June Senior Staff Notes & Message from Nita

Message from Nita

Thanks to your hard work and dedication, we have had a very strong start to the 2016 summer season. Campgrounds and cabins are full and beaches, picnic areas and trails are as busy as ever. Your incredible perseverance with the Workday and Jobaps systems has enabled us to overcome hurdles and to hire another cohort of talented seasonal employees. Our resiliency as an agency and as a team is a constant source of pride!

I wanted to briefly share with you some of the highlights from the Senior Staff annual meeting at Woodmont Lodge that was held on June 8-9. This meeting is our opportunity to spend quality time to focus on important issues and big picture goals for our agency. Attached below is a link to an outline of our discussion and key decisions, including the following highlights:

The FY2017 budget, which begins July 1, will include an additional $1.6 million for park operations.  As a result, we will be able to purchase more replacement vehicles, heavy equipment and needed supplies and materials, as well as, help plug gaps in operating budgets for certain parks.

Senior Staff committed FY17 support for a new initiative, called the Veterans Conservation Corps. You will be hearing more details about this program, which will be part of the MCC program starting October 1 and will be based out of Point Lookout State Park. Special thanks go to Park Manager Christy Bright, supported by her staff and the MCC program, for her leadership on this important initiative to employ our veterans!

Per recommendations from the Day Use and Campground Workgroups, Senior Staff adopted the following actions:

• Spanish interpretation – Allocate funds for an annual seasonal recruitment specifically for Spanish language interpreters.
• Latino Outreach -- Hire a LTC Latino Community Liaison to foster improved communication and engagement between State Parks and Latino visitor population (FY17 priority).
• Generator complaints in campgrounds -- Implement a new generator use policy in 2017 to prohibit generator use during Quiet Hours.

Finally, the Senior Staff spent valuable time with agency partners, including the Natural Resources Police command staff and Land Acquisition and Planning (LAP). Regarding the NRP, we continued to reinforce the importance of regular meetings between Park and NRP field staff to ensure regular communication about community policing needs in State Parks. One of the issues we focused on was increasing the presence of NRP patrols during campground quiet hours. Many of you have done a great job initiating meetings with your NRP counterparts, so please keep up the effort. The NRP command staff, including the new Deputy Superintendent, Lt. Colonel Ernie Leatherbury, voiced their strong support for these regular meetings, too.

Our meeting with Emily Wilson and her LAP staff took an entire morning as we combed over and marked up county property maps, identifying key needs for future State Park land acquisition goals. One of the most enduring aspects of our mission will be our efforts to conserve the land, so please continue to work closely with your Regional LAP contact about tracking the status of important properties.

Thank you for reading this month's Superintendent's blog. With schools out and July 4^th on the horizon, we are now entering our peak visitor season. As always, please keep our commitment to exceptional customer service foremost in your mind and that of your seasonal workforce.  The Maryland Park Service maintains the highest reputation for treating visitors "like family" due to your commitment to public service! Even when the customer may not be right, we never forget that they are always the customer. 

My best,

Nita

Senior Staff Retreat – June 8-9, 2016

Woodmont Lodge

FY 2017 Budget

1. We expect to get a $1.6 million increase over FY 2016
2. Each park's FY 2017 budget will be at least level with FY 2016; some parks and programs will receive additional funds in FY 2017
3. Certain FY 2017 purchases will be handled at the HQ level (e.g. vehicles and heavy equipment, and perhaps some supplies)
4. Requests for LTC positions will be submitted to fill staffing gaps
5. A Southern Region Veterans Conservation Corps program will be funded

Day Use Workgroup Report – Senior Staff Direction

Senior Staff commends Work Group Chair Steve McCoy and the group members for their efforts to review issues and identify strategies to improve operations

6. NRP – Park management continue to meet & communicate regularly with NRP field commanders about park LE needs to ensure a consistent LE presence

7. Spanish Language Barrier – allocate funds in FY17 to support:  (1) LTC Hispanic community liaison and (2) a seasonal "State Park Spanish Language Interpreters" program to hire interpreters recruited from Hispanic community for select state parks (e.g. Sandy point, Greenbrier, Patapsco, etc.)

8. Carrying Capacity Issues – Include carrying capacity concerns in State Park "Strategic Management Plans" and work with RMs and Planning to develop response strategies

9. Customer Satisfaction Survey –MPS needs to develop a mechanism to measure this important metric for our Day Use visitors.

10. Trash-Free Parks – Continue to implement program using current strategies, including visitor education. Ask Greenbrier, Sandy Point & Patapsco Valley to present their Trash-Free Parks program successes & challenges at November Manager Meeting for discussion.

Campground Workgroup Report

Senior Staff commends Work Group Chair Margit Pruett and the group members for their efforts to review issues and identify strategies to improve operations

1. Generators -- MPS will adopt a new policy that generators cannot be used during Quiet Hours in State Parks. Need feedback from the field on how to best implement the new policy (timing, communication, grace period, etc).

2. NRP – Senior staff will discuss with NRP Command Staff the need for a standard schedule that provides LE presence in the campgrounds during Quiet Hours

3. Generator volume – Language will be strengthened on Reservation system and within State Parks that generators that disturb the peace & tranquility of other campers will not be permitted.
• Campers will be strongly advised to invest in generator models that feature low noise volume if they are camping in a State Park.
• Research possible vendors that would consider establishing a concession to rent ultra-quiet generators to campers.
• Decibel readers were discussed but not approved.

4. Tent-only Loops – Managers are encouraged to discuss the potential for this strategy with their RM and Planning; incorporate this strategy in Strategic Management Plans.

5. Campsite size – Senior staff discussed this issue & decided generally NOT to enlarge campsites or expand electric; MPS niche is tent camping, nature, scenic; do not want to add amenities that attract big RVs; RV market is trending to smaller sizes; customers are asking for greater space between sites.

6. Electric power – Senior staff discussed this issue and decided generally NOT to emphasize the upgrade to 50amp; RV market is trending to more efficient models that operate on 30amp; MPS wants to encourage energy efficiency and conservation; Do not want to add amenities that attract bid RVs and displace core tent camping market.

State Park Strategic Management Plans

Senior Staff commends the management teams at the five pilot State Parks for volunteering to develop plans. Great work!

Name -- Proposed name for 5-year plans = Strategic Management Plan (e.g. New Germany State Park Strategic Management Plan)

Schedule -- Senior Staff review & finalize current (5) State Park SMPs by September 2016.  (New Germany, Smallwood, Fort Frederick, Tuckahoe and Susquehanna)

Develop schedule to complete (10) SMPs per year. Five in the spring and five in the fall. Schedule largest 20 state parks for completion by end of 2018:

ASP                 PVSP               CFSP               DCLSP

PLO                 GFSP               Seneca             DCLRNMA

FHNRMA       ENSP              Cedarville       Rocks

Greenbrier      RGSP              SPSP               HMSP

JISP                 Pocomoke       Rosaryville     Swallow Falls

SMPs should be updated annually and submitted to Senior Staff for review.

Strategic Land Acquisition Planning

Met with LAP to identify specific land acquisition goals; identified priorities on county planning maps. Maps and notes to be summarized by Mary Owens and shared with LAP and reviewed with land managers.

Primary land acquisition goals discussed:

Expand existing parks                       Fill gaps in greenway corridors

Eliminate in-holdings                        Protect watersheds

Address management issues              Fill gaps in trail connections

Increase water recreation access        Promote urban renewal

Increase cabin inventory                    Expand state parks within/adjacent to state forests