Park Leaders Show

Ben Novak, the lead scientist of the biotechnology nonprofit Revive & Restore, joins the show to discuss his historic breakthrough. A conservation activist, Ben shares the story of Elizabeth Ann, a black-footed ferret, recently cloned as part of a project with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Revive & Restore, and the San Diego Zoo. With a passion for saving endangered species, Ben plans to rei...

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Matt Holloway, a former ranger at Glacier National park, and his 11-year-old daughter, Harper, joins the show to discuss their epic hiking adventure. After hiking 160 miles of the Pacific Northwest Trail Reroute in 19 days, Matt and Harper share their motivations and takeaways from the experience. While part of their inspiration was to deter hunter activis...

Phil Gaines, retired Director of South Carolina State Parks, returns to discuss how COVID-19 is impacting park visitation and user groups. While the pandemic has reduced the number of new visitors in national parks, there are still some encouraging trends for park rangers. For instance, while bottom-line attendance may be down, certain demographics like women, youth, and seniors are making more fr...

Phil Gaines, the semi-regular guest host, returns to discuss annual performance reviews. While some employers view annual reviews as obligations, the truth is these evaluations are critical to an organization's success. As Phil explains, the best annual performance reviews involve checkmarks throughout the year to maintain consistency. To evaluate performance correctly, supervisors should gauge pr...

Barrie Gilbert, a bear biologist and author of 'One of Us: A Biologist's Walk Among Bears', joins the show to discuss his research and resources.    Having survived a near-fatal attack by a bear in 1977 In Yellowstone Park, Gilbert has devoted his career to wildlife discovery. For over four decades, Gilbert's scientific inquiries have inspired a new generation to study bear behavior and habitation...

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Phil Gaines, retired Director of South Carolina State Parks, returns to discuss how parks can maximize their winter seasons.   For most parks, tourism is high in the summer, low in the winter. As visitation decreases during the cold months, the opportunities for special projects increase. The question is: How do parks best utilize their downtime to avoid l...

Phil Gaines, retired Director of South Carolina State Parks, returns to discuss strong park culture.  While some say culture is how you do things, the truth is discovering culture goes much deeper. For instance, when a new park ranger obtains a new role, they instantly inherit a culture. In some cases, the culture may be unhealthy; in others, it may be rich in tradition.  Whatever the situation, k...

Rick Bass, an acclaimed author, and native of Yak Valley discuss challenges affecting national parks and the importance of sharing experiences. From climate change to conservation conflicts, Rick explains why we should pass stories of environmental struggles to future generations. In his mind, the obligation to preserve history and raise awareness are community values and expressions of courage. I...

Phil Gaines, retired Director of South Carolina State Parks, returns to discuss what it means to be a well-rounded ranger.  As Phil explains, the expectations for rangers have evolved considerably in recent decades. During the '60s, '70s, and '80s, the idea was a ranger should know how to build homes and service plumbing and electrical units; however, nowadays, rangers carry more generalist roles....

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Phil Gaines, retired Director of South Carolina State Parks, returns to discuss the funnier side of visitor reviews. While some low-star reviews are unwarranted, as Jody and Phil explain, they can also provide a unique perspective. Sometimes, a new visitor question or a trite online review can reflect ignorance, even humor; however, the key is considering...

Today on the 'Park Leaders Show', Phil Gaines, retired Director of South Carolina State Parks, returns to discuss the value of interpretive services. As Phil notes, many parks are applying budget cuts to interpretive services and discontinuing in-person programming due to COVID-19; however, while the physical returns have dwindled, the online returns have been surprisingly high. While interactive...

On today's episode of the 'Park Leaders Show', Cam Sholly, Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, joins the show to discuss prioritizing park responsibilities. Of these umbrella priorities, Cam explains five in particular: workforce development, strengthening ecosystems and cultural resources, resource accessibility and park experience, investing in infrastructures, and building coalitions a...

Today Reggie Williams, ex-NFL linebacker, former Disney executive, and social reformer, returns to discuss how inclusion should look in state parks. When we talk about popular tourist attractions, we often think inclusion is exclusive to participants after they've engaged. Popular among park leaders is the idea once the gates open, their staff should be ready to serve those who enter. While this n...

Today, on the 'Park Leaders Show', Phil Gaines returns to discuss new takes on the park visitor experience.   Per recent travels, Phil unpacks some lessons learned having toured local parks as a visitor. One principle he stresses is good leaders view the park experience through the eyes of the visitor. To facilitate a positive environment, a park ranger would best serve tourists working through th...

Phil Gains is back with me and today's episode is the first in a series on interviewing to be a park ranger. This topic was suggested five years ago by Cassidy, a new ranger, and it is a loaded topic. We are unpacking Cassidy's experience, as well as sharing our own experience as leaders in the Parks system. We explore seven topics today; information that will be valuable no matter where you are o...

Today guest favorite, Phil Gaines, returns to discuss the park ranger's role in customer service. When a tourist visits a national park, seeing a park ranger can be the equivalent of finding Mickey Mouse at Disney World. Especially for newcomers, there's often a sense of awe built into the experience whenever a park ranger shows up. As such, Phil encourages park leaders not only to be mindful of t...

Dan Bortner, the recently promoted Director of Indiana Department of Natural Resources, joins me today.   With 15 years as a State Parks Director, Dan has transitioned into overseeing not only all of Indiana's State Parks but the regulatory aspects beyond land holdings as well. At every level of leadership within parks, being surrounded by the best talent you can afford can make or break the cultu...

Phil Gains, my semi-regular co-host, is with me once again; and today, we are tackling a listener's question.   Special thanks to Sean Bonage for submitting this episode's question. Sean asks, "What do you think are some of the most critical topics that you think need addressing that could help inspire a graduate student in their effort to better public land experiences for park visitors?"   As we...

Today, Mark Caughlin, district manager for Horsetooth Reservoir and park ranger for the Larimer Country Resources department, joins us to discuss his career pathway. Working within the Colorado county system, Mark explains how his jobs have been impacted by the Fort Collins population boom as well as the coronavirus.  He also talks about his responsibilities with Park Law Enforcement Association a...

On this special episode of the Park Leaders Show, Phil Gaines returns to discuss how the podcast has evolved the past six years. After debuting in April 2014, the Park Leaders Show continues to pursue its niche in educating park rangers on the value of leadership. As Jody explains, there have been many lessons learned during the podcast's run, but the reward has been well worth the investment.  To...

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Phil Gaines joins me again as my semi-regular guest host. Today, we are diving deep on employee motivation and how we, as leaders, can help to sustain it, even in trying times. The current landscape of our nation can feel like it is one thing after another. In these times, it is necessary to keep a pulse on our team and provide motivation. In seasons as we...

On today's episode of the Park Leaders Show, we have an old friend joining us. John Griffith has guested on six episodes over the past six years and has been integral in the growth of the show. John is a huge voice in the conservation movement and has worked to educate the masses for many years with a 19-year stint in the California Conservation Core and as the host of Wild Jobs on Animal Planet....

Marnin Robbins, Interpretive Program Manager for the North Coast Redwoods District and California State Parks, discusses his story and the value of interpretation. As Marnin describes, interpretation is a mixture of information exchange and inspiration exchange - a role that helps provide context and meaning for people who visit natural landmarks. While the job covers much ground, exploring interp...

Our semi-regular guest host, Phil Gains, is back with us to discuss a somewhat controversial topic in park leadership: park rangers & law enforcement.   There are many differing opinions and policies about the role of law enforcement in parks. Expectations and execution vary from state to state. People feel strongly about how and why law enforcement should be in place. When you boil it down, law e...