Park Leaders Show

Kyle Wagner, former Travel Editor for the Denver Post, joins the show to discuss her state and national park endeavors.

A current freelance editor and writer, Kyle explains her heart for exploration and goal to visit every Colorado State Park. With a mission to visit every national park, Kyle hopes her followers can draw inspiration from her favorite landmarks and historic sites.

Kyle also shares her top five Colorado state parks and some of the most embarrassing questions raised by her readers.

Resources:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kylewagnerworld

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On this episode of the Park Leaders Show, guests, James Ledgerwood, superintendent of Chimney Rock State Park, Mary Yeager Gale, Chairman of the Board for Chimney Rock Management, and Emily Blackwell, Project Manager at Stewart, join the show to discuss access at Chimney Rock State Park.

Known for its renowned elevator access and outcroppings trails, Chimney Rock State Park has seen an evolution of improvement since 2011. While many last decades would struggle to summit its peak, changes to trail quality and access have encouraged new interest and retention alike. Now, whether you are a thrill-seeker, a student, a senior, or disabled, there's a way for you to enjoy some of the best scenic views in North Carolina.

Despite the cost and effort, James, Mary, and Emily are hopeful positive momentum will continue as a new generation of parkgoers discover the spectacles Chimney Rock State Park has to offer.

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On this episode of the Park Leaders Show, guest Brad Krey returns to discuss interpretative services and digital access to parks.

As education evolves into a social distance science, the same reality is impacting today's parks. According to Brad, there's not only a concern to teach a new generation about natural resources but build influential relationships through technology. In an ideal world, more teachers consider state parks as a platform for natural resource education.

From there, by utilizing blended digital access, a learning technique that builds environmental awareness through distance education, teachers and park rangers alike can engage in meaningful conversation in and outside the classroom.

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On this episode of the Park Leaders Show, guest co-host, Phil Gaines, returns to discuss park retention with COVID-19 impacts beginning to fade.

After 15 months of social distancing, parks, like most enterprises, are slowly returning to normality. Accordingly, Phil asks two critical questions:

1) How do we get back to normal?

2) How do we educate and engage in what we want them to learn?

As Phil and Jody discuss, state parks should embrace the opportunity to provide more resources, from kiosks to online, where new visitors can engage new information. More initiatives can emerge with less focus on health preservation by focusing on customer service, new activities, and client feedback.

Overall, the time has never been better for state park service models to step up. For state parks, why not accept the call to lead the way?

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On this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Alan Spears, Senior Director of Cultural Resources for the National Parks Conservation Association, joins the show to discuss civil discourse in state parks.

In a politically charged era, the struggle to promote diversity is real. Tensions are high, feelings are fragile, and confrontations are ignitable if not handled appropriately. Yet, as Alan explains, state parks can play a part in healing cultural and racial divisions. Not only can parks commemorate national pride through select monuments and landmarks but also serve as refuges for civil discourse where people can engage in culturally sensitive conversations.

As he suggests, if park rangers and interpreters work together to encourage inclusivity, then the strain of social stress will lessen.

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On this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Jackson Lake State Senior Park Director Amy Brandenburg joins the show to discuss becoming dark-sky certified.

Having helped her Morgan County state park achieve dark-sky certified status in September 2020, Amy explains the requirements of obtaining the designation. As she points out, the accreditation process can be exhausting for parks pursuing similar endeavors. For starters, park rangers must not only file an extended application but revise their park's resources to meet light pollution regulations.

Despite the hard work, Amy is hopeful new tourism trends will continue in 2021 and beyond. As a charge for other state parks, Amy advises rangers to think outside the box to maximize their resources, protect the environment and inspire attendance.

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On this special episode of the Park Leaders Show, the Logsdon family joins the show to discuss iguanas and working with families as camp hosts.

As a family on the go, the Logsdon live an abnormal life; however, while their mobile, small-home lifestyle has been perceived unorthodox by some, the learning, volunteer, and mentoring opportunities have well made up for it. According to Nathan, more young families should consider camp hosting as a realistic venture. Even in shoulder seasons, camp hosts can reap resume building leads and reach a broader group of people as they learn more about nature and culture in state parks.

Resources:

Website: mamasaysnamaste.com

E-mail: [email protected]

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On this episode of the Park Leaders Show, biologist, Gina Zwicky, joins the show to discuss her passion for frogs.

Charming, charismatic, and ecologically intriguing, Gina explains how frogs inspired her career as well as her side hustles. Currently serving as a park service volunteer, Gina also discusses why she enjoys taking people on interpretative nature hikes and what people can do to improve their interactions.

For instance, while frogs are suffering due to human activity, by connecting with nature through interpretation and community science programs, people can enhance the quality of frogs as they participate in ecological monitoring.

Resources:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GinaGoesOutside

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginagoesoutside/

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On this episode of the Park Leaders Show, guest co-host Phil Gaines, and Milward Simpson, Executor Director for the National Association of Interpretation, returns to discuss interpreters at parks.

While most interpretative services foster outdoor natural hobbies and interests, as Milward and Phil explain, the success of visitation must also reflect in data and revenue. As many parker ranges aspire, forming life-long connections with guests is an intellectual and financial end-goal; however, this shouldn't deter park leaders from capturing data and viewing revenue generation outside program figures.

Furthermore, to improve interpretative services at the park, rangers should consider virtual programming, training, even podcasts in the implementation of audience expansion. Although technology can never replace experiential learning, the use of interpretation improvisation can help reach the next generation.

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Andrea Ketchmark, executive director of the North Country Trail Association, joins the show to discuss chapter-based organizations and the working relationship between agencies and associations.

As the pioneer of a nonprofit organization that coordinates volunteer trail builders and chapters in eight states, Andrea's role entails project implantation, navigation and safety communications, and grant writing. However, of all her responsibilities, perhaps the greatest challenge involves working with agencies.

Per her experience, while the working relationship between association and agency can be complex, Andrea encourages emerging leaders to start with a shared vision. Before you set off to achieve anything, establish a unifier and take time to have conversations and build trust. By staying consistent with these virtues, an organization can maintain a positive impact in its community.

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