Park Leaders Show

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 g...

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...

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...

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...

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, lea...

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 servi...

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 pro...

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...

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...

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 i...

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 underrepresen...

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%...

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 Se...

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 Cours...

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 giv...

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 Range...

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 Supe...

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...

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 wil...

After a tremendous performance as Theodore Roosevelt, Clay Jenkinson returns to the  Park Leaders Show to talk about Theodore Roosevelt and parks. If you haven't yet listened to the episode with Clay in character as Theodore Roosevelt, Click here to listen. You will want to hear that episode first. In this episode, Clay discusses Theodore Roosevelt's role in National Parks and the impact he still...

President Theodore Roosevelt was a pivotal figure in the early days of the National Park Service. The National Park Service as we know it would not exist without Theodore Roosevelt. Clay Jenkinson as Theodore Roosevelt Clay Jenkinson portrays President Roosevelt in this episode of the Park Leaders Show. Clay allows us to step back into time and talk with the 26th President of the United States. Cl...

When I was a new park ranger, I noticed the Park Manager, Jack Hartt , would carry a camera in his pocket. I saw him take photos of trees, bugs, turkey, park rangers, and even vehicle accidents and vandalism. Carrying a camera with you makes sense, right? Park rangers spend their days in the most beautiful places. We have the opportunity to take photographs of areas or situations most people never...

Donald Forgione, Director of Florida State Parks, returns to the Park Leaders Show. In this episode, we discuss how Florida State Parks connects with communities of color. Director Forgione also talks about how park rangers should be seen as leaders in the community outside of the park. Florida State Parks is proactive in seeking out up and coming leaders. Once a leader is identified, they are giv...

Donald Forgione began his career as a Park Ranger with Florida State Parks . Over time, Ranger Forgione became Director Forgione. As Director of Florida State Parks, Donald Forgione considers himself to be a ranger first. In fact, he signs off on email correspondence with "Ranger First" as a reminder to himself, and others, that he approaches his Director responsibilities as a park ranger. In this...

Are we leaving out Millennials from the park experience? I recently read an article in Outside Magazine questioning if the outdoor industry has a Millennial problem . This article from Outside magazine touches on many issues relevant to parks and recreation. In the Northwest, in particular, recreation can be more about the jacket you wear while hiking than the actual hike itself. While outdoor clo...