Parks & Restoration

Why do we cut cedars out of prairies? Why do we thin trees in forests and oak savannas? Why do we burn? For many of us, the answers to those questions are fairly straightforward. But some people think about land management on a deeper level. They see thinning operations as managing the flow of energy in a system. Or they seek to understand the microclimate impacts from prescribed fire. Some people...

Change isn’t just hard—it’s biologically, psychologically, and culturally designed to be hard. In this episode, Chris and Jeremy break down why teams resist change, especially in legacy organizations like parks, conservation agencies, and natural resource departments. Whether you’re rolling out digital campground registration or shifting from a mow-everything mentality to a pollinator-friendly rew...

Are you still leading with the habits that got you promoted—or the ones that will actually move your team forward? This week Chris and Jeremy unpack “What got you here won’t get you there” through an ecological lens. Just like trees drop their leaves to grow stronger roots, next-level leaders let go of mindsets that once worked but now hold their teams back. They share 10 practical mindset shifts...

In this episode, Chris and Jeremy take a lesson from nature — and from beavers, specifically — to explore what happens when we try to do work we weren’t built for. Using Patrick Lencioni’s Six Types of Working Genius framework, they show how leaders and teams can align their work with their natural sources of energy to avoid burnout, boost motivation, and build more resilient teams. Chris shares h...

Sometimes, productivity doesn’t come from adding more—it comes from taking things away. In this episode, Chris and Jeremy explore the law of subtraction through lessons from oak trees, prairies, and leadership. A fascinating Tennessee study showed that fertilizing oak trees had no effect on acorn production, but thinning the stand by 50% boosted production by 65%. The takeaway? Productivity often...

What’s stronger than strategy? Culture. In this episode of the Parks and Restoration Podcast , Chris and Jeremy dig into why culture has to be every leader’s top priority—and why even the best plans fall apart without it. Through stories ranging from a construction crew with 20-year employee tenures to lessons from Glacier National Park, they unpack how culture shapes retention, performance, and r...

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 h...

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 thi...

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. --- This is the Parks and Restoration Podcast, the sh...

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...

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...

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...

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 strateg...

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 perm...

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 constitut...

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 in...

Some of us are lucky enough to have great mentors in our professional lives. This is the story of one of mine. When I first became Director, I saw one of my board members, Jim Garnjobst, as difficult. Argumentative. Contrarian. "This guy's gonna be the death of me..." I remember lamenting to my wife back then. Fast forward a dozen or so years and I saw Jim as one of the most important people in my...

I'm joined by sustainability consultant Kenny Oleson for an insightful discussion on clean energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability. This episode covers, among other things, the Clean Energy Districts of Iowa program, practical energy-saving measures for homes and businesses, and the benefits of long-term planning in construction. We also explore the vulnerabilities of power grids, the potent...

Lora Friest is no stranger to big goals. Early in her career, she played a key role in the state's largest watershed project - an effort to clean up the Upper Iowa River. Now as a tourism liaison with Travel Iowa, she's helping to change the nation's perception of Iowa. One way she's doing that is by highlighting the incredible parks and natural resources that people like us manage everyday. It tu...

Warren County Conservation Director Zach Hall isn't afraid to explore the more esoteric side of our industry. After chatting with him at a conference this summer, I knew I wanted to get him on the show to do just that. In this episode we explore the hard-to-explain and possibly yet-to-be-understood factors that draw people to natural landscapes. From that, we discuss possible innovative non-tradit...

The fight against invasive species seems to never end. Natural resource managers need to deploy every tool possible to stay ahead of the game (or catch back up, as the case may be). One tool in the toolbox is not man or machine, but goats. In this episode, I talk again with Jeremy Yost, Natural Resource Tech in Pottawattamie County, IA about their experience using goats as a natural resource manag...

After a couple month hiatus, Parks and Restoration is back! In this episode, I chat with Adam Shirley, CEO of Iowa's County Conservation System. We talk about upgrades to the MyCountyParks.com website and the role we as park and conservation leaders play in community development and tourism. We also discuss the possibility of seeing legislation to fund the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation...

I've heard that turfgrass is the most widely cultivated "crop" in the world. But at what value, and more importantly, at what cost? In my community is a self-taught ecologist that is on a mission to re-wild the urban yard, starting with his own. Samuel Hollingsworth has become a fixture among our pollinator programs and a champion for all things wild and NOT monocultured. In this conversation, we...

Where is the balance between conserving natural resources and developing park amenities? This is a question I have struggled with several times throughout my career, and most recently with a campground expansion we recently completed at our main park, Big Hollow Recreation Area, an 800-acre slice of Iowa with a built lake, campsites, and other amenities but also a robust natural resource managemen...

This year, Project AWARE will pull its 1,000,000th pound of trash from Iowa's rivers...with volunteers in canoes! In this episode, I talk with the organizers behind Iowa's Project AWARE - A Watershed Awareness River Expedition - the state's largest annual river cleanup event. We discuss the logistics, challenges, and the incredible organizing effort that goes into orchestrating these massive clean...