In today’s episode of the Park Leader’s Show, Phil Gains is with us again and is introducing us to Donald Forgione, a longtime friend and former Director of Florida State Parks.

As a leader, we must encounter a crisis with confidence and humility. Leaders do not need to have all the answers, but they must be prepared to be a calming and reassuring presence. Especially in today’s unprecedented situation, being proactive and working on a plan for the next season is key to supporting our teams.

While some tasks and operations need to take place, there is still one other critical piece that needs constant attention – our people. The tasks will get done because we have a strong team, and as leaders, we must prioritize caring for our people.

Phil Gaines returns to discuss how COVID-19 is affecting state parks and what to expect when they reopen.

As Gaines explains, it’s possible to stay relevant in global crises like the coronavirus. Despite the social limitations, park leaders can still make decisions that are timeless and timely. The key is knowing what direction to go, when to go there, and how to incorporate outside input into the mix.

Our semi-regular guest host, Phil Gains, retired Director of South Carolina State Parks joins us.

We are in a historical and unprecedented time. With most state parks closed for an extended period, we will begin to see leaders emerge or be exposed. As leaders, you don’t need to have all of the answers. You need to know how to deal and communicate in a way that communicates the values found in park culture. Consistency, integrity, empathy, and the prioritization of health and safety are key when you find yourself in a crisis without precedent.

Parks is a people business and now, more than ever, leaders must position themselves to care for people. Reach out, document the experience and find time to care for yourself so are able to care of others.

Phil Gaines returns on-site at Lake Tahoe to discuss how to stay relevant in an ever-changing world.

Speaking from a local perspective, Phil talks about the importance of taking care of watersheds, providing outdoor recreation, and understanding location. For instance, while water supply is abundant in the southeast, in California the mindset is different since limitation is more a cultural norm.

As for staying relevant, while technology and networking are important, knowing the needs of your surroundings is also key. Especially in times of crisis and uncertainty, understanding capacity is vital to land and water resource protection. In short, while staying relevant involves adapting and evolving, it’s ultimately incomplete if the mindset isn’t filtered through current issues and settings.

Donald Forgione, Director of Florida State Parks, discusses his background and what it means to be “Ranger First”.

After starting his career as a Park Ranger with Florida State Parks, Forgione transitioned to Director, a role he admits he didn’t expect to land. During this time, he developed a special tagline, “Ranger First”, to remind himself and others how the responsibilities of a park ranger go beyond title.

As Forgione explains, behaviors and values speak louder than words in the park business. Though responsibilities change over time, the humility and pride of being a ranger should never waver.

On this special episode of the Park Leader Show, Dan Cockerell, and former VP of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and Lee Cockerell, retired Executive Vice President of Walt Disney World,  talk about how to handle a crisis.

Here are four steps to keep in mind while dealing with a crisis:

Safety First. Before anything else, the safety of employees, customers, and yourself comes before anything else.

Deal with the Facts. During a crisis people get emotional. People speculate and gossip. You should deal only with the facts when you communicate with people.

Be Empathetic. Everybody is dealing with a crisis in different ways for different reasons. Understand people are worried.

Use the situation to get better. You and your organization can learn plenty from a crisis. Use it as a training opportunity.

During a crisis, your culture is on show for everyone to see. Your actions should match your words. What you say doesn’t build a culture. Culture is built through actions.

Jim Bryson, Deputy Commissioner of Parks and Conservation of Tennessee State Parks, discusses the benefit of leaning on your team and the importance of innovation in how you handle communication across your organization.

Joining Tennessee State Parks from a corporate background in marketing research, Jim has discovered how central building a culture of trust within your organization is. As a leader, you set the pillars and vision, and you lean on your staff to fill in the how to your why. Being confident in your leadership allows you to pull from the experience of those around you.

Jim also shares his experience in starting the first internal podcast dedicated to communication and recognition within the Tennessee State Park staff. As leaders, communicating across a widespread team can be challenging, but it is imperative for building a strong organization. By taping into the deeply held passion for the mission and sharing wins and initiatives, you can meet three key needs: provide information, entertainment, and recognition.

Today’s social media-driven culture is saturated with negativity, politics and sales pitches. From Glacier National Park, Jeff Noel and Jody Maberry discuss the impact of Jody’s “Minute in Nature” moments on Instagram Stories.

Pausing to capture a minute of beauty in nature is a way of taking a moment and quieting ourselves. As Jody shares today, being intentional to put some positivity into the world is good for the soul and can help expose more people to the beauty that is found in the great outdoors, especially national parks.

Join the #minuteinnature movement and share your own minute in nature with the world.

Phil Gaines returns to discuss family issues within park leadership.

For many park leaders with families, the relocations associated with the job can be taxing. In some cases, the move can be beneficial for the ranger, but not necessarily the family. According to Gaines, since ranger families are often the face of the family park experience, it’s important to know how to establish harmony and positive representation.

For instance, with succession planning and employee retention, parker leaders should factor their family into these endeavors to boost morale and accountability. After all, in a changing social climate where spouses are breadwinners and school transitions are complicated, bridging family strategy into employee strategy can reap beneficial dividends.

Dan Bortner, Director of Indiana State Parks, discusses the “business” side of parks and the importance of fostering a healthy paradigm within your team.

In the parks business, you must understand that your business is memory-making. Your product is a consistent experience across some of the most unique locations your state has to offer. Whether empowering the leaders under you or working with them to create a brand, building trust goes a long in setting the destination.

Dan also discussed the value of surrounding yourself with integrity - honest people who may or may not be better than you. As leaders, it’s essential we not only empower our team to solve problems and make decisions but provide the method, the manpower and the materials needed to get the job done. In all things, it’s important to understand you are here for a brief amount of time and your goal must be to do the best you can while you are here.

Grady Spann, Director of Arkansas State Parks, discusses the importance of trust in all aspects of park management and leadership.

After growing up in Brazil, receiving his degree, and serving in the army, Grady started his state park tenure as a Superintendent of an archeological park in Arkansas. Serving as the superintendent of multiple parks, the lessons he’s learned have served him well in his current role as Director of Arkansas State Parks. The importance of trust has proven a recurring theme, whether facilitating stadium events or hosting the State Parks Directors conference.

Regardless of the position, stewarding the trust of your customer, be it a camper, sports fan or visiting State Park Director, is paramount with serving in a parks program. Park leadership is not just about making changes – it’s about being a public servant. Embracing the Ranger First initiative recognizes that rangers deal with many things: hospitality, customer experience, and critical incidents. In each case, they have a different mental approach. Above all, trust in the context of park management and leadership is about honoring the trust you have.

Ryan Jenkins, Park Manager at Henry Horton State Park, discusses his upbringing, his love for nature, and current projects.

Raised in a National Forest Service family, Ryan pursued music and business in college before rediscovering his love for parks in his late 20’s. Since then, he has been active in promoting health initiatives involving park activities.

One activity in particular, Healthy Parks Healthy Person, has been largely successful. Launched in 2015, the Healthy Parks Healthy Person is a stamp card program allowing app users to earn rewards based on their park activity. These points can then be redeemed as discounts and other benefits from participating businesses.

The big-picture goal, as Ryan explains, “We just want to get people outside for their health. We want to create behavior change with this application. In order to do that, we utilize the gamification and technology…to try to get people into our parks.”

Sean Woods, Superintendent of California State Parks, discusses his background and current position on this episode.

Having taken a non-traditional path to his current role, Sean has spent almost 15 years bringing the State Park Mission to underprivileged, urban communities in Los Angeles. Through this initiative, he has supervised planning and development efforts at Rio de Los Angeles State Parks, Los Angeles State Historic Park, and the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. In addition to these endeavors, Sean has pioneered planning efforts with Los Angeles River Parks to revitalize the use of local wetlands.

In all projects, Sean’s ultimate goal is to work with people as well as for them in establishing a culture of inclusion.

While visitors come to parks to use facilities, fans come to connect with the people behind them. As Jody explains, not only do fans attend parks more frequently, but see the park experience as an extension of community. Often times, people will limit their appearances based on a specific event, but for the devoted fan, parks represent an opportunity to network both online and offline.

As such, fans are more likely to offer meaningful contributions financially, socially, even environmentally as opposed to visitors.

Adam Turner, Area Manager for the Anti-Poaching Unit in Sweden, discusses efforts in wildlife protection and local law enforcement partnership.

Among his responsibilities, Turner highlights the rise of wolf poaching, propaganda, and his work to quench both. Although cities have been relatively unscathed, the fear of wolf attacks and poaching harassment has increased in rural communities. As Turner points out, while one could assume field surveys as the solution, the best way to deter poaching crimes is to team with governing authorities on increasing public awareness.

Jon Jarvis, Executive Director of the Institute for Parks, People and Biodiversity at the University of California Berkeley, returns to discuss park projects in China.

After leading a summer team to evaluate China’s national park system, Jarvis notes several positive developments. From President Xi’s “beautiful China” emphasis to local conservation efforts, the mission is clear: Do in ten years what America did in a hundred. 

With high drive to establish a new park system, Jarvis believes China will implement a well-rounded national park program with adequate funding and government support. The question is can they deliver on their own time table goal?

In this episode, Jody Maberry discusses the next wave of park rangers.

While past and present rangers contrast in several areas, future rangers may not be as different as we think. The next generation of park leaders will be more inclined to know the purpose of what they do; however, they are similar to current leaders in wanting their voice to be heard. Jody expects future rangers to improve outreach efforts and charges current rangers to encourage interest and the difference between role and purpose in their work.

In this episode, we’re talking about the 3 P’s that define park leadership and service: people, places, and the past.

The first ‘P’, people, captures the fundamental core of why park rangers exist. Without people, the purpose of park leadership cannot exist.

The second ‘P’, places, represents communities from a physical and relational perspective. While most parks have fixed boundaries, since people and place can’t be separated, rangers can better serve viewing location through a social lens.

The final ‘P’, the past, conveys personal significance as to why people return to parks. For many, the past is the reason to return to parks; however, for rangers, the past can also be a powerful management and motivational tool. As Gaines explains, not only is the past an emblem of legacy, but a foundation where others can do what they’re passionate about.

Phil Gaines returns to discuss what it means to be "ranger first".

During the past 25 years, the role of a park ranger has changed dramatically. While much of this has centered on energy conservation and public education, one of the most significant swings in function has involved law enforcement. According to Gaines, the expectations of park rangers have evolved in part by increased connection to enforcement officials. Unfortunately, this has resulted in overstepped boundaries in certain situations.

As Gaines goes on to explain, whether partnering with law enforcement or cleaning a bathroom, thinking 'ranger first' can simplify tough situations by keeping public service at the core of the action.

Phil Gaines returns to recap the 2019 National Association of State Park Directors Conference.

Having attended with Jody, Phil takes inventory of several topics ranging from networking and frontline employees to law enforcement and debate etiquette. As he goes on to explain, there are many ways to absorb insight in large scale gatherings; however, by pursuing relationships and knowledge together, one can better link current trends to future progress.

Phil Gaines returns to discuss the challenge of national parks staying relevant.

While there are many ways for parks to remain meaningful, according to Gaines, embracing technology to make connections with the next generation is paramount. If parks want to stay relevant, they must convince young people to not only care about their resources, but invest leisure time. To do this, parks must employ quality customer service and technological innovation to create memorable recreation moments.

Even if new technology proves disruptive, if parks can customize its involvement through their services, the stage will be set for visitors to see the return value.

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Phil Gaines returns to discuss some of the environmental challenges national parks are facing.

While climate change is a significant factor, for most park rangers and directors, the greatest impacts occur at the local level. For instance, there’s not much a park ranger can do to affect the weather apart from conservation efforts; however, a park ranger can take measures to monitor beach replenishment, safety of endangered species, and visitor use patterns.

According to Gaines, while local level matters can be complex, by leading through the small things, park officials can better expand their influence. After all, leadership isn’t so much about the big things; it’s about recognizing the little things over time that become the big things.

Phil Gaines returns to break down the role of a leader.

While the challenges of leadership are many, arguably none are more taxing than motivation. From offering direction to removing obstacles, when leading by example, a leader must often be the example before he can model it; however, this pursuit can’t drive results by itself. If a leader wants to tie guidance to goals, then he must value and facilitate team community.

As Gaines explains, the key to team community, as well as leadership at large, is servanthood. To be a quality leader, one must not only apply humility into upward mobility, but also prioritize team effort over individual performance. By targeting these strengths, a leader can be empowered to make difficult decisions and persevere under pressure.

Phil Gaines returns to the show to talk about the role of influence in leadership.

As leaders, it's important to be mindful of voice and presence. In a day and age when what you say is magnified through technology and social media, knowing the impacts of reputation is key. For instance, if people naturally flock to you for vision and direction, chances are you're building a healthy reputation among those you serve. Contrarily, if what you say lacks consistency and/or morale, your voice will suffer and hinder your influence.

In this edition of the Park Leaders Show, Topher Downham. Outreach Coordinator at City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, discusses his background and work with parks.

After a college swimming pool accident left him paralyzed, Downham notes how navigating trails in a wheelchair inspired him to pursue a career in parks. Forced to learn trails as a quadriplegic, Downham now uses his outdoor expertise to lead hand cycle ride nature hikes for people with disabilities.

With decades of experience consulting parks to better their disability accessibility, Downham recently channeled his knowledge into a trail guidebook, The Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Accessible Trails and Sites. The guide, specifically aimed for the disabled, takes the reader on a tour through 30 trails in Boulder with pointers for handling hard spots and accommodations. The handbook also includes special features ranging from how to find the best shady spots to helping those with memory loss re-engage with nature.

Phil Gaines returns to discuss how leaders can stay connected to their frontline customers and employees.

When it comes to a successful enterprise, no question, this can’t happen without frontline employees. By dealing directly with customers, frontline workers not only have high drive and insight but represent a company’s values through their service. However, before a leader can develop a frontline staff, he must first be willing to model these values to frontline customers.

As Gaines notes, for park directors, this means being intentional with respect to availability, managing volume, and empowering people. For instance, if a ranger wants to inspire his customers on a park visit, the best thing to do is view the experience through their perspective and gauge feedback directly. Once this type of connection is established, the ranger can then analyze the feedback as a manager and apply the appropriate changes if necessary.  Ultimately, if a leader wants to be more effective, it starts with knowing, interacting, and empowering your frontline customers. 

In this edition of the Park Leaders Show, Phil Gaines returns to discuss the importance of staying relevant on the job.

For many employers, relevant can seem like a relative term. What’s relevant for one job description isn’t necessarily relevant for another; however, when we consider the value in staying relevant, we find the attitude involved is necessary to relating to broader audiences, employees, and clients. 

According to Gaines, staying relevant means we engage cultural changes and trends into our learning pursuits. With many functions shared among multiple generations, it’s essential today’s managers and leaders distinguish timeless versus temporary within their references. By using current tools to analyze and communicate information, supervisors will ultimately be able to better relate to their workforce.

In this edition of the Park Leaders Show, JP Boneyard, Creative Director of The Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series and producer of the National Poster Retrospecticus, discusses how he got into curating, hosting events, and what the screen printing process is like.

Stirred by national history and preservation, Boneyard started the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series, in part, to tour his collection of over 400 hand-printed posters across the globe. A master of handcrafted posters, Boneyard’s aim is to draw attention to the beauty of national parks and hopes future generations will continue to find new ways to capture scenic glory.

In this edition of the Park Leaders Show, Jon Jarvis, Executive Director of the Institute for Parks, People and Biodiversity at the University of California Berkeley, returns to discuss his new book on conservation as well as recent tour tales.

As Jarvis notes, in an era marked by diversity and technology, the need to capture unity in conservation is significant. With emerging generations active on sociopolitical issues, it’s important the scientists of today pour into the people of tomorrow. Motivated by this, Jarvis talks about what it means to engage conservation at the local level and how to communicate environmental strategies to those passionate about societal justice.  

In this edition of the Park Leaders Show, Phil Gaines returns to discuss the dichotomy between leadership and management.

When understanding the difference between leadership and management, it’s important to note how they compliment. While managers emphasize job completion and managing tasks, leaders prioritize influence, inspiring and enabling others to contribute. More specifically, managers give oversight and leaders share insight. Despite the contrast in means, the bottom line always comes down to motivation. The question is: How do we define these means in a way that moves projects and people towards outcomes and goals?

As Gaines explains, there are several ways to answer this. Whether it involves leadership and/or management tactic, the key always comes down to empowering people to empower a process.

In this special edition of the Park Leaders Show, Brennan McAuley and retired Director of the National Park Service, Jonathan Jarvis, discuss the value of relationships in leadership and mentorship roles.

When leading through mentorship, it’s essential to view counsel as a two-way street. Even in new hire situations, knowing where and when to receive advice and where and when to give advice is critical to professional development. For instance, when is the best time to criticize a subordinate? When is the best time to take on an outside project during an exceptional circumstance? What qualifies as an exceptional circumstance? Often, it takes building quality relationships to not only mature the intelligence around our skill, but serve in light of our limitations and potential.

No matter what we do as leaders from self-learning to conflict management, the key is seeing effectiveness as groundwork laid for future generations. Put another way, the drive and passion we employ today sets the tone for tomorrow.

Phil Gaines returns to the Park Leaders Show to discuss how to persevere during uncomfortable working conditions.

For most of us, troubleshooting workplace drama is nothing new.  Whether it involves a supervisor or an ethical dilemma, no question there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to managing conflicts. Still, while approaches will vary by case, as long as we aim to survive the issue, we can ultimately fix the issue.

As Phil explains, the first step in correcting a problem is to understand the problem. By knowing why a particular conflict is occurring, we can better be the change we crave, standing firm in the face of adversity. In some cases, this requires channeling empathy; in others, this means seeking a mentor and inquiring what has worked before in similar situations.

Whatever approach we employ, it’s imperative we stay consistent in our humility. Even if it means we fall on our sword, as long as we respond out of conviction, we’ll improve the predicament.

In this episode, Brennan McAuley returns to the Park Leaders Show to discuss his national park career and experiences as a NPS trainee.

Having recently graduated from the law enforcement academy, McAuley also shares insights on how his experiences as a Temple University student and Pro Ranger Program member readied him for his new potential role at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park.

In this episode, Phil Gaines shares ideas on how leaders can improve the ethics of their conservation.

For park leaders, protecting parks is a tedious and challenging issue. While staff efforts are important, these efforts must include education with respect to waste management since many people lack awareness or responsibility.

As Gaines points out, if we want to improve conservation ethics, then we must find ways to not only reach more people but communicate ‘trash’ under the covering of accountability and hospitality. By providing quality customer service and proactive discussion, park leaders can encourage their visitors to see the benefits of conservation ethics as it pertains to federal funding and future generations.

In this episode, Phil Gaines and Dan Cockerell, share ideas on how leaders can improve their communications.

For Gaines in the park world, the two greatest challenges to communication are technological distractions and distance. While more communicational avenues can benefit an organization, employing face-to-face interface should remain a priority as part of a well-rounded a communication structure. The more varied the structure, the more reach potential given different people process information in different ways.

Furthermore, whatever structure is utilized, there should be some corporately understood matrix concerning communication type and the importance of the information being communicated. As for direct forms of communication involving immediate responses, these should always be used anytime opportunities arise to enhance morale and inspire change.

For Cockerell, with so many ways to convey a message, it’s more important for the channel to be authentic than perfect. Additionally, he advises podcasts not be the primary outlet for mandatory information but rather used as an extension of bonus knowledge.

In this episode, South Carolina’s former State Parks Director, Phil Gaines, shares some post-retirement wisdom on marketplace ethics.

Having served in multiple executive leadership roles, Gaines points out integrity, is not only the center of ethics but the foundation of sustainable leadership. In order to lead with integrity, there must be a culture of trust that starts from the beginning and endures on the frontlines. Furthermore, before an organization can develop ethical codes, Gaines submits there must first be a foundation marked by character and integrity since the ethical decision isn’t always the right decision.

To help sustain standards of excellence, Gaines charges leaders to address mistakes as they happen, to be mindful of future generations, to see organizational functionality as inclusive to character, and to promote authenticity as an extension of integrity. By prioritizing these focus points, the groundwork for better growth, customer service, stewardship, vision, and accountability is laid.

On this episode, director Alex Jablonski reflects on his documentary, ‘Wildland’, which follows a single wildland firefighting crew over the course of one summer.

In the film, a firefighting crew contracted through Grayback Forestry builds rapport as they struggle to contain fires in northern California. Influenced by his success in ‘Low and Clear’, a tale of two friends who drift apart during their final fly-flying trip, Jablonski discusses the challenges involved in filming around actual fires while building trust with the firefighters.

For many firefighters, not only is the adaptation to life behind a lens difficult, but also the training and action sequences operated under artistic headings. Yet, despite the added pressure, the crew gradually acclimates as they become of age and mature in a dangerous, life-threatening environment.

Jablonski also discusses why he pursued rookie firefighters in casting, his priority of narrative, and the reward of confrontational experience in directing.

In this episode, Christina Zerfas discusses her project, "Cans for Kili”, and her mission to impact the environment on local and global scales. Through eco funding, Christina’s team hopes to collect and recycle over 1.2 million aluminum cans not only to sell for scrap metal but also to reduce Indianapolis’s carbon output.

In addition to raising funds for reforesting and cleaning efforts, Zerfas also plans to garner proceeds by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with three C4K team members next fall. The journey will start by planting indigenous trees at the base of the mountain. Then after summiting, the climbers will collect trash on their way back down, recycling it properly before returning home.

Zerfas reminds us whether or not we’re climbing a mountain in Africa, we can all play a part in increasing local awareness through recycling to benefit future cities all over the world. By thinking green in our own communities, we can inspire the same in others far from home.

On this episode of the Park Leaders Show, James Fester, an educator, part-time volunteer, and Google-certified innovator, discusses park-based learning and its place in the classroom.

When people think of parks, they often don’t think of education. As a result, many schools lack awareness of educational resources provided by county, state, and national parks.

To bridge the gap, Fester unpacks a three-part program designed to facilitate connection through project-based learning. By serving as setup support, the initiative would not only help teachers facilitate learning but allow students to lead assignments and park rangers to participate in the process.

Moving forward, Fester’s team plans to develop free, project-based download units teachers can use in the classroom while continuing to collaborate with parks in developing curriculums.

What are people looking for in the outdoors? Public spaces are becoming more culturally diverse and the parks services, resources, facilities, etc need to reflect these changes.

Recent graduates are also facing different challenges in the parks recreation and tourism management field these days. For example, drones are now a thing to have to consider.

Dr. Myron Floyd joins the Park Leaders show to discuss health in the parks. He is the department head and professor in parks recreation and tourism management at the North Carolina State University.

There is a clear connection between having a park nearby and more opportunity for physical activity and your health.

Parks have both physical and mental health benefits. They also provide community benefits because they help bring people together.

Green spaces help alleviate stress, improve your mood, and can help people recover from demanding cognitive tasks.

Up and coming leaders should be able to deal with unpredictable challenges and have critical thinking skills.

Leadership is not black and white.

Once you have a leadership position, most of the decisions and situations you face will not be clear-cut or obvious on what you should do. Not black and white situations. 

Most leaders how to operate in the gray areas. If you have set your operation up correctly, black and white decisions are made on the front line.  

When you are making decisions in the gray area, you have to take information, advice, data, and make a decision based on your values and what is good for your people. 

And then don't look back. Make your decision and keep moving forward. 

Later, if you find out it wasn't the right decision, you make an adjustment as needed. 

If you are a leader, working in the gray is your new normal. 

This episode is the start of something special. Phil Gaines, retired Director of South Carolina State Parks, is going to be a semi-regular guest co-host on the Park Leaders Show. 

When parks lose a long-time leader like Phil, we lose so much knowledge and experience. By finding new ways to continue to bring past experiences into the work up and coming leaders are doing, we can continue to build the legacy of parks. 

Empowerment is an overused phrase and an underused practice. Leaders naturally want to have their hand in everything that happens. It is hard to let go and let other people do work that may impact your reputation. 

True empowerment is having front-line employees with the confidence and authority to make decisions. 

In order to empower employees, you have to be comfortable and confident in your vision. 

In this episode, we discuss what empowerment really is and why you need to adopt the idea to become a leader. We also give insight into how to begin to pass some of your responsibility and authority to employees. 

When someone visits a park and they are curious, what is the first thing they want to do? Ask a ranger. 

Park Rangers are icons of parks and one of the reasons people enjoy talking with Rangers is because they can answer your questions about nature. 

Now, you no longer have to seek out a Park Ranger in a park to get an answer to your question. 

Park Rangers Jess Phillips and Crystal Lloyd from North Carolina State Parks have launched the Ask a Ranger Podcast. 

Jess Phillips from William B Umstead State Park and Crystal Lloyd from Falls Lake State Recreation Area teamed up to launch a podcast to be able to reach people who can't or haven't visited their parks. 

Rangers Jess and Crystal share their story of how they started the podcast and some of the episodes they have created. They also offer advice on how you can start a podcast for your own park or agency. 

Park Rangers educate the public every day. A podcast is no different. It is just a new and different tool to allow you to reach new people. 

On this episode of the Park Leaders Show, we explore maritime archeology with Denise Jaffke

Denise as an Archeologist with California State Parks who is currently working on creating the Emerald Bay Maritime Heritage Trail. 

Parks play a role in putting together pieces of historical puzzles through archeology. Add water, and there is a new layer of mystery to historical sites. 

Denise explains the great work California is doing to share maritime historical treasures with the citizens of California.

To build a solid career, you need to build a solid network of peers, associates, and friends. A strong leader has a strong network.

Dylan Mroszcyk-McDonald returns to the Park Leaders Show to continue our series on leadership and culture in parks.

On this episode, we focus on building a network and how it can help your career.

During your career in parks, you will have the opportunity to meet people in different parks throughout different regions. Building a relationship with them will build a solid relationship, even if the relationship is dormant for a season after you move on.

The diversity of your network will lead to better job performance and increase the opportunity for a promotion.

During the episode, Dylan gives us insight on how to grow and nurture a network that will have an impact on your career.

This episode is the third in a series about leadership and culture in parks. The first three episodes are;

Improving Leadership and Culture in Parks

Innovative Leadership in Parks

The Person is More Important Than the Position

In parks, we have spread the myth of a lone heroic leader at the top.

We give special attention and privilege to someone with a leadership title.

If it takes a hero to lead people, it moves leadership out of the reach of most people.

As leaders, we need to remember the person is more important than the position. You don't have to have a title to be a leader. We need to treat every member of the staff as an important piece of the success of the park and encourage them to be a leader.

Dylan Mroszcyk-McDonald returns to the Park Leaders Show to continue our series on leadership and culture in parks. 

Focusing on a single heroic leader often leads to a staff unable to quickly adapt to change. It leads to competition because people feel there is scarcity in leadership, influence, and importance.

Every contribution is valid. Everyone's work towards our mission is valuable. Park culture would benefit from a shift in this direction rather than highlight a lone heroic leader.

Even if a leader gets accolades for accomplishments, it never would have happened without the team all working towards the same mission.

If you are not in a leadership position, what can you do to set yourself up as a leader?

Leadership is about action. You don't need a title to take action. Decide you are a leader and begin to take action.

Next, consider your supervisor's job. What do they do? What responsibilities do they have? Figure out how you can help contribute to their success. Not only will that help your supervisor, you will learn what it takes to be successful at the next level.

Find additional ways to contribute. Join committees. Volunteer for assignments. People will notice.

This episode is the third in a series about leadership and culture in parks. The first two episodes are;

Improving Leadership and Culture in Parks

Innovative Leadership in Parks

After 37 years with South Carolina State Parks, Phil Gaines retired as Director. As Phil did during his entire career, he used his last day to lead by example. 

On August 2, 2018, exactly 13 years after becoming Director of South Carolina State Parks, and exactly 37 years after starting his career as a park ranger, Phil Gaines ended his career the same way it began. 

Director Gaines returned to Kings Mountain State Park, the place where he began his career and put on the uniform, transforming back to Ranger Phil. Ranger Phil spent the day cleaning bathrooms, picking up trash, and using a weedeater. 

Phil said he did this on his last day for two reasons. First, so his career would go full circle. Second, to show there are no unimportant jobs in parks. 

On this episode, Phil talks about his final day with parks as well as the changed he has seen in parks during the 37 years he has spent serving visitors to South Carolina parks. 

Throughout his career, Phil Gaines has been an example of leadership and an inspiration to rangers on how to serve. He leaves with this one final example of how we can serve each other and serve guests to our parks. 

The day after his last day, Ranger Phil did what you expected a Park Ranger to do...he went backpacking. 

Podcasts with Park Rangers is a podcast featuring conversations with Park Rangers from National Parks around the country. 

Lucas and Sarah Villa-Kainec are the hosts of the podcast Podcasts with Park Rangers.  

We sat down together at a picnic table in Fort Worden State Park. In this episode, we discuss their podcast, traveling across the country, and the rangers they have met. 

There are a few podcasts about parks now, but what makes this podcast a little different is they focus on the park rangers rather than focus on the resource. Their conversations highlight the incredible storytelling of park rangers. Podcasts with Park Rangers also shows park rangers are people and not just a resource. 

Eben Sypitkowski is the Director of Baxter State Park in Maine. 

Baxter State Park is a unique park. Baxter is a state park in name, but not park of Maine State Parks. The park started as a gift in land and resources from Governor Baxter.

Two more ways Baxter is a unique park; it is completely self-funded.  This removes the park from the usual politics and worry of receiving funds from the state general fund. Second, the park places a priority on wilderness over recreation. 

Eben was recently appointed to Director after being a forester and most recently Resource Manager. Eben discusses the transition from forester to the director. He explains his listening tour to understand the culture of the entire park and get to know the staff. 

Eben has a passion for the place he now has the privilege to manage. Passion for place also inspires the rest of the staff of Baxter State Park. This same passion fuels many of us in parks. 

As technology has changed around us, it has created a tremendous opportunity for interpretation. 

Brad Krey, Interpretation and Education Programs Manager for California State Parks, joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss how California is using technology to take the park to kids. 

One concern we have in parks is remaining relevant. People will protect what they care about. They will care about what they learn about. In order to stay relevant, we need to continue helping kids learn about parks, wildlife, and wild places. 

California State Parks has used video streaming to bring the park directly into classrooms. One interpretive staff member uses video conferences to introduce students to park resources. The kids may be nowhere near the park, but they are giving a connection to the park. The video session is live and in real time, which allows students to ask questions. 

Once kids are connected to the park through one of these video interpretive session, it may be years before it pays off. But a seed is planted. 

California is leading the way in finding innovative solutions to tell stories. Brad Krey shares how any park can use distance learning to tell stories to kids all over the country. Long distance interpretation will help your park remain relevant now, and 20 years from now when today's kids have families of their own. 

Don't limit your interpretation to pamphlets, signs, information boards, and in-person interpretive talks. Reach outside the boundaries of your park and help kids learn about the plants, animals, and even park rangers found in your park. 

Often, on the Park Leaders Show, I ask people about their history with the outdoors and why they became a park ranger. One day, we will hear a park ranger tell the story of how an in-classroom interpretative video conference is what inspired him to become a park ranger. 

Wild Jobs are all around us, but often go unnoticed.

John Griffith returns to the Park Leaders Show to tell us about his new show, Wild Jobs, on Animal Planet.

Griffith uses the show to highlight conservation and the hard work done at wildlife sanctuaries and animal hospitals.

Getting a show with Animal Plant started years ago when John uploaded his first video to YouTube. The video went viral and made John a YouTube star because of his dancing. John used his dancing to turn attention to his true love, conservation.

Now, his love for conservation gave him an opportunity to host Animal Planet's first digital show. In each episode, John spends the day working with people who care for animals. You will enjoy watching John do a variety of jobs from trimming porcupine toenails to changing monkey diapers.

Dylan Mroszczyk-McDonald returns to the Park Leaders Show to continue the discussion about leadership and culture in parks. 

Dylan is a park ranger at Acadia National Park.

In this episode, we discuss innovative leadership and the impact it can have on the culture of parks. 

To some degree, we are doing the same job park rangers were doing 60 years ago. We are trying to protect and preserve parks. 

With innovation, we can hold true to our history and mission while bringing in positive changes and best practices from organizations and movements found around us. 

Innovation brings tension with it to people in parks who feel an obligation to hold on to our tradition and heritage. 

Change throughout an entire agency begins with a single individual making a change. You can start the long progress of making change by having difficult conversations about leadership and culture in parks. 

You can listen to the first episode in the series here. 

Being a park ranger is an admirable job. Many people grow up dreaming of becoming a park ranger. 

Yet, too many people leave parks, and walk away from their dream, because of poor leadership or an unhealthy culture. 

Dylan Mroszczyk-McDonald, a park ranger at Acadia National Park, joins host Jody Maberry on the Park Leaders Show to examine some of the challenges parks face with leadership and culture. 

For the future of parks, we need to be able to not only attract but also retain a diverse staff. 

The front line supervisor has the biggest impact on employees and our ability to accomplish the mission of parks. By shifting the focus of parks away from the visitor and the resources and towards building leaders, we can begin to build a culture where people are willing to spend decades serving others. 

The greater the employee experience, the greater the experience visitors will have. 

Brennan McCauley returns to the Park Leaders Show to give an update on where he is in his park ranger career. 

Over the past two years, Brennan has been a guest on the show several times as he has moved through stages of his early park ranger career. 

Beginning when he was a student at Temple University and a member of the Pro Ranger Program, Brennan joined us to talk about the program and his future plans. Now, two years later, Brennan is on the verge of entering the law enforcement academy. 

You can hear Brennan's past episodes of the Park Leaders Show below;

Building Young Leaders

How a Leader Can Help New Rangers

Learning From Leaders

This episode of the Park Leaders Show digs into the audio vault and shares an audio file from the Ranger Rendezvous in 2015. 

I talk to 4 different park ranger about their experience with the National Park Service. 

One question I asked all the ranger is why they became a park ranger. It is inspiring to hear these young rangers talk about why they became a park ranger. 

Ask yourself the same question. Why did you become a park ranger?

Write your answer down. Look at it before you go to work. Keep reminding yourself why you are doing this work. 

Dan Cockerell had a successful 26-year career with Disney, working his way from parking cars to the Vice President of the Magic Kingdom.

Before his career at Disney, Dan spent a summer as a volunteer at Rocky Mountain National Park.

Recently, Dan left Disney to make a transition into full time speaking and consulting.

Like most of us in parks, Dan worked time out in the field with guests. He learned operations by performing the tough jobs. When he became a leader with Disney, he understood what it took to perform jobs under pressure always focused on serving the guest.

Dan specializes in building strong cultures and solid operations for organizations.

Dan offers an article of the week for leaders. If you are interested in leadership, you will find a lot of value in these articles. In the weekly email, Dan offers curation on why the article matters and how you can apply it to your role.

Find out more about Dan at DanCockerell.com.

David Gustafson is a lead ranger with the City of Boulder. With city parks, or parks close to cities, problems you see in cities can also spill over into parks. 

Homelessness is one of those problems. 

When a park has to deal with a homeless population, you also have to deal with the other problems that come with it; trash, fire danger, drugs, and safety. 

How can rangers serve the public while also serving the homeless population that finds their way into the park? Ranger Gustafson talks about this and more on this episode of the Park Leaders Show. 

Christian Beckwith is not a traditional conservationist. He will admit, he is a climber, not a conservationist. 

Yet, Christian founded and leads an organization in Jackson Hole, WY that focuses on conservation. 

But Christian doesn't take a traditional approach to conservation. In fact, he is disrupting conservation. 

Through SHIFT, a live event, and the emerging leaders program, Christian is helping change the face of conservation. 

In order to protect parks and open spaces, we need more people who care enough to speak out and stand up for conservation. Jenny Mulholland Bearhs is leading a Coalition that is making that happen. 

Jenny is the Director University of California Berkely's Outdoor Engagement Coalition. 

The coalition is a membership-based group that works to give all Californians an opportunity to get outdoors. 

In this episode of the Park Leders Show, Jenny talks about the work her organization is doing and how other states can create a similar coalition to spread the work. 

After retiring as the Director of the National Park Service, Jon Jarvis took on a new role. 

Director Jarvis is a Director again. This time, he is the first executive director of the newly formed Institute for Parks, People, and Biodiversity. 

Jarvis joins the Park Leaders Show again to discuss his time with the National Park Service and his new role. As a 40 year veteran of the park service, Director Jarvis is now using that experience to help build the next generation of leaders for conservation. 

Do veterans like Jarvis have a responsibility to give back to the up and coming leaders? We talk about that in this episode. Veterans have the unique ability to pass on stories, wisdom, and knowledge to people who can benefit from it the most. 

Director Jarvis has a new book available, The Future of Conservation in America. 

"What distinguishes the National Park System is the National Park Service." - Jon Jarvis

Do parks have a responsibility to interpret?

Cem Basman joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss. 

Building friends groups and partnerships is essential for a modern park. Krista Muddle from the National Park Service joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss partnerships. 

Krista Muddle is a Regional Partnership Coordinator at Intermountain Region Office with the National Park Service. 

Krista divides her time between a program working in partnership with Mexico on border-related issues and working with parks developing partnerships in their community. Broder related issues range from animals that are found in both countries, vegetation management, and sand dune studies. 

Whether your park has already formed local partnerships, or are just getting started, Krista shares information of what makes a successful partnership. This episode will give you ideas of why you need partnerships and way friends groups can help your park get more done. 

Friends Groups serve as an Ambassador for the park and a direct link to connect the park to the community and connect the community to the park. 

Audrey Peterman helps parks people discover parks. Many people who have taken park tours with Audrey are visiting parks for the first time.

Audrey is a consistent voice to help get people of all backgrounds into parks.

When asked what conversation we should be having people in parks, she said we need to change the perception that non-white people are not interested in parks.

Audrey has seen it happen over and over, when people are informed about parks and invited to parks they become passionate after their first experience.

With help from people like Audrey, we can make everyone feel like welcome, wanted, and included in parks. The Next 100 Coalition is a great place to find partners to help parks reach out to people. 

Audrey on Twitter - @AudreyPete

Audrey on the web - legacyontheland.com

Audrey's Book - Our True Nature

Christen Miller's path towards becoming an interpreter began with a terrified toad. Seeing an interpretive program in a State Park, which included the toad, pushed Christen towards a life in parks. 

Now, Christen is the Visitor Experience Director for Virginia State Parks. 

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Christen talks about interpretation, living history, creating a great visitor experience, and interpreting for visitors who may not be face to face with a park ranger. 

Brennan McAuley returns to the Park Leaders Show to share what he learned after another summer with the National Park Service. 

Brennan is a student in the Temple Pro Ranger Program. Brennan has been on the Park Leaders Show to tell us about the Pro Ranger Program and again to talk about his first summer with the National Park Service. 

This episode, Brennan returns to discuss his second summer with the National Park Service, learning from the leaders around him, and attending the Ranger Rendezvous. 

After a career in the military, Christina Ryan-Miller joined the National Park Service. In her role as a Zone Safety Manager, she makes sure park employees and visitors are safe. 

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, we talk all about safety. But we also talk about so much more. 

Christina talks about her transition from the military, being an introvert in parks, and how to work with introverts. 

By the way, if you have an introvert on your staff (and you do), check out the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. 

Most parks work with volunteers. Some parks treat volunteers like stars. When this happens, word spreads in the volunteer community. 

But not all parks do well working with volunteers. 

This episode of The Park Leaders Episode, we have the opportunity to hear words directly from a volunteer. This volunteer offers tips and advice on how to get the most working with volunteers. How often do we take time to listen to what volunteers have to say? 

Today, we are going to listen to volunteers and consider how we can do better. 

If there are some key things a volunteer would love for you to know:

• If you have a volunteer program, make sure you value them.
• Get the input from the volunteers. 
• Your Volunteer Coordinator shouldn’t be the only person who cares about volunteers. 
• Train your volunteers just like you train your staff. 

Park Leaders T-Shirts are now available on Amazon. You can pick a shirt in three colors in Men's, Women's, and Youth sizes. Get your shirt here. 

Roy Sullivan is a one of a kind park ranger. His story is so unique, we are still talking about him today. 

This episode of the Park Leaders Show, we share Roy's story. 

All Park Leaders are servant leaders. We serve guests, employees, and the resources we vow to protect. 

Servant leaders recognize leadership is a stewardship responsibility. This style of leadership fits perfectly with people of parks. We serve the public and we serve resources. 

Kevin Monroe joins the Park Leaders Show to explain servant leadership and how it applies to parks. 

You can find Kevin Monroe at kevindmonroe.com, on Twitter @kevindmonroe, or his podcast here. 

Commander Bill Overby joins the Park Leaders Show to 

Commander Overby discusses his new consulting business, and how technology has changed the park experience for visitors and park rangers. 

After so many years in parks, first, as a park ranger followed by training over one thousand park rangers at the Parks Law Enforcement Academy, the Commander offers his observation on what Rangers face today they did not face 20 years ago. 

Also, we discuss how you can build a reputation as a leader. 

Domenic Bravo, Director of Wyoming State Parks joins the Park Leaders Show to share his experience

Domenic also discusses the National Association of State Parks Directors and why it is important to connect with our peers, no matter what our job in parks is. 

Wyoming State Parks is also contending for the National Recreation and Park Association Gold Medal Award. Director Bravo offers insight into the hard work and dedication it takes to become a Gold Medal finalist. 

Tom Heenan, a ranger at BelhusWoods Country Park, joins the Park Leaders Show to talk about the European Ranger Federation. 

During our conversation, we talk about the issues Rangers face all over the world. Nature is the same and people are people, no matter if you are in Australia or the United Kingdom. 

Tom also discusses the importance of being involved in a Ranger Association, and European Ranger Congress.

Appropriate use of a park ensures sustainability for that park. This is how Jeff Hallo explains they balance between the balance between parks role in serving customers and conserving natural resources. 

Jeff is a social scientist and professor at Clemson University. The research Jeff does help parks create remarkable experiences for visitors while still being able to maintain the natural environment. 

On this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Jeff discusses how and why people use parks and how scientific data can help us better manage parks. 

Have you ever stopped to wonder what kids want when they visit your park?

Tigran Nahabedian, known as Junior Ranger Tigran, joins the Park Leaders Show to give you an insight of how kids see your park. 

Junior Ranger Tigran is no ordinary kid, though. He tours National Parks collecting Junior Ranger badges. He knows more about parks, wildlife, and plants than most people three times his age. He volunteers at parks. 

Junior Ranger Tigran has even given a personal tour of a National Park to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. 

Tigran wants to be Director of the National Park Service. This kid is serious about parks.

Follow Tigran on Twitter.

We are all interpreters. Whether it is in your title or not, if you work in parks, you are an interpreter.

Margot Carlock, Executive Director of National Association for Interpretation, joins the Park Leaders Show to talk about what makes a great interpreter.

The National Association for Interpretation represents individuals from parks, zoos, aquariums, theme parks, museums, and more. What is similar to interpreters in all of these fields?

Margot explains it is  "A sincere interest and passion for working with the public" and "A commitment to provoke action."

In this episode, you will find out what the National Association for Interpretation does, what interpretation is, and what makes a great interpreter. 

Margot also explains how park visitors are changing and what that means for interpretation. 

In October 2016 we did an episode of the Park Leaders Show about the ProRanger Program at Temple University. In that episode, Brennan McAuley gave us a look at the program from a student's point of view. 

Brennan returns to the Park Leaders Show to give us an update on what has happened with him and the ProRanger program since October. 

Brennan also gives leaders insight into how you can help a new ranger coming into a new park or the park system. 

You can follow along with Brennan on his ProRanger blog here.

It is important leaders keep talking to young rangers like Brennan. We need to invest in young rangers so they will be strong leaders. 

Recently, I had lunch in Seattle with Alan Spears in Seattle. We talked about the great work the National Parks Conservation Association is doing. 

We also talked about the work we have done with Park Leaders. 

Then I had a chance meeting with Eric Watilo from Washington State Parks in downtown Seattle. 

Being around leaders in parks and conservation reminded me of the important work we are doing together. 

In this episode, I discuss the three years of Park Leaders and what might be coming in the next year. 

Back when I was at the Inspiring a New Generation Summit, I met Steve Jones. At the time, Steve was the President of Antioch University New England.

He is now has a consulting and speaking firm and recently wrote a book called Nature Based Leadership. Well, since this show is about leadership in Parks, the idea of the book caught me right away.

Steve Jones joins the Park Leaders Show explain Nature Based Leadership, and discuss examples of leadership lessons found in nature. 

The idea of drawing leadership lessons from nature is a perfect fit for park professionals. Nature is all around us. Leadership lessons are hidden in our sight and we just have to draw them out. 

You can find out more about Nature Based Leadership and the great work Steve Jones is doing at Great Blue Heron. 

Get a copy of the book Nature Based Leadership here. 

Connect with the Park Leaders Show on Twitter or Facebook.

Park visitors on active on social media. Is your park or agency using social media to engage and connect? Or are you just posting bulletins and the new hours your visitor center is open?

Many parks and park agencies wonder what the proper way to use social media. In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, KC Procter talks about best practices for using social media to engage with park visitors.

KC Procter works in social media in two ways. First, he manages social media accounts for businesses or people with personal brands. Among others, KC does social media for a well-known author and a celebrity photographer. KC also does social media consulting for businesses. 

Today, KC is going to talk to you about how your agency or your park can do better with social media. He will also do a walk through on the Park Leaders Facebook page so you can understand what makes a Facebook post more appealing. 

You can visit KC on Twitter or his website.  

KC put together a bonus for listeners of the Park Leaders Show. CLICK HERE to see what KC has for you.

Follow Park Leaders on Facebook or Twitter.

Sue Black, Director of Arizona State Parks, returns to the Park Leaders Show to talk about culture, visitation and the impact of parks on a state. 

You can hear her first interview HERE.

Director Black offers compelling reasons why parks are important as whole to a state and individual parks to communities. It is not about the park, it is about what happens in the park. 

You can't listen to this interview with Director Black and not be proud to be involved in parks. 

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Sue Black, Director of Arizona State Parks, joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss creating a Gold Medal culture in parks. 

Arizona State Parks is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Director Black has a goal to win the National Parks and Recreation Association Gold Medal award this year. Throughout her career, Director Black has set high goals and then found a way to achieve it.  

Sue Black has been a director of two State Park systems, Wisconsin and Arizona, as well as Director of a County Park system. She brings a unique perspective to any parks conversation. Customers don't care about jurisdiction. Customers want to recreate. If different park systems are willing to work together, we can serve people better. 

As a previous Gold Medal winner with Milwaukee Country Parks, and a finalist with Wisconsin State Parks, Director Black is working with her team to develop the culture to make Arizona State Parks a Gold Medal winner. 

Sue also shares the tragic story that led to Granite Mountain Hotshot Memorial State Park. 

Follow Park Leaders on Twitter and Facebook. 

When the Director of Texas State Parks was a guest on the Park Leaders Show, he mentioned the Ambassador Program as one of the great things they were doing in Texas.

Tyler Priest, the coordinator of the Ambassador Program, joins the Park Leaders Show to tell us more about the program Director Leisure is so proud of.

An Ambassador Program is a way for a park system to introduce younger people to parks. Even if an Ambassador alumni does not end up working for parks, they will be a lifelong supporter and user of parks.

During this interview, you will find out the structure of the Program, the commitment from parks to each Ambassador, and what parks can expect from an Ambassador Program.

If you want to receive an information sheet about the Texas State Parks Ambassador Program, click here. 

In addition to Tyler Priest, we also talk to Program alumni. Jenise Zuidema gives insight to the program from the inside as an Ambassador going through the training and working with a park.

Listen to the interview with Brent Leisure Part 1 and Part 2.

James Slade grew up in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Now, he is on the front line in Africa working as Operations Manager and ranger with the Zimbabwe International Anti-Poaching Foundation.

James will give us an inside look at what it is like to be an anti-poaching ranger, and what the poaching situation is like in Zimbabwe. 

Although in a management role, James spends as much time as possible shoulder to shoulder. This leadership trait will allow managers to get to know field staff better and get a feel for the pulse of what is happening in the field. 

James also speaks about the impact of his time at the World Ranger Congress.  Rangers gathered together helps build a brotherhood, or sisterhood, and recharge and reinspire us to keep working on the important work we do. 

Park Leaders on Facebook - Park Leaders

Park Leaders on Twitter - @ParkLeaders

Robert Ingram, Cheif of Visitor Protection and Law Enforcement for Washington State Parks, joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss bike patrol in parks. 

Cheif Ingram was the driving force behind Washington State Parks bike patrol program. In this interview, he will share how the bike program was formed, how the agency chose the bikes and the decision to keep training in house. 

Washington State Parks used three of their own rangers, trained by the International Police Mountain Bike Association, to help maintain the bike program and train ranger on bike skills. 

Park Leaders on Twitter - @ParkLeaders

Park Leaders on Facebook - Park Leaders

The National Park Service is faced with a $12 billion deferred maintenance backlog.  How did we get here and what can we do about it?

John Garder from the National Parks Conservation Association joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss how the maintenance backlog grew so large and what we can do about it. 

The maintenance backlog in the National Park Service is a reflection of what is happening with most park system throughout the United States. The discussion on the impact of a maintenance backlog is relevant for any park and any park system that struggles with deferred maintenance. 

To find out more about the deferred maintenance backlog, please visit NPCA.org. 

You can connect to Park Leaders on Twitter and Facebook. 

One of the things I learned at the World Ranger Congress is that parks all over the world have the same problems. 

Teemu Laine and Vesa-Matti Hillberg, both park rangers from Finland, join the Park Leaders Show to share their experience at the World Ranger Congress and what they have learned as park rangers. 

This is the first episode of the show where "Reindeer herders" were mentioned as a problem for a park ranger. Even when the details are different, most of the problems we face are similar. This is why it is valuable for park professionals to be exposed to other rangers from around the country and world. 

You can find out more about Finland National Parks HERE. 

Brent Leisure, Director of Texas State Parks, returns for another episode of the Park Leaders Show. 

This episode is short enough it could have easily been included on the first episode with Director Leisure. This conversation is a separate episode because it needs to be a separate conversation. 

We need to support parks at all levels. City and County Parks are an important gateway for exposure to greenspace and the outdoors. For most of us, our first encounters with the outdoors are with an urban park. Parks enhance neighborhoods and lead people to visit larger State and National Parks. 

The experience of visiting a National Park lead us to support our local parks as well. All parks are connected. It is a natural progression to begin with your local park and then move up to something bigger and perhaps more adventurous. 

Director Leisure explains what Texas State Parks is doing to work with local communities and local parks. 

In this episode, Director Leisure recommends the books Sand County Almanac and Leadership on the Line. 

Texas is big. If you haven't been to Texas you have seen it on a map. No matter how you look at the state, it is big.

The enormous geographic size creates a challenge when it comes to communicating to staff if they are spread across the state. Brent Leisure, Director of Texas State Parks

Brent Leisure, Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife, joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss how to communicate when parks and staff are spread out. Communicating with a large staff in difficult. It becomes more delicate when the large staff is spread out in such a large state.

Director Leisure also discusses the challenge of inviting more diverse users to parks. 

It is not enough to open the gates and say everyone is welcome to come. You have to reach out. Texas State Parks has implemented programs to engage a diverse population. They make an effort to attract urban visitors, visitors with little outdoor experience, visitors from diverse racial backgrounds. The lands and water the state has set aside are places where all demographics can  come together to share experiences.

Joseph Mayambo wants you to know about the National Parks of Gabon. Joseph wants everyone to know about Gabon National Parks. 

Gabon has one of the newest National Park Systems in the world.  The World Ranger Congress was a perfect place for Rangers from Gabon to interact and exchange ideas with other Rangers from around the world. Joseph Mayambo and his comrades from Gabon State Parks  spread a message of hope and enthusiasm about their parks. 

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Joseph Mayambo discusses the challenges and opportunities of having such a young National Park Service. 

Adrian Fernandez has an influence on young up and coming leaders in the National Park Service. Adrian is the Manager of the ProRanger Program at Temple University. 

The ProRanger Program offers a unique opportunity to 12 candidates each year to gain park ranger experience before they become a ranger. In the classroom, they learn the knowledge they need to know, but the program gets them valued experience in the parks as well. 

Each summer, the students work as an intern in a National Park. Internships at parks where they get to learn all aspects of park operations. They get experience in urban and rural parks. When their experience with the ProRanger program is complete, they are not only ready to be a park ranger, they are ready to step up as a leader. 

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Adrian discusses the ProRanger Program. We also hear from Brennan McAuley. 

Brennan McAuley is a student in the ProRanger program. Brennan shares his experience in the program and gives us an inside look to being a student working towards becoming a Park Ranger. 

Students in the program keep a blog to share their experience. You can find it here.  You can follow Brennan on Instagram at brennan_proranger. 

Historic means something entirely different in the United Kingdom than it does in the United States. Historic in the states is still fairly new compared to some of the historic buildings and landscapes found in the United Kingdom. 

Historic Landscape management in the United Kingdom can help parks in other countries understand how to manage landscape with historical significance. 

Janine Conner is a park ranger with the National Trust in the United Kingdom. She works at Tyntesfield, where she cares for a historic landscape.

In this episode of The Park Leaders Show, Janine talks about historic landscape management. Janine also discusses her shadow assignment at Bryce Canyon National Park, her impression of park rangers in the United States, and her experience at the World Ranger Congress. 

At the World Ranger Congress, Ravis Henry gave a program about the Navajo culture. Rangers from around the world took in his stories and songs about his culture and experience as a ranger. 

Ravis has a story that is unique, even among park rangers. Ravis is a ranger at Canyon De Shelly National Monument. Canyo De Shelly is within the Navajo Nation and Ravis grew up in the park. 

Ravis joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss the World Ranger Congress, his unique way to tell stories, growing up where he works, and how parks can try to connect to local tribes. 

Are we facing a dangerous conservation crisis? When the Director of US Fish & Wildlife Service says we are facing a conservation crisis, you can believe we have a problem. An article in Field & Stream discussed a speech Director Dan Ashe gave about three issues we are facing in parks and conservation that are moving us towards a crisis. 

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Director Ashen discusses the problems that are moving parks and conservation agencies towards irrelevancy. 

We talk about diversity, young people in the outdoors, disruptive innovations in parks and conservation and the partnership between US Fish & Wildlife and the National Park Service that led to delisting the Island Fox as an endangered species.

Daisy Martinez founded Trash Free Earth so her neighborhood park would look better. The idea spread and Trash Free Earth now hosts regular cleanups where a diverse collection of volunteers come together to make  a park look beautiful. 

Trash Free Earth has created a patch challenge. People who accomplish all five elements of the challenge receive an exclusive patch. 

If a park hosts a cleanup, it will reinforce the idea that the park is responsible for cleaning up. If a community organization organizes and hosts a cleanup, it will spread the idea that the community is responsible for keeping their parks clean. 

You can Follow Trash Free Earth on Twitter and Facebook.

Shelton Johnson returns to the Park Leaders Show for episode 101. If you missed part 1 of his interview, you can listen to it here.

In this episode, Shelton talks about the importance of telling stories. Shelton's Buffalo Soldiers program at Yosemite National Park has brought a story back to life that the world nearly forgot.

Shelton also discusses making meaningful connections with people.

"The surest way to change the future is to change today." - Shelton Johnson

Shelton is the author of the novel Gloryland. 

Being a park ranger is not usually a job that puts you in the spotlight. But every once in a while, a story gets discovered that needs to be shared with the world. That is what happened to Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson. 

When he began telling the story of the Buffalo Soldiers experience in Yosemite, people began to notice. The story of theBuffalo Soldiers led to a pivotal role in Ken Burns' film series about the National Parks. Shelton got to meet Oprah. Shelton got to meet President Obama. Eventually, Shelton got to meet Jody Maberry, host of the Park Leaders Show. No big deal, I know, but it did lead to this interview on the Park Leaders Show. 

Shelton discusses the path that lead him from inner city Detroit to being a park ranger in a wilderness park. He also explains why access to the outdoors is a civil rights issue. 

Shelton Johnson has also written a novel about Buffalo Soldiers called Gloryland.

If you have Amazon Prime, you can watch the Ken Burns' National Parks film for free. Just click here.

Our parks and Disney World share many commonalities. Often, people save money and vacation time to visit both places. When guests hold a place in such high regard, what obligation do we have to them?

Jeff Noel joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss how to create excellence.

Jeff Noel spent 30 years at Disney World. The last 15 years at Disney, he taught at the Disney Institue. Over 15 years, Jeff spoke to over 1 Million people about how the Disney Way. 

If you want to make a park excellence, there are three area to focus;

1. People
2. Physical resources
3. Processes

Jeff recommends making everyone a VIP - Very Individual Person, even if you can only give them attention for 30 seconds. 

You can find out more about Jeff Noel on his website, Twitter, or Facebook. 

Recently, at the World Ranger Congress, a group of female delegates gathered to discuss issues woman face. This led me to consider how the female ranger experience is different than the male ranger experience, especially when it comes to leadership.

When it comes to women's leadership, Ann Vertel is someone you want to know. Ann is a 20 year Naval officer, Motivational Psychologist, and leadership expert who helps individuals and organizations develop confident women leaders. 

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Ann talks about being a leader in a male-dominated profession, the importance of working with a woman mentor, and the importance of developing women leaders. Ann also talks about handling sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, and other issues women might face in the workplace. 

To find the resources Ann has created for this show, Click Here. 

Ann Vertel's website - www.annvertel.com
Ann Vertel on Twitter - @AnnVertel
Ann Vertel on Facebook - Ann Vertel

Gary Ananian is the founder of the Kern River Conservancy. He is a volunteer who pours his own time and money into protecting a river he loves. 

Vandalism and trash got so bad on the Kern River that Gary started camping elsewhere. The lure of the river brought him back, but he was again faced with trash and vandalism. When he discovered there was not a single conservation group dedicated to protecting the Kern River, he founded a group to begin to clean up the river. 

The Kern River was designated as a Leave No Trace Hot Spot and Gary worked with Sam Ovett and Jenna Hanger. Together, they helped transform the Kern River and work with the public and land management agencies to give the river a promising future. 

Gary explains how volunteers can work with and educate the public in a way uniformed staff can not. 

Through his work on the Kern River, Gary has shown one person can have an impact. 

After a backpacking trip to Glacier National Park, I passed through the Yaak Valley. I was intrigued by the beauty of the valley. It just felt different than most other places I had visited. 

Shortly after my short visit to the Yaak Valley, I discovered a book called The Book of Yaak by Rick Bass. I began devouring Rick Bass' books, and I returned to the Yaak. 

Over the years, I hiked many miles and spent many nights in the Yaak Valley. And read many Rick Bass books. Rick used his words to bring awareness to the Yaak Valley and the issues this unique place in Montana faced. 

In this episode of The Park Leaders Show, Rick Bass talks about the Yaak Valley, the importance of parks, and the biggest issues facing parks today. 

Here are some of Rick Bass' books you will enjoy;

The Lost Grizzlies

The Ninemile Wolves

The Wild Marsh

Rick Bass recommends The Grizzly Years by Doug Peacock. Rick Bass gave us a list of suggested books people in parks should read. Check out the Suggested Reading List from Rick Bass.