Park Leaders Show

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Building Youth into Leaders Dec 09, 2014

Show notes

Have you heard anyone suggest our country should bring back the Civilian Conservation Corps?

I have. And I agree, it would be a good thing for our country. But the Conservation Corps never went away. It just looks different.

Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President and CEO of The Corps Network, joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss the work of the Corps Programs. The Corps Network is the national voice and advocate for the Corps Programs across the country.

In this episode, Mary Ellen explains the important work done by Corps Programs and the impact they have on youth. She also discusses the benefit of the projects done by the Corps.

The Corps Network is the tie that holds the Corps Programs together from all the states together. The organization provides training, communication, and centralized leadership. They also offer an annual conference in Washington D.C. You can learn more about the conference here.

If you are interested in the work of the original Civilian Conservation Corps, former Park Leaders Show guest, Jack Hart, wrote a book about the CCC in Washington State. Two Hands and a Shovel examines how the CCC built Deception Pass State Park.

How to Create Great Park Signs with Mike Kim Dec 02, 2014

Show notes

Park signs are an important piece of park management. Typically, a visitor interacts with signs more often than they do with park staff. The words on signs create an identity for the park.

How many parks take the time to review signs to consider the identity they create through signs?

For this episode, Mike Kim joins the Park Leaders Show to review park signs to talk about how to create great park signs. Mike Kim is a marketing consultant, professional copywriter, and brand strategist. He is also a Chief Marketing Officer for a multi-million dollar private company in the New York City area.

In most parks, consideration is given to placement of signs and amount of signs, but how often do we consider the words we put on signs? Mike reviews three park signs and discuses, from a marketing perspective, the impact and perception of each signs. Along the way, he offers advice on how to create great signs.

After reviewing park signs, we move to discuss other writing that can impact a park visitor. Mike also offers tips on writing better event flyers and park brochures.

With an event flyer, you should use a nice photograph and a catching headline. This will capture attention and get the reader to pick up your flyer and read the content. The rest of the text should use descriptive words to draw the read in.

Brochures can help visitors get more out of their experience at your park. Don't use a brochure to give facts and information. Tell a story, paint a picture, and let the visitor know what kind of experience they will have at the park.

Mike Kim reminds us that everything we say (including signs), and everything we do, is our brand.

Below are the three signs reviewed in this episode of the Park Leaders Show. All three signs are from different parks in different states.

This sign is an entrance sign to a State Park:

This sign is at the entrance to a park campground:

This sign is on a large information board at a trail head:

You can subscribe to the Park Leaders Show in iTunes and Stitcher Radio.

Parks are the Caretakers of American History Nov 25, 2014

Show notes

This episode of the Park Leaders Show is a part two of sorts. My interview with Kelli English was so wonderful and long that I broke it into two parts. The first part of our conversation was about interpretation and storytelling. You can find it here.

With the second half of our interview, Kelli talks about growing up in the south side of Chicago and how she ended up telling stories as an interpreter in Yellowstone National Park. She also discusses the different perspective she has being an African American interpreter. She is aware of the stories told in parks that can connect different communities to parks. Stories that are not mainstream can have a tremendous impact on the people who hear them.

Communities of color are interested in hearing the same stories other visitors are interested in hearing, but they also want to hear stories about their history when it is present in the park.

Kelli shares stories that may open your eyes to why parks have not always been open and welcoming to all people. Discriminatory attitudes and practices from the past still have a deep impact on perceptions and use of parks today.

Our National, State and local parks are the caretakers of American History. We have an obligation to tell stories, good and bad, that have impacted our life. Kelli offers insight into how and why we should share even the negative stories of our past.

Kelli discusses an exhibit that changed her life. The book about the exhibit is Without Sanctuary by James Allen and John Lewis.

Helping Visitors Find a Connection to a Park Nov 18, 2014

Show notes

Kelli English is the Chief of Interpretation for four National Park Units in the Bay Area of California, including John Muir National Historic Site. She has spent her career as a park ranger interpreting stories to park visitors. Now, she interprets to interpreters. She admits, even though her job leans towards administration, she still finds opportunities to tell a story to park visitors.

Kelli grew up on the south side of Chicago and ended up telling stories in Yellowstone National Park. Her stellar interpretation earned accolades in 2005 when she was awarded the 2005 Outstanding New Interpreter award from the National Association of Interpretation.

In this interview, Kelli discusses how to infuse your personality into the stories of your park and where to begin gathering stories if you are new to a park.

Kelli also examines the differences in interpreting a wilderness park, like Yellowstone, compared to a historical park.

It is through interpretation that we help visitors find a connection with the park. When a visitor has a connection with the park, they will care more and become invested in the park.

You can hear the second half of the interview with Kelli English HERE.

The Social Science of Parks Nov 11, 2014

Show notes

David Flores may not be who you would expect to pour his talent and research into outdoor recreation and conservation.

Typically, someone who devotes their career to parks, recreation, or conservation grew up playing and exploring in the outdoors. David Flores did not recreation in parks and forests when he was a kid. Yet, he is now a research social scientist with the US Forest Service.

How did that happen?

As he graduated with a PHD, Flores was connected to the Forest Service through the Presidential Management Fellowship Program. Working for the Forest Service allowed David to continue to focus on research, and he found that appealing.

Now, Flores realizes the power of spending time outdoors and the connection people have with the land. His research is focused on human dimension issues related to the land, such as urban planning, climate change, rural life, and ecological change.

As part of his research, David meets people who make a living on the land and listens to their stories. In this interview, David shares what he has learned during his research. We discuss the importance of parks to a community and what he has learned about urban green space.

Given his background, David offers unique insight how parks can connect with people who have not grown up with access to, or interest in, recreating outdoors.

You can subscribe to the Park Leader Show on iTunes here and Stitcher Radio here.

Investing in Leadership with Bradley Fauteux Nov 04, 2014

Show notes

Bradley Fauteux is the Managing Director of Ontario Parks, and the first international guest of the Park Leaders Show.

After a stint as a professional musician, Bradley began a career in Government and has become the ultimate generalist. Fauteux had been working towards the job of Managing Director for ten years. He spent those years acquiring the skills he would need for the job and building a network of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances to learn from.

Fauteux is only the fourth person to serve as Managing Director of Ontario Parks. He is also the Chairman of the Canadian Parks Council.

Fauteux discusses some of the programs Ontario Parks has had success with:

Learn to Camp program helps first time campers learn the basics so they can enjoy the outdoors. Nine Thousand campers have participated in the the program with 75% rate of return and 98% satisfaction rate. The Learn to Camp program won the Provincial Tourism Innovator of the Year Award.

The Life Jacket Loaner program designed to prevent drowning by providing life jackets to people going in the water at more than 60 parks. Both programs are backed by generous corporate sponsors.

The leadership program is an intensive 1-week program where colleagues get together and work through leadership challenges. This is an investment in leadership to ensure Ontario Parks will have great leaders across the organization.

Fauteux offers this wisdom to leaders:

• When pursuing a job, know the people, values, mission statement, and priorities to show you are committed and mature enough to lead. Prior to a job interview, you should have already become a known commodity through networking.

• Once you have a leadership position you should seek advice and listen, learn about the people you work with, and make sure people understand your values.

• Hire staff based on engagement, preparation, commitment, creativity, and awareness. You want to hire someone you would want to follow.

How to Find a Mentor Oct 28, 2014

Show notes

Recently, I was talking to a park manager who told me someone on his team was looking for mentoring opportunities. It got me thinking about mentors and how important a mentor was to my career, especially early when I was new to being a park ranger.

I realize not everyone is fortunate enough to get a mentor early in their career, but listen, friend, you do not need to rely on a mentor. Not in the way you think you need a mentor.

There are mentor opportunities all around. You don't need to feel alone because you don't have a mentor.

There are five types of mentors available.

Classic Mentors: A classic mentor is what you think of when you think of a mentor. It is a single person who invests in you and your development.

I was lucky to have a classic mentor in Jack Hartt, who was the manager at the first park I worked at. Jack took the time to spend lunch breaks with me, go for walks in the park with me, and answer questions nearly whenever I had them.

Academic Mentor: An academic mentor is someone who mentors you through the content they produce. Books are an obvious way to connect with an academic mentor. For $20, you can spend hours with a mentor and get some of their best advice. Don't discount this idea. Pick a book, and take in the words with the same weight you would a classic mentor. If you take in a book with the idea of consuming the words, not for entertainment, but to learn and grow and change, it can have the same impact as spending the same amount of time with a classic mentor.

Situational Mentor: A situational mentor is someone who mentors you through a certain situation. If you need to improve a skill, perhaps you can find a situational mentor to help you improve. If you are having a tough time with an employee, you can find someone else who has been through the situation. If you are hiring an employee for the first time, or going for a promotion yourself, you can find a situational mentor to help you out.

Shadow Mentor: A shadow mentor is simply someone you observe. For example, you watch your park manager or superintendent with a deliberate eye towards how they handle situations and how they deal with people. They key here to you have to be deliberate in watching and analyzing what they do and how they do it.

Anti-Mentor: Having an anti-mentor may sound strange and something you want to say away from. But listen, if you find yourself working for a bad boss, you can grumble about it and have a lousy time. Or, you can use a bad boss as a mentor. An anti-mentor. Let them mentor you on what not to do.

Those are the five types of mentors, but don't overlook the value of friendships. You can learn so much just from the people you hang out with.

Listen to the episode to go in depth with each type of mentor.

Diversity Panel Discussion Oct 21, 2014

Show notes

Diversity has been a consistent topic on the Park Leaders Show. For this episode, three former guests of the show return to have a panel discussion about diversity.

Teresa Baker (founder of African American National Parks Day), Jose Gonzalez (founder of Latino Outdoors) and John Griffith (crew supervisor with the California Conservation Corps) team up to form the first Park Leaders Panel.

Together, they discuss why a gap exists between parks and communities of color, how one person can make a difference, and how we can connect urban youth to National Parks far away from their home.

After listening to this panel discussion, if you have any questions for the panel members, please leave a comment here on the show notes page, and they will respond.

John Griffith has become well known for his dancing videos on YouTube. Just for fun, below is a video of John dancing:

Dance Excerpt from the video "Wildlife: Our Low Maintenance Pets." (click to watch on YouTube)

Nine Customer Service Rules with Lee Cockerell Oct 14, 2014

Show notes

Lee Cockerell returns to the Park Leaders Show to discuss customer service. Lee examines takes a deeper look at nine of the thirty-nine essential rules for delivering sensational service from his book The Customer Rules.

In this episode, we discuss the following nine customer rules;

Become an expert at creating experts.
Treat customers the way you would treat your loved ones.
Be a copycat.
Fish where the fishermen ain't.
Serve to WIN.
Don't give the responsibility without the authority.
Never, ever argue with a customer.
Apologize like you really mean it.
Don't try too hard.

Give People a Reason to Visit Your Park with Ray Bivens Oct 07, 2014

Show notes

Two episodes of the Park Leaders Show have discussed the Conservation Corps. Ray Bivens is a true Conservation Corps success story. Ray Bivens began his outdoor career with the Maryland Conservation Corps. That experience led him into a career in Parks and Recreation. At only 38 years old, Ray became the Director of Delaware State Parks.

Ray has an entrepreneurial view of parks. He understands parks compete with other forms of recreation. In order to get visitors to a park, and entice them to return, you have to give them a reason. Make a park enjoyable, fun, and deliver a little WOW. He says Parks are in the "Forever Business" and believes if you can't get the business part of parks right, you can't get the stewardship part right either. Running parks properly allows you to fulfill your mission.

Ray talks about the importance of making the most out of opportunities, his role of Director, balancing your career and family, and hiring new team members.

As inspiration for up and coming leaders, Ray shares the Seven Secrets of Good Interpretation by Bob Jennings. Ray points out you can remove the word interpretation and replace it with Park Ranger or Park Manager and have a guide to help you do your job better.

Love what you are doing and don't be afraid to show it.
Know your subject and keep trying to learn more about it.
Develop ways to keep yourself and your presentation fresh.
Remember the little things.
Don't be afraid to try something different.
Listen.
Go back to #1.

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