When Diana Steele applied for a job with the Missouri Department of Conservation, she had an interview at the Joplin office.

Little did she know that her interview was also a test.

“When I got there, I sat down to answer questions and talk,” Diana said. “I really wasn’t paying any attention to anything on the desk. I was just focused on the interview.”

But after the interview had progressed for a time, Jeff Cantrell, education specialist for the MDC, pointed out a box sitting on the desk.

Inside was a snake.

“When I realized what was sitting there beside me,” Diana remarked, “I just said ‘Oh, cool!’”

That sealed her fate.

Cantrell said Diana was the only woman interviewed who did not jump back or squeal when he turned her attention to the snake.

“I knew we would have to have someone who wasn’t afraid of things like that,” Cantrell said. “She passed the test.”

Snakes are not a problem for Diana. As a part-time public service assistant, she has become used to people bringing live animals into her office.

 “They find a bird out of a nest or an injured animal and they come to us for help,” Diana said. “We also get a lot of snakes brought in by people who want to know if they are poisonous. Most people think they have a copperhead.”

Over the three-and-one-half years she has worked for the Conservation Department, one copperhead has been brought to the office and also one cottonmouth. Now that Diana’s office has been established in Wildcat Park, sharing space with the Audubon Center, she has several snakes on display just outside her office door.

“When I give kids a tour, I really enjoy showing them around,” Diana said. “And they really get excited when we get to the snakes. If the kids are good and want to, I let them touch a snake.”

Kids always take to snakes more easily than adults, and children can be coaxed to like them.

“You should see some of those big burly guys. They are worse than little girls when it comes to snakes,” Diana laughed.

While she does help with school groups who come visit the Conservation office and Audubon Center, most of her work is with adults. Hunters and fishermen as well as “outdoor people” come or call for information.

“One of my biggest jobs is knowing about hunting seasons, hunting regulations, and where to find good places to hunt and fish,” Diana said.

She also deals with nature lovers who come to tour the Audubon Center or attend one of the programs there.

“It’s about 50-50 between phone calls and actual in-the-door visits,” Diana said.

Since moving to the Wildcat Glades, actual office visits are down because many people still haven’t figured out that the office has moved. Diana loves her job with the Department of Conservation. She is an outdoor girl, having grown up on a farm near Duquesne.

 “If I had known there were jobs like this when I was young, I would have jumped on this long ago,” she explained. “I just love my job and I really like the people I work with.”

Diana and her husband have two children and four grandchildren.

“The grandkids love to come out here,” she said. “One of my granddaughters is going to be the real outdoor girl. I wish more kids would come here. I fear there are too many so involved in television and games that they don’t go outside enough. It’s no longer the norm for kids to play outside. It concerns me.”

Noting that the Conservation Department has a door open to everyone, she would like to see more people stop by to visit or get information.

“We have had many come this past year to learn about the loss of all their trees in the ice storms,” she said. “We have all kinds of help for them.”

So, if you’re a birder, a gardener, a landowner, a hunter, a fisherman or just want a place to get out and get some fresh air, you are welcome at the Wildcat Glades and Audubon Center.

Today’s Woman, Diana Steele, will bid you welcome, and you don’t have to look at snakes if you don’t want to.