazards in our decision-making,whether it is building or buying a house, or planning a road or utilitycorridor,” says Schein. “I think students should study geography because then you have a well-rounded background in physical, natural, and social science.” Schein doesn't want to see students raised dependant on computers and lose the kind of knowledge that comes from examining landscapes.

“I think that geography is going through a revolution,” says Schein, “Stick with geography.” Schein also advises students to be technically competent, to sit through the math, to be flexible and above all to remain a generalist.

Schein enjoys using his geographic skills and finds it satisfying showing the public that there are honest, responsible, and hard working civil servants who do really care. He enjoys seeing people's faces acknowledge what he is trying to teach them. “For example when I tell them about floodplain management, hazards and risks, land use and resources, etc,” says Schein, “It is very rewarding to see that "light bulb" come on in their expressions and once that happens, we have made a difference.”

“As a geographer,” says Schein, “You will always have something to talk about and maybe you'll convert someone.” Schein's philosophy can be summed up by this quote by Edward Abbey “It is not enough to understand the natural world. The point is to defend and protect it.”

Maybe David Schein isn't a park ranger by job title – yet, but he is definitely a park ranger, geographer, and dedicated civil servant at heart.

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