Park Leaders Show

Latest Episodes:

Giving More People Access to the Outdoors Mar 20, 2018

Show notes

In order to protect parks and open spaces, we need more people who care enough to speak out and stand up for conservation. Jenny Mulholland Bearhs is leading a Coalition that is making that happen.

Jenny is the Director University of California Berkely's Outdoor Engagement Coalition.

The coalition is a membership-based group that works to give all Californians an opportunity to get outdoors.

In this episode of the Park Leders Show, Jenny talks about the work her organization is doing and how other states can create a similar coalition to spread the work.

Do Veterans Have A Responsibility to Give Back? Mar 06, 2018

Show notes

After retiring as the Director of the National Park Service, Jon Jarvis took on a new role.

Director Jarvis is a Director again. This time, he is the first executive director of the newly formed Institute for Parks, People, and Biodiversity.

Jarvis joins the Park Leaders Show again to discuss his time with the National Park Service and his new role. As a 40 year veteran of the park service, Director Jarvis is now using that experience to help build the next generation of leaders for conservation.

Do veterans like Jarvis have a responsibility to give back to the up and coming leaders? We talk about that in this episode. Veterans have the unique ability to pass on stories, wisdom, and knowledge to people who can benefit from it the most.

Director Jarvis has a new book available, The Future of Conservation in America.

"What distinguishes the National Park System is the National Park Service." - Jon Jarvis

Do Parks Have a Responsibility to Interpret? Feb 20, 2018

Show notes

Do parks have a responsibility to interpret?

Cem Basman joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss.

Building Friends Groups and Partnerships Feb 06, 2018

Show notes

Building friends groups and partnerships is essential for a modern park. Krista Muddle from the National Park Service joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss partnerships.

Krista Muddle is a Regional Partnership Coordinator at Intermountain Region Office with the National Park Service.

Krista divides her time between a program working in partnership with Mexico on border-related issues and working with parks developing partnerships in their community. Broder related issues range from animals that are found in both countries, vegetation management, and sand dune studies.

Whether your park has already formed local partnerships, or are just getting started, Krista shares information of what makes a successful partnership. This episode will give you ideas of why you need partnerships and way friends groups can help your park get more done.

Friends Groups serve as an Ambassador for the park and a direct link to connect the park to the community and connect the community to the park.

Helping People Discover Parks Jan 09, 2018

Show notes

Audrey Peterman helps parks people discover parks. Many people who have taken park tours with Audrey are visiting parks for the first time.

Audrey is a consistent voice to help get people of all backgrounds into parks.

When asked what conversation we should be having people in parks, she said we need to change the perception that non-white people are not interested in parks.

Audrey has seen it happen over and over, when people are informed about parks and invited to parks they become passionate after their first experience.

With help from people like Audrey, we can make everyone feel like welcome, wanted, and included in parks. The Next 100 Coalition is a great place to find partners to help parks reach out to people.

Audrey on Twitter - @AudreyPete

Audrey on the web - legacyontheland.com

Audrey's Book - Our True Nature

Creating a Great Visitor Experience Dec 19, 2017

Show notes

Christen Miller's path towards becoming an interpreter began with a terrified toad. Seeing an interpretive program in a State Park, which included the toad, pushed Christen towards a life in parks.

Now, Christen is the Visitor Experience Director for Virginia State Parks.

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Christen talks about interpretation, living history, creating a great visitor experience, and interpreting for visitors who may not be face to face with a park ranger.

Learning from Leaders Nov 28, 2017

Show notes

Brennan McAuley returns to the Park Leaders Show to share what he learned after another summer with the National Park Service.

Brennan is a student in the Temple Pro Ranger Program. Brennan has been on the Park Leaders Show to tell us about the Pro Ranger Program and again to talk about his first summer with the National Park Service.

This episode, Brennan returns to discuss his second summer with the National Park Service, learning from the leaders around him, and attending the Ranger Rendezvous.

Putting Safety First in Your Park Oct 31, 2017

Show notes

After a career in the military, Christina Ryan-Miller joined the National Park Service. In her role as a Zone Safety Manager, she makes sure park employees and visitors are safe.

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, we talk all about safety. But we also talk about so much more.

Christina talks about her transition from the military, being an introvert in parks, and how to work with introverts.

By the way, if you have an introvert on your staff (and you do), check out the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.

Working Better With Volunteers Oct 10, 2017

Show notes

Most parks work with volunteers. Some parks treat volunteers like stars. When this happens, word spreads in the volunteer community.

But not all parks do well working with volunteers.

This episode of The Park Leaders Episode, we have the opportunity to hear words directly from a volunteer. This volunteer offers tips and advice on how to get the most working with volunteers. How often do we take time to listen to what volunteers have to say?

Today, we are going to listen to volunteers and consider how we can do better.

If there are some key things a volunteer would love for you to know:

If you have a volunteer program, make sure you value them.
Get the input from the volunteers.
Your Volunteer Coordinator shouldn't be the only person who cares about volunteers.
Train your volunteers just like you train your staff.

Park Leaders T-Shirts are now available on Amazon. You can pick a shirt in three colors in Men's, Women's, and Youth sizes. Get your shirt here.

The Legend of the Spark Ranger Oct 03, 2017

Show notes

Roy Sullivan is a one of a kind park ranger. His story is so unique, we are still talking about him today.

This episode of the Park Leaders Show, we share Roy's story.