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 interpretation in parks is rooted in interactive conversation and bringing nature to life virtually. Under...
Jun 16, 2020•22 min•Ep. 197
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 enforcement plays an important part in the parks landscape: to protect our visitors and the resourc...
Jun 02, 2020•31 min•Ep. 196
In today’s episode of the Park Leader’s Show, Phil Gains is with us again and is introducing us to Donald Forgione, a longtime friend and former Director of Florida State Parks. As a leader, we must encounter a crisis with confidence and humility. Leaders do not need to have all the answers, but they must be prepared to be a calming and reassuring presence. Especially in today’s unprecedented situation, being proactive and working on a plan for the next season is key to supporting our teams. Whi...
May 26, 2020•33 min•Ep. 195
Phil Gaines returns to discuss how COVID-19 is affecting state parks and what to expect when they reopen. As Gaines explains, it’s possible to stay relevant in global crises like the coronavirus. Despite the social limitations, park leaders can still make decisions that are timeless and timely. The key is knowing what direction to go, when to go there, and how to incorporate outside input into the mix.
May 19, 2020•30 min•Ep. 194
Our semi-regular guest host, Phil Gains, retired Director of South Carolina State Parks joins us. We are in a historical and unprecedented time. With most state parks closed for an extended period, we will begin to see leaders emerge or be exposed. As leaders, you don’t need to have all of the answers. You need to know how to deal and communicate in a way that communicates the values found in park culture. Consistency, integrity, empathy, and the prioritization of health and safety are key when ...
May 12, 2020•29 min•Ep. 193
Phil Gaines returns on-site at Lake Tahoe to discuss how to stay relevant in an ever-changing world. Speaking from a local perspective, Phil talks about the importance of taking care of watersheds, providing outdoor recreation, and understanding location. For instance, while water supply is abundant in the southeast, in California the mindset is different since limitation is more a cultural norm. As for staying relevant, while technology and networking are important, knowing the needs of your su...
May 05, 2020•24 min•Ep. 192
Donald Forgione, Director of Florida State Parks, discusses his background and what it means to be “Ranger First”. After starting his career as a Park Ranger with Florida State Parks, Forgione transitioned to Director, a role he admits he didn’t expect to land. During this time, he developed a special tagline, “Ranger First”, to remind himself and others how the responsibilities of a park ranger go beyond title. As Forgione explains, behaviors and values speak louder than words in the park busin...
Apr 28, 2020•17 min•Ep. 191
On this special episode of the Park Leader Show, Dan Cockerell, and former VP of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and Lee Cockerell, retired Executive Vice President of Walt Disney World, talk about how to handle a crisis. Here are four steps to keep in mind while dealing with a crisis: Safety First. Before anything else, the safety of employees, customers, and yourself comes before anything else. Deal with the Facts. During a crisis people get emotional. People speculate and gossip. You ...
Mar 24, 2020•24 min•Ep. 190
Jim Bryson, Deputy Commissioner of Parks and Conservation of Tennessee State Parks, discusses the benefit of leaning on your team and the importance of innovation in how you handle communication across your organization. Joining Tennessee State Parks from a corporate background in marketing research, Jim has discovered how central building a culture of trust within your organization is. As a leader, you set the pillars and vision, and you lean on your staff to fill in the how to your why. Being ...
Mar 17, 2020•30 min•Ep. 189
Today’s social media-driven culture is saturated with negativity, politics and sales pitches. From Glacier National Park, Jeff Noel and Jody Maberry discuss the impact of Jody’s “Minute in Nature” moments on Instagram Stories. Pausing to capture a minute of beauty in nature is a way of taking a moment and quieting ourselves. As Jody shares today, being intentional to put some positivity into the world is good for the soul and can help expose more people to the beauty that is found in the great o...
Mar 10, 2020•16 min•Ep. 188
Phil Gaines returns to discuss family issues within park leadership. For many park leaders with families, the relocations associated with the job can be taxing. In some cases, the move can be beneficial for the ranger, but not necessarily the family. According to Gaines, since ranger families are often the face of the family park experience, it’s important to know how to establish harmony and positive representation. For instance, with succession planning and employee retention, parker leaders s...
Dec 31, 2019•33 min•Ep. 187
Dan Bortner, Director of Indiana State Parks, discusses the “business” side of parks and the importance of fostering a healthy paradigm within your team. In the parks business, you must understand that your business is memory-making. Your product is a consistent experience across some of the most unique locations your state has to offer. Whether empowering the leaders under you or working with them to create a brand, building trust goes a long in setting the destination. Dan also discussed the v...
Dec 24, 2019•32 min•Ep. 186
Grady Spann, Director of Arkansas State Parks, discusses the importance of trust in all aspects of park management and leadership. After growing up in Brazil, receiving his degree, and serving in the army, Grady started his state park tenure as a Superintendent of an archeological park in Arkansas. Serving as the superintendent of multiple parks, the lessons he’s learned have served him well in his current role as Director of Arkansas State Parks. The importance of trust has proven a recurring t...
Dec 17, 2019•37 min•Ep. 185
Ryan Jenkins, Park Manager at Henry Horton State Park, discusses his upbringing, his love for nature, and current projects. Raised in a National Forest Service family, Ryan pursued music and business in college before rediscovering his love for parks in his late 20’s. Since then, he has been active in promoting health initiatives involving park activities. One activity in particular, Healthy Parks Healthy Person, has been largely successful. Launched in 2015, the Healthy Parks Healthy Person is ...
Dec 10, 2019•30 min•Ep. 184
Sean Woods, Superintendent of California State Parks, discusses his background and current position on this episode. Having taken a non-traditional path to his current role, Sean has spent almost 15 years bringing the State Park Mission to underprivileged, urban communities in Los Angeles. Through this initiative, he has supervised planning and development efforts at Rio de Los Angeles State Parks, Los Angeles State Historic Park, and the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. In addition to these endea...
Dec 03, 2019•23 min•Ep. 183
While visitors come to parks to use facilities, fans come to connect with the people behind them. As Jody explains, not only do fans attend parks more frequently, but see the park experience as an extension of community. Often times, people will limit their appearances based on a specific event, but for the devoted fan, parks represent an opportunity to network both online and offline. As such, fans are more likely to offer meaningful contributions financially, socially, even environmentally as ...
Nov 26, 2019•20 min•Ep. 182
Adam Turner, Area Manager for the Anti-Poaching Unit in Sweden, discusses efforts in wildlife protection and local law enforcement partnership. Among his responsibilities, Turner highlights the rise of wolf poaching, propaganda, and his work to quench both. Although cities have been relatively unscathed, the fear of wolf attacks and poaching harassment has increased in rural communities. As Turner points out, while one could assume field surveys as the solution, the best way to deter poaching cr...
Nov 19, 2019•22 min•Ep. 181
Jon Jarvis, Executive Director of the Institute for Parks, People and Biodiversity at the University of California Berkeley, returns to discuss park projects in China. After leading a summer team to evaluate China’s national park system, Jarvis notes several positive developments. From President Xi’s “beautiful China” emphasis to local conservation efforts, the mission is clear: Do in ten years what America did in a hundred. With high drive to establish a new park system, Jarvis believes China w...
Nov 12, 2019•47 min•Ep. 180
In this episode, Jody Maberry discusses the next wave of park rangers. While past and present rangers contrast in several areas, future rangers may not be as different as we think. The next generation of park leaders will be more inclined to know the purpose of what they do; however, they are similar to current leaders in wanting their voice to be heard. Jody expects future rangers to improve outreach efforts and charges current rangers to encourage interest and the difference between role and p...
Nov 05, 2019•13 min•Ep. 179
In this episode, we’re talking about the 3 P’s that define park leadership and service: people, places, and the past. The first ‘P’, people, captures the fundamental core of why park rangers exist. Without people, the purpose of park leadership cannot exist. The second ‘P’, places, represents communities from a physical and relational perspective. While most parks have fixed boundaries, since people and place can’t be separated, rangers can better serve viewing location through a social lens. Th...
Oct 29, 2019•16 min•Ep. 178
Phil Gaines returns to discuss what it means to be "ranger first". During the past 25 years, the role of a park ranger has changed dramatically. While much of this has centered on energy conservation and public education, one of the most significant swings in function has involved law enforcement. According to Gaines, the expectations of park rangers have evolved in part by increased connection to enforcement officials. Unfortunately, this has resulted in overstepped boundaries in certain situat...
Oct 22, 2019•19 min•Ep. 177
Phil Gaines returns to recap the 2019 National Association of State Park Directors Conference. Having attended with Jody, Phil takes inventory of several topics ranging from networking and frontline employees to law enforcement and debate etiquette. As he goes on to explain, there are many ways to absorb insight in large scale gatherings; however, by pursuing relationships and knowledge together, one can better link current trends to future progress.
Oct 01, 2019•23 min•Ep. 176
Phil Gaines returns to discuss the challenge of national parks staying relevant. While there are many ways for parks to remain meaningful, according to Gaines, embracing technology to make connections with the next generation is paramount. If parks want to stay relevant, they must convince young people to not only care about their resources, but invest leisure time. To do this, parks must employ quality customer service and technological innovation to create memorable recreation moments. Even if...
Aug 06, 2019•24 min•Ep. 175
In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Phil Gaines returns to discuss some of the environmental challenges national parks are facing. While climate change is a significant factor, for most park rangers and directors, the greatest impacts occur at the local level. For instance, there’s not much a park ranger can do to affect the weather apart from conservation efforts; however, a park ranger can take measures to monitor beach replenishment, safety of endangered species, and visitor use pattern...
Jul 30, 2019•20 min•Ep. 174
Phil Gaines returns to break down the role of a leader. While the challenges of leadership are many, arguably none are more taxing than motivation. From offering direction to removing obstacles, when leading by example, a leader must often be the example before he can model it; however, this pursuit can’t drive results by itself. If a leader wants to tie guidance to goals, then he must value and facilitate team community. As Gaines explains, the key to team community, as well as leadership at la...
May 21, 2019•18 min•Ep. 173
Phil Gaines returns to the show to talk about the role of influence in leadership. As leaders, it's important to be mindful of voice and presence. In a day and age when what you say is magnified through technology and social media, knowing the impacts of reputation is key. For instance, if people naturally flock to you for vision and direction, chances are you're building a healthy reputation among those you serve. Contrarily, if what you say lacks consistency and/or morale, your voice will suff...
May 14, 2019•22 min•Ep. 172
In this edition of the Park Leaders Show, Topher Downham. Outreach Coordinator at City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, discusses his background and work with parks. After a college swimming pool accident left him paralyzed, Downham notes how navigating trails in a wheelchair inspired him to pursue a career in parks. Forced to learn trails as a quadriplegic, Downham now uses his outdoor expertise to lead hand cycle ride nature hikes for people with disabilities. With decades of experien...
May 07, 2019•24 min•Ep. 171
Phil Gaines returns to discuss how leaders can stay connected to their frontline customers and employees. When it comes to a successful enterprise, no question, this can’t happen without frontline employees. By dealing directly with customers, frontline workers not only have high drive and insight but represent a company’s values through their service. However, before a leader can develop a frontline staff, he must first be willing to model these values to frontline customers. As Gaines notes, f...
Apr 30, 2019•24 min•Ep. 170
In this edition of the Park Leaders Show, Phil Gaines returns to discuss the importance of staying relevant on the job. For many employers, relevant can seem like a relative term. What’s relevant for one job description isn’t necessarily relevant for another; however, when we consider the value in staying relevant, we find the attitude involved is necessary to relating to broader audiences, employees, and clients. According to Gaines, staying relevant means we engage cultural changes and trends ...
Apr 23, 2019•25 min•Ep. 169
In this edition of the Park Leaders Show, JP Boneyard, Creative Director of The Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series and producer of the National Poster Retrospecticus, discusses how he got into curating, hosting events, and what the screen printing process is like. Stirred by national history and preservation, Boneyard started the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series, in part, to tour his collection of over 400 hand-printed posters across the globe. A master of handcrafted posters, Boneyard’s aim is to draw ...
Apr 16, 2019•24 min•Ep. 168
