Park Leaders Show : Park Ranger | National Park | State Park | Leadership

Sue Black, Director of Arizona State Parks, returns to the Park Leaders Show to talk about culture, visitation and the impact of parks on a state.  You can hear her first interview HERE. Director Black offers compelling reasons why parks are important as whole to a state and individual parks to communities. It is not about the park, it is about what happens in the park.  You can't listen to this interview with Director Black and not be proud to be involved in parks.  Connect with Park Leaders Facebook Twitter

Sue Black, Director of Arizona State Parks, joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss creating a Gold Medal culture in parks.  Arizona State Parks is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Director Black has a goal to win the National Parks and Recreation Association Gold Medal award this year. Throughout her career, Director Black has set high goals and then found a way to achieve it.   Sue Black has been a director of two State Park systems, Wisconsin and Arizona, as well as Director of a County Park system. She brings a unique perspective to any parks conversation. Customers don't care about jurisdiction. Customers want to recreate. If different park systems are willing to work together, we can serve people better.  As a previous Gold Medal winner with Milwaukee Country Parks, and a finalist with Wisconsin State Parks, Director Black is working with her team to develop the culture to make Arizona State Parks a Gold Medal winner.  Sue also shares the tragic story that led to Granite Mountain Hotshot Memorial State

When the Director of Texas State Parks was a guest on the Park Leaders Show, he mentioned the Ambassador Program as one of the great things they were doing in Texas. Tyler Priest, the coordinator of the Ambassador Program, joins the Park Leaders Show to tell us more about the program Director Leisure is so proud of. An Ambassador Program is a way for a park system to introduce younger people to parks. Even if an Ambassador alumni does not end up working for parks, they will be a lifelong supporter and user of parks. During this interview, you will find out the structure of the Program, the commitment from parks to each Ambassador, and what parks can expect from an Ambassador Program. If you want to receive an information sheet about the Texas State Parks Ambassador Program, click here.  In addition to Tyler Priest, we also talk to Program alumni. Jenise Zuidema gives insight to the program from the inside as an Ambassador going through the training and working with a park. Listen to the interview with Brent L

James Slade grew up in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Now, he is on the front line in Africa working as Operations Manager and ranger with the Zimbabwe International Anti-Poaching Foundation. James will give us an inside look at what it is like to be an anti-poaching ranger, and what the poaching situation is like in Zimbabwe.  Although in a management role, James spends as much time as possible shoulder to shoulder. This leadership trait will allow managers to get to know field staff better and get a feel for the pulse of what is happening in the field.  James also speaks about the impact of his time at the World Ranger Congress.  Rangers gathered together helps build a brotherhood, or sisterhood, and recharge and reinspire us to keep working on the important work we do.  Park Leaders on Facebook - Park Leaders Park Leaders on Twitter - @ParkLeaders

Robert Ingram, Cheif of Visitor Protection and Law Enforcement for Washington State Parks, joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss bike patrol in parks.  Cheif Ingram was the driving force behind Washington State Parks bike patrol program. In this interview, he will share how the bike program was formed, how the agency chose the bikes and the decision to keep training in house.  Washington State Parks used three of their own rangers, trained by the International Police Mountain Bike Association, to help maintain the bike program and train ranger on bike skills.  Park Leaders on Twitter - @ParkLeaders Park Leaders on Facebook - Park Leaders

The National Park Service is faced with a $12 billion deferred maintenance backlog.  How did we get here and what can we do about it? John Garder from the National Parks Conservation Association joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss how the maintenance backlog grew so large and what we can do about it.  The maintenance backlog in the National Park Service is a reflection of what is happening with most park system throughout the United States. The discussion on the impact of a maintenance backlog is relevant for any park and any park system that struggles with deferred maintenance.  To find out more about the deferred maintenance backlog, please visit NPCA.org.  You can connect to Park Leaders on Twitter and Facebook. 

One of the things I learned at the World Ranger Congress is that parks all over the world have the same problems.  Teemu Laine and Vesa-Matti Hillberg, both park rangers from Finland, join the Park Leaders Show to share their experience at the World Ranger Congress and what they have learned as park rangers.  This is the first episode of the show where "Reindeer herders" were mentioned as a problem for a park ranger. Even when the details are different, most of the problems we face are similar. This is why it is valuable for park professionals to be exposed to other rangers from around the country and world.  You can find out more about Finland National Parks HERE. 

Brent Leisure, Director of Texas State Parks, returns for another episode of the Park Leaders Show.  This episode is short enough it could have easily been included on the first episode with Director Leisure. This conversation is a separate episode because it needs to be a separate conversation.  We need to support parks at all levels. City and County Parks are an important gateway for exposure to greenspace and the outdoors. For most of us, our first encounters with the outdoors are with an urban park. Parks enhance neighborhoods and lead people to visit larger State and National Parks.  The experience of visiting a National Park lead us to support our local parks as well. All parks are connected. It is a natural progression to begin with your local park and then move up to something bigger and perhaps more adventurous.  Director Leisure explains what Texas State Parks is doing to work with local communities and local parks.  In this episode, Director Leisure recommends the books Sand County Almanac and Lead

Texas is big. If you haven't been to Texas you have seen it on a map. No matter how you look at the state, it is big. The enormous geographic size creates a challenge when it comes to communicating to staff if they are spread across the state. Brent Leisure, Director of Texas State Parks Brent Leisure, Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife, joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss how to communicate when parks and staff are spread out. Communicating with a large staff in difficult. It becomes more delicate when the large staff is spread out in such a large state. Director Leisure also discusses the challenge of inviting more diverse users to parks.  It is not enough to open the gates and say everyone is welcome to come. You have to reach out. Texas State Parks has implemented programs to engage a diverse population. They make an effort to attract urban visitors, visitors with little outdoor experience, visitors from diverse racial backgrounds. The lands and water the state has set aside are places where all demo

Joseph Mayambo wants you to know about the National Parks of Gabon. Joseph wants everyone to know about Gabon National Parks.  Gabon has one of the newest National Park Systems in the world.  The World Ranger Congress was a perfect place for Rangers from Gabon to interact and exchange ideas with other Rangers from around the world. Joseph Mayambo and his comrades from Gabon State Parks  spread a message of hope and enthusiasm about their parks.  In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Joseph Mayambo discusses the challenges and opportunities of having such a young National Park Service.   

Adrian Fernandez has an influence on young up and coming leaders in the National Park Service. Adrian is the Manager of the ProRanger Program at Temple University.  The ProRanger Program offers a unique opportunity to 12 candidates each year to gain park ranger experience before they become a ranger. In the classroom, they learn the knowledge they need to know, but the program gets them valued experience in the parks as well.  Each summer, the students work as an intern in a National Park. Internships at parks where they get to learn all aspects of park operations. They get experience in urban and rural parks. When their experience with the ProRanger program is complete, they are not only ready to be a park ranger, they are ready to step up as a leader.  In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Adrian discusses the ProRanger Program. We also hear from Brennan McAuley.  Brennan McAuley is a student in the ProRanger program. Brennan shares his experience in the program and gives us an inside look to being a st

Historic means something entirely different in the United Kingdom than it does in the United States. Historic in the states is still fairly new compared to some of the historic buildings and landscapes found in the United Kingdom.  Historic Landscape management in the United Kingdom can help parks in other countries understand how to manage landscape with historical significance.  Janine Conner is a park ranger with the National Trust in the United Kingdom. She works at Tyntesfield, where she cares for a historic landscape. In this episode of The Park Leaders Show, Janine talks about historic landscape management. Janine also discusses her shadow assignment at Bryce Canyon National Park, her impression of park rangers in the United States, and her experience at the World Ranger Congress. 

At the World Ranger Congress, Ravis Henry gave a program about the Navajo culture. Rangers from around the world took in his stories and songs about his culture and experience as a ranger.  Ravis has a story that is unique, even among park rangers. Ravis is a ranger at Canyon De Shelly National Monument. Canyo De Shelly is within the Navajo Nation and Ravis grew up in the park.  Ravis joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss the World Ranger Congress, his unique way to tell stories, growing up where he works, and how parks can try to connect to local tribes. 

Are we facing a dangerous conservation crisis? When the Director of US Fish & Wildlife Service says we are facing a conservation crisis, you can believe we have a problem. An article in Field & Stream discussed a speech Director Dan Ashe gave about three issues we are facing in parks and conservation that are moving us towards a crisis.  In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Director Ashen discusses the problems that are moving parks and conservation agencies towards irrelevancy.  We talk about diversity, young people in the outdoors, disruptive innovations in parks and conservation and the partnership between US Fish & Wildlife and the National Park Service that led to delisting the Island Fox as an endangered species.

Daisy Martinez founded Trash Free Earth so her neighborhood park would look better. The idea spread and Trash Free Earth now hosts regular cleanups where a diverse collection of volunteers come together to make  a park look beautiful.  Trash Free Earth has created a patch challenge. People who accomplish all five elements of the challenge receive an exclusive patch.  If a park hosts a cleanup, it will reinforce the idea that the park is responsible for cleaning up. If a community organization organizes and hosts a cleanup, it will spread the idea that the community is responsible for keeping their parks clean.  You can Follow Trash Free Earth on Twitter and Facebook.

Shelton Johnson returns to the Park Leaders Show for episode 101. If you missed part 1 of his interview, you can listen to it here. In this episode, Shelton talks about the importance of telling stories. Shelton's Buffalo Soldiers program at Yosemite National Park has brought a story back to life that the world nearly forgot. Shelton also discusses making meaningful connections with people. "The surest way to change the future is to change today." - Shelton Johnson Shelton is the author of the novel Gloryland. 

Being a park ranger is not usually a job that puts you in the spotlight. But every once in a while, a story gets discovered that needs to be shared with the world. That is what happened to Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson.  When he began telling the story of the Buffalo Soldiers experience in Yosemite, people began to notice. The story of theBuffalo Soldiers led to a pivotal role in Ken Burns' film series about the National Parks. Shelton got to meet Oprah. Shelton got to meet President Obama. Eventually, Shelton got to meet Jody Maberry, host of the Park Leaders Show. No big deal, I know, but it did lead to this interview on the Park Leaders Show.  Shelton discusses the path that lead him from inner city Detroit to being a park ranger in a wilderness park. He also explains why access to the outdoors is a civil rights issue.  Shelton Johnson has also written a novel about Buffalo Soldiers called Gloryland. If you have Amazon Prime, you can watch the Ken Burns' National Parks film for free. Just

Our parks and Disney World share many commonalities. Often, people save money and vacation time to visit both places. When guests hold a place in such high regard, what obligation do we have to them? Jeff Noel joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss how to create excellence. Jeff Noel spent 30 years at Disney World. The last 15 years at Disney, he taught at the Disney Institue. Over 15 years, Jeff spoke to over 1 Million people about how the Disney Way.  If you want to make a park excellence, there are three area to focus; People Physical resources Processes Jeff recommends making everyone a VIP - Very Individual Person, even if you can only give them attention for 30 seconds.  You can find out more about Jeff Noel on his website, Twitter, or Facebook. 

Recently, at the World Ranger Congress, a group of female delegates gathered to discuss issues woman face. This led me to consider how the female ranger experience is different than the male ranger experience, especially when it comes to leadership. When it comes to women's leadership, Ann Vertel is someone you want to know. Ann is a 20 year Naval officer, Motivational Psychologist, and leadership expert who helps individuals and organizations develop confident women leaders.  In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Ann talks about being a leader in a male-dominated profession, the importance of working with a woman mentor, and the importance of developing women leaders. Ann also talks about handling sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, and other issues women might face in the workplace.  To find the resources Ann has created for this show, Click Here.  Ann Vertel's website - www.annvertel.com Ann Vertel on Twitter - @AnnVertel Ann Vertel on Facebook - Ann Vertel

Gary Ananian is the founder of the Kern River Conservancy. He is a volunteer who pours his own time and money into protecting a river he loves.  Vandalism and trash got so bad on the Kern River that Gary started camping elsewhere. The lure of the river brought him back, but he was again faced with trash and vandalism. When he discovered there was not a single conservation group dedicated to protecting the Kern River, he founded a group to begin to clean up the river.  The Kern River was designated as a Leave No Trace Hot Spot and Gary worked with Sam Ovett and Jenna Hanger. Together, they helped transform the Kern River and work with the public and land management agencies to give the river a promising future.  Gary explains how volunteers can work with and educate the public in a way uniformed staff can not.  Through his work on the Kern River, Gary has shown one person can have an impact.