What happens when the people protecting our natural resources are running on empty?

In this episode of Parks and Restoration, Chris Lee and Jeremy Yost tackle an uncomfortable truth: the very passion that drives us to protect parks and natural resources might be slowly destroying us. They introduce the CARE Framework—a practical approach to wellbeing that every conservation professional needs to hear.

Through research-backed insights and personal stories (including Jeremy's two-month journey off energy drinks and Chris's sleep transformation), they explore how:

• Connection combats the isolation that might be your biggest occupational hazard
• Activity differs from "work movement" and sustains long-term health
• Rest functions as performance time, not just recovery
• Eating well becomes the fuel that makes or breaks your leadership effectiveness

If you've ever worked through lunch to finish a trail project, skipped vacation during burn season, or stayed late writing grants while telling yourself it's dedication, this conversation will show you why taking care of yourself is actually strategic leadership.

Be part of the conversation!

How do you prioritize wellbeing in this demanding field? What strategies work (or don't work) for you? Send us your insights and experiences at www.ParksandRestoration.com.

Chapters00:00 The Hidden Crisis in Conservation04:16 The CARE Framework Introduction05:03 Connection: Why Isolation is Dangerous16:18 Activity: Moving Beyond Work Movement25:23 Rest: Sleep as Performance Time36:23 Eat: Fueling Your Leadership48:06 Wellbeing as Strategic Leadership57:21 Putting CARE Into Practice

About Parks and Restoration

Better leaders. Better parks.

Parks and Restoration is THE show for current and rising leaders in the parks, conservation, and natural resource professions. Every two weeks, you get new episodes that explore key leadership concepts and how they apply to you and your team.

Great parks and healthy lands and waters are the products of strong leadership. We aim to help you become that leader.

Join the movement at www.ParksandRestoration.com

How do you eat an elephant?
Most people say, “one bite at a time.” But what if you invited 45 of your friends and turned it into a barbecue?

That’s exactly what happened in Iowa’s Loess Hills when multiple agencies came together for a cooperative cedar-cutting workday—and it’s the perfect picture of how partnerships expand capacity and tackle projects no one organization could handle alone.

In this episode of Parks and Restoration, Chris Lee and Jeremy Yost dive into the power of multi-organizational partnerships. From cooperative burn weeks to large-scale habitat projects, they explore how collaboration helps parks and conservation professionals:

• Multiply their impact with limited staff and resources

• Build a culture where cooperation is the norm, not the exception

• Manage logistics, permissions, and risk across multiple agencies

• Tell a better story to the public and media about conservation work

If you’ve ever felt like the challenges in your park system are too big for your team to handle, this conversation will show you how to invite others to the table—and barbecue the elephant together.

Be part of the conversation!

We want to hear your stories (successful or not!) of cooperation/collaboration with other agencies and organizations. Send us a message or leave us a voice memo at www.ParksandRestoration.com.

Chapters

00:00 Building a Culture of Cooperation

05:26 The Power of Community Engagement

10:52 Creating Effective Partnerships

16:41 Logistics of Collaboration

22:20 Expanding Influence Beyond Boundaries

27:12 Building Relationships for Effective Disaster Response

30:11 Decentralized Command: A Key to Effective Leadership

35:10 Logistics and Clarity in Large-Scale Events

39:27 Fueling the Team: Logistics of Food and Recognition

44:36 Transforming Challenges into Collaborative Opportunities

About Parks and Restoration

Better leaders. Better parks.

Parks and Restoration is THE show for current and rising leaders in the parks, conservation, and natural resource professions. Every two weeks, you get new episodes that explore key leadership concepts and how they apply to you and your team.

Great parks and healthy lands and waters are the products of strong leadership. We aim to help you become that leader.

Join the movement at www.ParksandRestoration.com

What if the way you recognize your team could make or break their motivation to stay? Or screen them from burnout?

In this episode, Chris Lee and Jeremy Yost share the SPF² Framework—Specific, Personalized, Fast, and Frequent recognition—and show how it can protect your team from burnout while building a culture people can’t wait to be part of.

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This is the Parks and Restoration Podcast, the show for parks and natural resource professionals that want to be the leaders that their agencies, their communities, and future generations need them to be.

Better leaders. Better parks.

What can parks and natural resource leaders learn from military operations, professional athletes, top performers, and Pixar?

How to build effective feedback systems.

In this episode, Chris and Jeremy dig into the power of After-Action Reviews and exit interviews—two tools that can help you capture honest feedback, build trust, and make your organization better season after season. Whether you're managing a summer trail crew, hosting college interns, or just wrapped a big event, this conversation will help you create space for reflection and growth (without turning it into a bureaucratic mess).

Along the way, they share favorite questions to ask, mistakes to avoid, and real stories from the field.

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Parks and Restoration is the podcast for parks, conservation, and natural resource professionals who want to lead with purpose, build stronger teams, and create healthier landscapes. Tune in for practical insights, real-world stories, and leadership strategies that help you thrive in the field (or at the office).

Better leaders. Better parks.

Join the conversation at www.ParksandRestoration.com.

Struggling to get qualified interns to apply for your conservation or parks program—let alone relocate from across the country?

Recruiting great interns in parks and natural resources is harder than ever, especially when you're working in a rural or lesser-known area. In this episode, Chris and Jeremy break down how one Iowa county attracted interns from places like Alaska and New Jersey—not with big paychecks, but with bold storytelling and smart strategy. If you’ve ever posted a job and heard nothing but crickets, this one's for you.

• Learn how to write an internship posting that actually grabs attention (and applications).

• Discover how authenticity and visual storytelling can sell your program better than a generic job description ever could.

• Get insight into what up-and-coming park and natural resource professionals are really looking for in conservation internships.

*Also, listen to the end for the question of the week (about alligators!) and submit your answers at www.ParksandRestoration.com.

Hit play now and walk away with recruitment strategies that’ll make your next internship post stand out—even if you’re miles from the nearest city.

What keeps you showing up to work when the politics are messy, the budget is tight, and the trail never really ends?

In this episode of Parks and Restoration, Chris and Jeremy explore the power of purpose—your WHY—and why it’s a powerful force for staying motivated, engaged, and resilient in parks, natural resources, and outdoor recreation work.

Drawing inspiration from Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why,” they share personal stories, leadership insights, and practical ways to reconnect with your purpose when the mission feels buried under bureaucracy or invasive species.

If you're feeling stuck, stretched, or just need a reminder of what pulled you into this work in the first place, this one’s for you.

Show notes, transcript, and contact at parksandrestoration.com

Like what you hear? Tap follow and leave a rating—it helps other park pros find the show.

Got a story or episode idea? Drop us a message at parksandrestoration.com/contact

In this episode, I explore how onboarding isn’t just about filling out forms and handing over keys—it’s about shaping culture, boosting retention, and setting your team up for long-term success.

Whether you're bringing on seasonal staff or full-time hires, this episode breaks down the three essential functions of onboarding—belonging, purpose, and clarity—and offers practical, field-tested strategies to help new team members thrive from day one.

Back around the first of the year, I was a (co)guest on the Outliers Edge Podcast hosted by Niiamah Ashong. We discussed some of my "leadership through the lens of ecology" ideas, how it's not good to go it alone, and much more.

Outliers Edge is "a podcast for high-performing unconventional leaders and entrepreneurs (aka Outliers) who use what makes them different to make a difference."

I got permission from Niiamah to share this episode here so I thought I'd break from the norm and share an episode where I'm the one being interviewed.

Enjoy!

There's an effort in the Iowa Senate to repeal what would be the most impactful funding mechanism for parks and conservation that has ever existed in the state of Iowa.

Iowa's Water and Land Legacy fund, also known as IWiLL is technically the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. It was established by a 63% majority vote by Iowans in 2010, writing the fund into the state's constitution. But the fund sits empty because no legislature since has passed the necessary 3/8-cent sales tax increase to fund it.

This episode goes over how this fund came to be, beginning with a legislatively appointed Sustainable Funding Committee back in 2006, up to today's efforts to just scratch it from the constitution altogether.

If you are involved in parks or conservation in any capacity - from soil health to trails - this fund will have a profound impact on what you do once it's funded. As leaders in this industry, we need to be educated on what this fund is, how it came to be, and impacts it would have. That's why I wanted to publish this episode.

To learn more about the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, go to www.IowasWaterandLandLegacy.org, or read the various posts I've made about it over the years on my blog at www.OutdoorExecutiveDad.com.

Thanks for what you do!

In this episode, I chat with John Fullbright who has one of the craziest life stories of anyone I know. A lifelong adventure guide currently residing in New Mexico, he recently led a nighttime whitewater rescue the likes of which belongs on one of those crazy "I shouldn't have survived" TV shows.

But that's not a fraction of what makes him so interesting. Among other things, he is now venturing into beekeeping as he is one of the most outspoken champions for the use of bee venom for intractable diseases such as Lyme disease.

This is definitely an episode you want to check out.