Podcasts about park leaders

The leaders of Memphis Parks, Shelby Farms Park Conservancy and Memphis River Parks Partnership talk on “Behind The Headlines” about the combination of public spaces and parks in the city.

All Local Morning for 11/11/21 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plus, WABE reporter Roxanne Scott provides an update on the 2020 Census, as the current deadline draws new.And, Southeast Atlanta community leaders from NPU-Y and NPU-Z share their outlook for the future of their neighborhoods. Guests include: Shirley Nichols, NPU-Z Vice-Chair, Chris McCord, NPU-Y Chair, Gloria Hawkins Wynn, NPU-Y community member and Michael Fears, an NPU-Z community member.

“Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.”—Theodore Roosevelt Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Lori Allen, Director of Great Escape Publishing discuss the collateral effect of taking the first step toward your goals. Last week’s conversation about the power of streaks and taking a crow bar to bad habits set the stage for this week’s discussion. (You can listen to that episode here.) When you take the first step toward your goals—despite your fears—the collateral effect will surprise you.    Jody shares an example of the collateral effect… “I have been podcasting for 5 years now. I began with my podcast for Park Leaders. I recorded six episodes of that show and held onto them for months because I thought my voice was terrible!” It turns out Jody has a voice for podcast like none other and his voice has become his signature. In the past 5 years, Jody’s podcasts for the Park Leaders show have helped people get jobs in the parks and helped others get a promotion—not to mention the doors it has opened for Jody. If you’re doing something positive to improve yourself, your community, your relationships, etc. it has a ripple effect—in a positive way. Lori shares examples of people she’s been discussing this concept with and how their lives have changed in ways they never expected as a collateral effect of travel writing. And she wants to hear from you… If anyone out there has benefitted from this podcast or any of the Great Escape Publishing programs, Lori would love to hear from you. She wants to hear what collateral benefits you’ve received. Go to the “Contact Us” page at: https://www.greatescapepublishing.com/contact-us/ and send in a note!

What are people looking for in the outdoors? Public spaces are becoming more culturally diverse and the parks services, resources, facilities, etc need to reflect these changes. Recent graduates are also facing different challenges in the parks recreation and tourism management field these days. For example, drones are now a thing to have to consider. Dr. Myron Floyd joins the Park Leaders show to discuss health in the parks. He is the department head and professor in parks recreation and tourism management at the North Carolina State University. There is a clear connection between having a park nearby and more opportunity for physical activity and your health. Parks have both physical and mental health benefits. They also provide community benefits because they help bring people together. Green spaces help alleviate stress, improve your mood, and can help people recover from demanding cognitive tasks.   Up and coming leaders should be able to deal with unpredictable challenges and have critical thinking skills.

One of the most effective ways to create new opportunities is to meet new people.  Meet people and keep in touch because you never know what could pop up later. If you don't know people they can't help you. If you don't know people you can't help them.  I meet as many people as I can. It doesn't matter who they are or where they are from. Don't expect anything from the people you meet. Just enjoy meeting them and enjoying the diversity of conversation. But, sometimes opportunities arise that wouldn't have been available unless you had met the right person. Sometimes an opportunity arises right away. Sometimes it is ten years later. As an example, Lee Sheldon from the United Kingdom makes a brief appearance on this episode of Creating Disney Magic. Lee explains how him reaching out to me led to us teaming up to do a live event in London. I first met Jody Maberry when he asked me to be a guest on his Park Leaders podcast. Back then, I didn't even know what a podcast was. And now we have published more than 200 episodes of Creating Disney Magic. Who knew that would happen? You never know what opportunities arise when you meet new people. Our partnership with Magical Vacation Planner came about because two things happened. First, I met Jamie Eubanks, the founder of the company. Second, we kept in touch. One of the ways I meet new people, is I make myself available. I'm not shy about telling people I am at Starbucks every morning. People often show up there to meet me.  My phone number was in one of my books. I encouraged people to call me.  

All Park Leaders are servant leaders. We serve guests, employees, and the resources we vow to protect.  Servant leaders recognize leadership is a stewardship responsibility. This style of leadership fits perfectly with people of parks. We serve the public and we serve resources.  Kevin Monroe joins the Park Leaders Show to explain servant leadership and how it applies to parks.  You can find Kevin Monroe at kevindmonroe.com, on Twitter @kevindmonroe, or his podcast here. 

Recently, I had lunch in Seattle with Alan Spears in Seattle. We talked about the great work the National Parks Conservation Association is doing.  We also talked about the work we have done with Park Leaders.  Then I had a chance meeting with Eric Watilo from Washington State Parks in downtown Seattle.  Being around leaders in parks and conservation reminded me of the important work we are doing together.  In this episode, I discuss the three years of Park Leaders and what might be coming in the next year. 

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. 

Think being a park ranger is about as far from the business world as you can get?  Think again.  Jody Maberry says the time he spent as a park ranger gave him a solid education in public relations, public speaking, negotiation, and the customer experience.  He traded the cubicle for the great outdoors, got his MBA, and discovered that not only could business lesson be applied to the parks system but the parks had lessons to share with the business world too. A master storyteller, he’s the host of the Park Leaders podcast, hosts the Creating Disney Magic podcast with former Disney exec Lee Cockerell, and has recently launched the Jody Maberry Show. For help finding the work that fits you, enroll in our 8-day video course at figureitout.co!

Private sector involvement in public parks is an issue most people are not indifferent on. Usually, people either see it as a solution to many of the problems parks face, or they are against any private involvement. You may not realize how involved the private sector is already involved in parks.  John joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss the benefit of private sector involvement in parks.  John Koeberer is the president of the California Parks Company. The California Parks Company has a presence in parks throughout California, providing services ranging from concessions, wedding services, and campground operations.  John explains how private sector involvement can help parks with better marketing and business expertise. Better business operation will ensure parks do not become irrelevant.  You can find Park Leaders on Facebook here. 

On this episode of the Park Leaders Show, John Griffith shares the story of creating the Bioblitz Dance with the encouragement and support of Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro.  John explains the reason for the Bioblitz Dance and the steps of the Bioblitz Dance.  John Griffith challenges you and your park to do a Bioblitz Dance. If you do a Bioblitz Dance and let us know you are doing the dance because of the show, we will send you Park Leaders stickers for everyone who participates in the dance. You just have to let us know by letting us know on Facebook or include Bioblitz Dance and Park Leaders in the title of your video on YouTube. You can find the Bioblitz Tutorial Here. 

Episode 80 of the Park Leaders Show is ten random park related ideas. Individually, the ideas did not make a full episode. Collectively, the ideas create an episode of 10 ideas in 10 minutes (11 minutes, actually, but 10 in 10 sounds better). I recently attended the Ranger Rendezvous and the Inspiring a New Generation Summit. Next on my list is the CA Parks Training Conference, where I will give two presentations and be part of a panel discussion. If you would like Park Leaders founder, Jody Maberry, to speak to your organization or at your event, please reach out. At the Ranger Rendezvous, I was reminded how important it is to belong to a Ranger Association. The Rendezvous is the annual conference for the Association of National Park Rangers. A Ranger Association will introduce you to other Rangers. And you never know who could be your next supervisor, co-worker, or potential employee.  Also at the Rendezvous, I met former Park Leader Show guests Bob Krumenaker and Cassius Cash. Anytime you have the opportunity to converse with a veteran park ranger; you should do it.  If you are a Park Manager, and there is turnover at your park, it is because of you. You don't listen. That is why people leave.  Visible tattoos on a park ranger are a bad idea. Tattoos should be concealed behind your uniform.  Performance reviews are not very useful. But what if people were held accountable for other staff members attaining goals? Wouldn't that promote the teamwork we are looking for? If you are a Park Manager or Superintendent, one of the best things you can do for your agency is to invest in an up and comer. You don't need a formal mentorship program to help someone out.  The John Wayne Pioneer Trail is at risk. The state of Washington wants to give the trail to adjacent land owners. The threat to the trail is a prime example of why parks need to focus on diversity. If there were a diversity of voices from all backgrounds causing a ruckus, there would be no question about the future of the trail.  The Park Leaders Show is due for another panel episode. In the past, there have been panel episodes about Diversity and Communication. What should come next? Forget about adding more policies and procedures. New policies may show exactly how you want things done, but it gets in the way of creativity and job satisfaction.  Want Park Leaders Stickers? You can get those here.   

Geocaching has been a popular outdoor activity for 15 years. It is in your park, or near your park. People will travel for miles to find a Geocache.  Now, GeoTours can help parks create a deliberate, curated experience for visitors. A GeoTour is a collection of geocaches that take people on a tour of a specific area. Each stop can highlight a natural feature, a historical fact, a cultural resource, and tell a story.  GeoTours have been used to highlight entire park systems, like this GeoTour with Kentucky State Parks, or an individual park, like this GeoTour at Mount Ranier.  The friendly folks at Geocaching will help your park create a GeoTour and even work with you to create a GeoTour passport so participants can keep track of their progress.  To find out more about GeoTour go here.  To get your hands on elusive Park Leaders stickers go here. 

When I was a new park ranger, I noticed the Park Manager, Jack Hartt, would carry a camera in his pocket. I saw him take photos of trees, bugs, turkey, park rangers, and even vehicle accidents and vandalism. Carrying a camera with you makes sense, right? Park rangers spend their days in the most beautiful places. We have the opportunity to take photographs of areas or situations most people never see. Today, most of us carry a powerful camera right in our pocket. Smartphones have cameras equal in quality to professional cameras just a few years ago. If anyone knows how to use a smartphone to capture incredible moments as photographs,  it is David Molnar. David Molnar - Celebrity, Music and Advertising photographer David Molnar is a celebrity, music, and advertising photographer. David is also the author of iPhone Only Photographer. In this book, as well as on his website, David shares tips to taking stunning photographs with a smartphone. In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, David explains how park rangers can use the phone in their pocket to take amazing photographs and tell the story of the park. David has also made a generous offer to listeners of the Park Leaders Show. CLICK HERE to get access to three ebooks to help you improve your photography. If you want to learn more about David Molnar, check out this interview I did with him on the Starve the Doubts podcast. Would you like some beautiful Park Leaders stickers? You can get those here.

Donald Forgione, Director of Florida State Parks, returns to the Park Leaders Show. In this episode, we discuss how Florida State Parks connects with communities of color. Director Forgione also talks about how park rangers should be seen as leaders in the community outside of the park. Florida State Parks is proactive in seeking out up and coming leaders. Once a leader is identified, they are given the opportunity to take on more responsibility to grow. If you want to support Park Leaders, and show pride in the work you do, Limited Edition Park Leaders stickers are available now. Get yours here.

This week is a short episode to provide updates on what is going on with Park Leaders. Thank you for the great feedback about the episode with Betty Soskin. It was a delight to interview her, and I am pleased you liked it as well. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, you don't want to miss it. I have some upcoming trips. Perhaps we can meet up? I will be in Dallas in early August, and Asheville, NC in October. If you live nearby, and would like me to visit your park, get in touch. Or, if you would like to set up a speaking engagement, it would be fantastic to give a presentation about parks for you. The People of Parks Project is going away soon. If you have not had a chance to lend your voice, you can do so here. Would you like to be a contributor for Park Leaders? I have two opportunities for you. First, I am going to start including articles on the website. If you would like to contribute an article about parks, get in touch. I could use your help. Second, I want to include stories from Park Rangers other than myself on the Park Leaders Show. If you have a story you would like to share, reach out. Let's get your story on the show. Have you checked out Creating Disney Magic yet? Creating Disney Magic is a show I do with Lee Cockerell. It is a weekly show about leadership, management, and customer service. There is plenty of value packed into the 15-minute episodes.

After publishing an episode of the Park Leaders Show every week for 52 weeks, the microphone gets turned around. Jared Easley, host of Starve the Doubts, interviews Jody Maberry, the host of the Park Leaders Show. The usual host of the show answers questions about his career and what Park Leaders is all about.. Jared Easley helped Park Leaders get started by helping the host get started in podcasting. He was the obvious choice to be a guest host of this special episode of the Park Leaders Show. You can subscribe to the Park Leaders Show on iTunes and Stitcher Radio.

Jeff Goins returns to the Park Leaders Show to discuss his new book, The Art of Work. The Art of Work is a proven path to discovering what you were meant to do. It is about finding your calling and being who you were meant to be. The book is wonderful. In my opinion, the best work Jeff Goins has done so far. But I admit, I have a personal connection to this book. I was fortunate enough to have my story, the story of becoming a park ranger and then walking away to something else, is part of this book. In this interview, Jeff and I talk about how the story of a park ranger fit into the bigger story of a book about finding your calling. On the surface, you may think a story about becoming a park ranger is about finding a dream job and a calling. It is bigger than that. Being a park ranger is piece of a full life that led me towards work I was meant to do, including Park Leaders. The story is told beautifully by Jeff Goins and I want you to read it. Believe me, this is a great book. You don't want to miss the offer for a free copy of the Art of Work. You can get it here. The first time Jeff Goins was a guest on the Park Leaders Show, I told him that I knew a park would step up and make him a honorary Junior Ranger. So far, no park has come forward to do it. Who can help? Please reach out and let's make Jeff Goins an honorary Junior Ranger. If you like what you hear from Jeff, you might enjoy his podcast, The Portfolio Life. You can also find Jeff on Twitter and Facebook.  

As a leader you have a responsibility to continue to get better. There is one area in particular though, where I think you need to improve and you may not have considered it. If you are a leader, you need to write great email. Email? Isn’t Park Leaders about parks? Yes, of course Park Leaders is about parks, but it is also about leadership. And if you are going to be a leader and have an impact, you need to get better at email. In fact, you need to write great email. Once you write great email, you are going to notice you are getting more done. You are going to notice you are getting better responses to the emails you send. And you are going to notice you do not need to spend as much time with email. It is easier than you think to write great email. You can write great email by focusing on three areas: Subject Line, Opening Sentence, and White Space. Subject Line: Consider the subject line as important as a headline for a newspaper. Inboxes get filled up quick. The first thing someone does when they open their email is to scan the subject lines of all the email. You need to use a subject line that gets attention. I’m not saying use a crazy subject line, like I found a live Muskrat in the Bathtub, unless it is true. Use a subject line that gives useful information to the reader. Don’t use in a generic fill in the blank subject line like “Hey” or “Monday”. If you are sending an email about an upcoming meeting, don’t just make the subject line “Meeting”. Include useful information right in the subject line. An example would be “What you need to know about our 2:30 meeting”. This subject line lets the reader know the information in the email is useful and timely. They will open this email. Opening Sentence: People skim email. When someone opens your email they quickly browse through it trying to pick out why you sent the email. Are you telling them something they need to know? Are you asking them for something? People want to know right away, so do them a favor and put it right up front. An email consists of two parts, the Ask and the Information. Or it could be the Response and the Information. Usually, people front load an email with information and stick the Ask at the end. If you are asking something, ask in the first sentence. By putting the Ask up front, and the information second, the reader will know what to do with the information. If I know what you are asking, I will know if the information is applicable. If I don’t know what you are asking, I will have to reread the email after I find out what you are asking. There could even be times when the information is not needed, or it can be saved to reference at a later time. Even when the information is needed at the time, it is useful to read it in the context of the ask. White Space: The more white you see in your email, the better. Remember I mentioned people scan email. You know they are going to skim, so make it easier for them. When you include white space, eyes can quickly move from one sentence to the next. Information can be plucked out quickly. It is easier to read and reread email with white space. Select nearly any article or blogpost on the internet and you will see how the author used white space. I am sure you receive email that has big blob of text. A whole bunch of words in a single paragraph. If you are like me, you move on and save that email for later. Or you never read it. Using white space will help your emails get read. Work on these three steps, and you will soon be writing great email. If you are going to be in a leadership position, writing great email is important. If you apply what you read here show you can write great email. But if you want to go deeper and learn in better detail, with examples and exercises, you will find the Park Leaders Guide to Effective Email to be a tremendous help. The guide does not only cover the three elements of a great email, but there are also examples of great email and awful email, with a breakdown of what made it great or bad. There is also a section full of tips for great email. There is a section on using email to become more productive. There is a section on using email as a tool for team work. And there is a section about when you should not send an email. Understanding when not to use email could be one of the most important aspects of email. I promise you will get a lot out of the Park Leaders Guide to Effective Email. You can find out more about the guide here.

I know Park Leaders is on a roll when I end up talking with someone like Richard Rojas. It is a sign to me the dots are starting to connect. I was introduced to Mr. Rojas through Jose Gonzalez of Latino Outdoors. I was introduced to Jose through John Griffith of the California Conservation Corps. Unexpectedly talking with Richard Rojas was like stumbling onto a treasure chest. He is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom about park management, and the issue parks are faced with. Richard Rojas had a 32 year career with California State Parks. He rose through the ranks, beginning as a Park Ranger, promoted to Supervising Ranger, Park Superintendent, Chief Ranger, and finally served as District Superintendent for the Channel Coast District from 2000-2007. We talk about diversity, of course since Richard came to be known as the "diversity guy" in California State Parks. But it would not be right to stick to a single topic when talking with someone who has as much experience and wisdom as Richard Rojas. We talk about hiring and managing staff, the need for parks to be more flexible, and what other park systems can learn from the California State Park system. Richard also shares what question he would ask a job candidate if he could only ask a single question. You don't want to miss his answer. He also challenges us to consider what our legacy will be. Resources • California State Parks • Latino Outdoors • Parks Forward  

At Park Leaders we examine issues relevant for park leaders. We have heard from more than one guest on the Park Leaders Show about how important volunteers are to the vitality of parks. There are steps you can take to ensure you get the most out of working with volunteers and they get value from working with you too. I recently read a quote that stood out; “As a Leader, one must sometimes take actions that are unpopular, or whose results will not be known for years to come. They are victories whose glory lies only in the fact they are known only to those who win them.”  This struck me so much I wrote it down so I could reflect on it. I realized it applied to the work we are doing in parks. The results of our work may not be known for years to come, or perhaps never be known at all. It is easy to think of someone like  Jose Gonzalez and the work he is doing with Latino Outdoors. He is in the big arena, fighting to make a difference for relationship between Latinos and Parks. But all victories do not have to be big to be glorious. No matter your role in parks, you are experiencing little victories that advance our mission. Whether you are a park manager balancing a tight budget and a thin staff, a park ranger still learning the ropes, a corps member building a trail, or a volunteer doing work the public may never see, you know the glory of your victories. They may only be small victories right now, but it is the start of something bigger. Working with volunteers was one of the true delights of the last two years of my ranger career. I worked with a wide variety of people from all over the country, each with the own unique story. The park I worked at consistently registered more than 20,000 volunteer hours each year. The park manager was known as “The King of Volunteers”. I learned so much from the volunteers I worked with. There are steps you can take to get the most out of working with volunteers and ensure they get the most out of working with you. I developed this list with camphosts in mind because they are with the staff for an extended period of time. They live with you, work with you, and can make your life so much better. Some of these tips may apply to other volunteers as well. Here are 10 tips for getting the most out of working with volunteers; 10. Take the time to interview them before you put them on the schedule. In the initial talk you will find out there experience and what they hope to get out of the experience. You are also likely to find something that lets you know they would or would not be a good fit.  9. Before you put them to work, schedule an hour or more to sit with them. Use this time to explain your agency, talk about the park and staff, and clearly discuss your expectations. 8. Find out what they actually want to do. If you are scheduling volunteers to be camphosts, do they only want to clean firepits, or do they want to be involved in more. I have had volunteers who wanted to clean firepits and greet campers and nothing more. I have also had volunteers who wanted to be busy 8 hours per day and create something they could be proud of. I worked with one volunteer to create recycling bins that saved hundreds of dollars each year for the park. I also had a camphost who owned a painting company. My natural assumption was I could use him for the backlog of painting projects at the park. After talking with him, he did not want to do any painting. He had painted his whole career and did not want to spend his retirement years painting too. It is important to flush that information out early. 7. Take time to hear their story. I know I am asking you to take a lot time out of your busy schedule to slow down long enough to talk extensively with your volunteers, but you need to hear their story. It is important you have an informal, not official feeling talk with them. Find out their story. This will make them feel welcome and show that you are interested in them, not just the work they will do. Hearing their story will bring out any special skills they have that may help you and the park. Often, there is something more they can do that you haven’t discovered yet. 6. Spend more time with them. After the initial investment in time, you cannot turn them loose and expect to only hear from them when something is wrong and then say goodbye when they leave. You need to spend time with them. Stop by to say hello. Ask them what they are seeing. Find out if they need anything to be able to perform their job. The less time you spend with them, the less likely they are to tell you what is really going on around you. 5. Include them in the Parks story. When volunteers know the history, challenges, goals, and vision of the park they can write themselves into the story. When they write themselves into the story, they will take ownership into their area of responsibility and pride in all areas of the park. Volunteers are the face of the park to many park visitors. Consider how many people will visit your park and never see a Park Ranger. You want volunteers to feel they are part of the overall story of the park.  4. Create an atmosphere where volunteers can get to know each other. At Fort Flagler State Park volunteers had their own break room, laundry facilities, library and more. Volunteers where included in staff meetings, which also helped tie them into the park’s story. This usually worked out so well volunteers would plan their own events and many created friendships they took outside of the park. 3. Create a sense of security. It is important for volunteers to feel they are safe while doing their job. Whatever you need to do to make a volunteer feel safe, do it. Provide cell phone or radio if possible. As best you can, let them know who is working on what days and who is on call when no one is working. Let them know how to get a hold of you when there is an emergency or uncomfortable situation. 2. Motivate, inspire, and include them just as you would with paid staff. You would not expect your paid staff to work unmotivated, uninspired, or feeling like an outsider. I know some park managers do, but not anyone who is ambitious enough to listen to the Park Leaders Show. Volunteers should be treated with the same respect you give to other staff. 1. Recognize them for good work. I don’t believe you should take any staff for granted. No one is ever “just doing their job”, even if they are doing what they are paid to do. Appreciate people. Recognize people. Even if they are doing the exact job outlined in their job description, it goes a long way when you let them know you notice when they do a good job. If that is true for paid staff, imagine how important it is for staff you do not pay. Bonus Tip - Interview them when they leave. Interviewing volunteers when they leave will accomplish two things. First, you will find out how they felt about their time with you. You can discuss how you feel they did and they can do likewise. Second, it gets it on your calendar to spend time with them before they leave. Saying goodbye is as important as saying hello. There you have it friends, ten ways you can get the most out of working with volunteers and ensure they get value out of working for you. A strong connection to volunteers gives your park a citizen voice. And when times get tough, a citizen voice is important. Many of those tips I learned from working with Mike Zimmerman, the King of Volunteers, at Fort Flagler State Park. That is what we do at Park Leaders, take the wisdom of the people who have done it, and pass it on to the next generation of leaders, the ones with all of the passion to have an impact.  

Park Leaders has been discussing diversity lately. Diversity is on of the most pressing issues to ensure parks remain relevant. You can not examine diversity in parks without coming across the name Jose Gonzalez. Jose is the founder of Latino Outdoors. Jose founded Latino Outdoors to connect leadership, culture, and communities with conservation, nature, and the great outdoors. He works closely with organizations seeking to add diversity to their outdoor and conservation programs. Latino Outdoors is a platform for Latino Outdoor and Environmental Education Professionals to serve as role models and leads for guided hikes and outdoor excursions for Latino communities—all ages and generations, bilingual and Spanish-speaking. We help set up and lead outings for Latino community members for the purpose of expanding the Latino experience in the Outdoors—with a focus on providing positive transformative experiences with cultural relevancy. In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Jose discusses the relevance of Latinos in the future of parks and conservation. What We Talk About • Why Jose founded Latino Outdoors • The Mission of Latino Outdoors • Why Parks should specifically address Latinos • Why there are not more Latino Park Rangers and what we can do about it Resources • Latino Outdoors • Bay Area National Parks • Parks Forward  

In this introductory episode of the podcast, I explain what Park Leaders is about. What is Park Leaders? Park Leaders is a place to connect the wisdom of those who did with the passion of those who will. We are going to talk to as many leaders in Parks as possible. Their wisdom can be passed on to the next generation of up and coming Park Leaders. This will be an opportunity for you to chose yourself, declare yourself as a leader, and begin making a difference. What I talk about. • My path of becoming a Park Ranger • Highlight of my time as a Ranger. • Lowlights of my time as a Ranger. • Why I started Park Leaders. • What you can expect from Park Leaders. Resources Mentioned • Jason Harrod • Scott Barlow and Happen to Your Career • Jared Easley and Starve the Doubts • Jody Maberry • Washington State Parks • Riverside State Park • Fort Flagler State Park