Park Leaders Show : Park Ranger | National Park | State Park | Leadership

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. 

Even in an urban setting, there is wilderness all around. Birds, bugs, plants are not just getting by, but thriving living in a city.  Most people never notice. Most people quickly move from one place to another without looking up or down to see the life around them. Or, wildlife is so common it goes unnoticed. When was the last time you thought about a pigeon? Or a snail? So much life in a city goes unseen.  Nathanael Johnson not only noticed the urban wilderness around him, he wrote a book about it. Unseen City takes a look at the majesty of pigeons, the discreet charm of snails and other wonders of the urban wilderness.  Unseen City combines great writing, deep research with the curiosity of Johnson's young daughter, Josephine. The curiosity of Josephine helps us all learn more about the wildlife around us but usually goes unseen.  This is a book is a must for any park bookstore in an urban area. 

Armando Quintero spent 22 years with the National Park Service. Now, Armando is the Executive Director of the Sierra Nevada Research Institute at The University of California, Merced.  When Armando left his career as parks, he knew his background would allow him to be an advocate for parks from the outside.  Experience from the inside and the outside of parks has given Armando a unique perspective of our parks and their place in our society. Armando discusses the importance of adaptive leadership in parks.  Armando recommends The Forest Ranger by Herbert Kaufman. 

Matt Carroll did not follow a typical path to becoming a Superintendent with the National Park Service.  During a full career with the Air Force, Matt picked up all the skills he would need to be a Park Superintendent; management, budgets, leadership, operations and more. He also volunteered with the National Park Service for many years before he retired from the Air Force.  Typically, by the time a ranger becomes a superintendent, he or she has been immersed in the culture of the park service for years. Matt came in from the outside to the role of Superintendent of Greenbelt Park and Baltimore-Washington Parkway.  Shortly after joining the Greenbelt Parkway, Matt developed a list of 2016 Superintendent Priorities. Matt posted the priorities at Park Headquarters so park staff, volunteers, and visitors could see them.  Here are the 2016 Superintendent Priorities for the Greenbelt Park and Baltimore-Washington Parkway; Improve Visitor Experience, Customer Support & Partnerships Institute Sound Business Pra

Sam Ovett and Jenna Hanger are living a life that will make you jealous. It makes me jealous. Sam and Jenna are Traveling Trainers for Leave No Trace. They travel the western United States teaching the principals of Leave No Trace to students, communities, volunteers, and government agencies. As Traveling Trainers, they visit some of our most beautiful places and spend over 250 nights per year camping. Spending so much time together worked out well for Sam and Jenna. They are engaged to be married and plan on launching their own business later this year. One interesting aspect of being a traveling trainer is the Leave No Trace Hot Spot program. This unique program focuses on areas that have been negatively impacted by recreational use. Traveling Trainers work with the community and stakeholders of a Hot Spot to help recover and protect the area for future generations. You can follow Sam & Jenna on Instagram  to keep up to date on their adventures.

Brandon Kramer joins the Park Leaders Show to talk about the new documentary film, City of Trees.  City of Trees follows Washington Parks and People as the organization uses a grant to plant trees in parks Washington DC.  The story plays out with struggle and triumph as the organization as you get to know people who are hired to plant trees. During the film, you will learn about a community, learn about the men who are hired to plant trees, and learn about the organization trying to make it all work.  Click here for opportunities to see the National Broadcast of City of Trees. PBS will be broadcasting City of Trees on April 19th. 

Many park agencies face budget struggles. Michigan State Parks faced the issues head-on by exploring new ways to add value to what parks offer. Ron Olson, Chief of Michigan State Parks, joins the Park Leaders Show to explain the innovative ideas Michigan explored and implemented to survive budget cuts and offer more to park visitors.  In this episode, Mr. Olson will explain the programs and services Michigan State Parks offered to guests to enhance recreational opportunities and increase funding.  Here is an article from 2009 that outlines some of the challenges Michigan State Parks faced when Ron Olson become Chief. 

Caroline Blizzard is the Director of the Deep Creek Lake State Park Discovery Center. Caroline has created a successful education program about monarch butterflies.  In this episode, you will learn how an education program in a park in Maryland has had an impact on the local community as well as a community in Mexico.  Caroline will also share tips on how you can create a powerful educational program at your park. 

Private sector involvement in public parks is an issue most people are not indifferent on. Usually, people either see it as a solution to many of the problems parks face, or they are against any private involvement. You may not realize how involved the private sector is already involved in parks.  John joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss the benefit of private sector involvement in parks.  John Koeberer is the president of the California Parks Company. The California Parks Company has a presence in parks throughout California, providing services ranging from concessions, wedding services, and campground operations.  John explains how private sector involvement can help parks with better marketing and business expertise. Better business operation will ensure parks do not become irrelevant.  You can find Park Leaders on Facebook here. 

On this episode of the Park Leaders Show, John Griffith shares the story of creating the Bioblitz Dance with the encouragement and support of Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro.  John explains the reason for the Bioblitz Dance and the steps of the Bioblitz Dance.  John Griffith challenges you and your park to do a Bioblitz Dance. If you do a Bioblitz Dance and let us know you are doing the dance because of the show, we will send you Park Leaders stickers for everyone who participates in the dance. You just have to let us know by letting us know on Facebook or include Bioblitz Dance and Park Leaders in the title of your video on YouTube. You can find the Bioblitz Tutorial Here. 

Fort McHenry National Monument is one of Steve Clark's favorite National Parks. It is not for the obvious reasons either. It is because of baseball. Steve got his connection to the outdoors through baseball. Of course, the national anthem is sung before every baseball game. The Star Spangled Banner was birthed at Fort McHenry. Steve's story is an example of how many people are connected to parks in different ways to different parks for different reasons. Now, Steve is the Superintendent of the National Parks of Western Pennsylvania, including the Flight 93 Memorial.  In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Steve talks about his career in the National Park Service and the delicate balance of interpreting the story of Flight 93. 

In recent episodes of the Park Leaders Show, both Alan Spears and Jon Jarvis mentioned the Greening Youth Foundation. When two people I respect both mention the same organization, I know I have to look deeper.  Angelou Ezeilo joins the Park Leaders Show to share her story and explain the work of Greening Youth Foundation. Greening Youth Foundation has had tremendous success engaging underrepresented youth and diverse youth to nature.  Greening Youth Foundation connects parks to diverse workers who are newly introduced to potential careers in conservation and outdoor recreation. Angelou points out that parks and organizations can longer say there are not diverse people interested in conservation and recreation jobs. Any park or organization can connect with Greening Youth Foundation to find candidates. 

Alan Latourelle served as CEO of Parks Canada from 2002 to 2015. Alan joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss Parks Canada.  In this episode, Latourelle talks about his experience as CEO. He also discusses Parks Canada Centennial, the growth of Parks Canada, and getting more Canadian youth into parks.  We also explore the relationship between Parks Canada and First Nations. Indigenous people are 8% of Parks Canada staff and 12% of Parks Canada Executives.

Jon Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service, join the Park Leaders Show. Director Jarvis discusses his career, the National Parks Centennial, and the one thing National Parks offers you can find nowhere else.  I was at a conference with Director Jarvis, and we were able to sit down for a face to face interview. During our conversation, Jon outlines his career path with the National Park Service and some of his milestones along the way. We talk about the preparation and planning for the National Park Service Centennial. Director Jarvis also explains the sense of place parks add to history that can be found nowhere else.  Whether you work with the National Park Service or are a fan of parks, you do not want to miss this inside look at our National Park System.  Music for the Park Leaders Show is created by Jason Harrod. 

Dawn Carr is the Executive Director of the Canadian Parks Council.  The Canadian Parks Council is an organization that unites national and provincial parks all across the country.  Canadian Parks Council offers a Park System Leadership Course focused on developing excellent leaders in parks. Dawn offers that humility is the one common trait of leaders who participate in the Park Leadership Course.  I had the pleasure to meet Dawn in person at the Inspiring a New Generation Summit. In this episode Dawn discusses what  Canada and the Canadian Parks Council is doing to connect youth to nature. 

Episode 80 of the Park Leaders Show is ten random park related ideas. Individually, the ideas did not make a full episode. Collectively, the ideas create an episode of 10 ideas in 10 minutes (11 minutes, actually, but 10 in 10 sounds better). I recently attended the Ranger Rendezvous and the Inspiring a New Generation Summit. Next on my list is the CA Parks Training Conference, where I will give two presentations and be part of a panel discussion. If you would like Park Leaders founder, Jody Maberry, to speak to your organization or at your event, please reach out. At the Ranger Rendezvous, I was reminded how important it is to belong to a Ranger Association. The Rendezvous is the annual conference for the Association of National Park Rangers. A Ranger Association will introduce you to other Rangers. And you never know who could be your next supervisor, co-worker, or potential employee.  Also at the Rendezvous, I met former Park Leader Show guests Bob Krumenaker and Cassius Cash. Anytime you have the opportun

Alan Spears is the Cultural Resources Director for the National Parks Conservation Association. Alan Spears and I had the opportunity to sit down together and talk about cultural resources at the Ranger Rendezvous, the annual conference of the Association of National Park Rangers.  Alan got his start in the outdoors chasing frogs at Fort Dupont in Washington DC. Alan's presentation at the Ranger Rendezvous was about Urban Parks. His story shows the impact urban parks can have a child. And in this case, the child who played in nearby woods grew up to help the National Park Service protect and interpret cultural resources.  In this episode, we also talk about Harpers Ferry, Fort Monroe and the National Park Service's role in interpreting slavery as a root cause of the Civil War.  We also talk about why it is important for the National Park Service to tell stories that don't always have a storybook ending, like the Manhatten Project.    Alan reminds us; the National Park Service should be proud of the work they

Cam Sholly joins the Park Leaders Show to offer a look at the National Park Service from a Region perspective. Cam is the Region Director for the Midwest Region of the National Park Service. In this episode, Cam explains how the Region offices offer support to parks throughout the region by putting Parks First.  Cam discusses his experience as a ranger in the field as a Chief Ranger and Park Superintendent and moving into positions in Washington DC and a Region office.  This episode will give you an understanding how the National Park Service operates from a Region level to a Park level. You will also gain insight on how a seasonal National Park Service can work towards a permanent position.  We also discuss the impact parks can have on local economies and how parks can work with community partners to protect and enhance a park while boosting local tourism. 

Geocaching has been a popular outdoor activity for 15 years. It is in your park, or near your park. People will travel for miles to find a Geocache.  Now, GeoTours can help parks create a deliberate, curated experience for visitors. A GeoTour is a collection of geocaches that take people on a tour of a specific area. Each stop can highlight a natural feature, a historical fact, a cultural resource, and tell a story.  GeoTours have been used to highlight entire park systems, like this GeoTour with Kentucky State Parks, or an individual park, like this GeoTour at Mount Ranier.  The friendly folks at Geocaching will help your park create a GeoTour and even work with you to create a GeoTour passport so participants can keep track of their progress.  To find out more about GeoTour go here.  To get your hands on elusive Park Leaders stickers go here. 

The Park Leaders Show goes international. In this episode, I talk with Pete Cleary, a park ranger at Philip Island Nature Parks in Australia.  We examine the unique characteristics about Philip Island, as well as the common traits of parks and park rangers in different countries throughout the world.  Ranger Cleary explains the concept of parks offering and Ultimate Experience to park visitors willing to pay for more access and experience at a park.  In this episode, we also talk about the World Ranger Congress, the International Ranger Federation, and the Thin Green Line.  Find more park resources at parkleaders.com.