A vibrant canopy of exotic trees and foliage towers overhead, offering shade and shelter to the visitors who pass beneath its lofty embrace.

Nestled among the branches, a three-toed sloth begins the insurmountable task of lifting his clumsy limbs to begin the search for food.

Suddenly he halts, distorting his cartoon-like features and craning his neck to hear the soft fluttering of wings. As if on key, a myriad of butterflies appears, representing the hue of the rainbow.

Though this isn’t one of the tropical rain forests in Central and South America, it does set the scene for Hannah Litzenberger’s job as a “weekend captain” at the Raleigh Museum of Natural Science.

Litzenberger, a junior in natural resources, has been involved with the museum for eight years. She said she developed an interest for natural science in middle school and began volunteering at the museum until a job opening appeared.

That job was the position of weekend captain, a duty that involves educating visitors about a certain exhibit and, sometimes, giving tours. Litzenberger said she happily agreed to the position, and is now in her third year of working at the Raleigh Museum of Natural Science.

She works in the museum’s Living Conservatory, which features a replica of Central and South American rain forests. This man-made replica is home to a three-toed sloth, snakes, several species of butterfly and various other tropical species

Litzenberger said her duties as weekend captain include “a little bit of everything:” feeding the three-toed sloth and butterflies and giving visitors a synopsis of the rain forest and the other animals that make it their home.

In addition, Litzenberger is responsible for removing the butterflies from their chrysalises when they are shipped to the museum. She said she must then identify the species of each before it is placed in the conservatory. These butterflies represent several species, including the Orange Julia, a Central American native.

Working at the museum, Litzenberger said, has several perks. Not only does the job allow her to come into close contact with exotic animals, but also lets her educate and interact with the adults and children who come to visit. She said she realizes the importance of protecting the environment and takes her job to educate kids seriously.

She said she sees the museum as an integral step toward ensuring environmental consciousness and believes that coming face-to-face with nature will have a greater impact on people than simply reading about it.

“If kids see it, they’ll want to protect the environment, as opposed to just reading about it in a book,” Litzenberger said.

Not only does this weekend captain enjoy her job, but it also comes with flexible hours. Weekend captains work one weekend a month and are paid $10 an hour.

Litzenberger recommends working at the museum to students who have to juggle classes and schoolwork. In fact, she said most of the weekend captains at the museum are N.C. State students.

And since the museum is off campus, she said going to work is a nice escape from school and classes.

Working at the museum also offers valuable experience and looks great on resumes, she said. As a natural resources major, Litzenberger said she can stay up-to-date with environmental issues as well as meet interesting people through her job.