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 […]
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Parks are the Caretakers of American History
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 […]
Helping Visitors Find a Connection to a Park
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 […]
The Social Science of Parks
David Flores may not be who you would expect to pour his talent and research into outdoor recreation 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, […]
Investing in Leadership with Bradley Fauteux
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 […]
How to Find a Mentor
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 […]
Diversity Panel Discussion
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 […]
Nine Customer Service Rules with Lee Cockerell
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; 1. Become an expert at creating experts. 2. Treat […]
Give People a Reason to Visit Your Park with Ray Bivens
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 […]
Preserving Parks Against Industry with Valerie Naylor
Valerie Naylor is the recipient of the 2013 Stephen T. Mather Award for her steadfast leadership and persistent dedication to National Parks. Her persistent dedication has been put to the test against industrial pressure from the Bakken Oil Boom on the borders of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. For the past four years, managing this beautiful national […]