2019 August Senior Staff Meeting Notes

MARYLAND PARK SERVICE

SENIOR STAFF MEETING NOTES

August 14, 2019

Broadneck Office, Annapolis, MD

Attendees: Nita Settina, Chris Bushman, Amanda Mock, Mary Owens, Christy Bright, Steve McCoy, Patrick Bright, Mary Ironside. Guest: Robb Bailey (next meeting’s manager-of-the-month – Central)

REGIONAL REPORTS

Central – Steve McCoy

      

·         Elk Neck State Park – The Forest Service is conducting a salvage timber harvest at specified sites damaged by the June 13 tornado. Preliminary interest has been expressed by four potential bidders.

·         Rocks – Falling Branch / Kilgore Falls – The in-house day-use reservation process is scheduled to end Labor Day Weekend.

·         North Point State Battlefield – Park staff are refreshing the battlefield site in preparation for the September 22 NRPA tour.

·         Patapsco Valley – Dave Ferraro was recently hired as the new Executive Director of the Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park.

Western – Christy Bright

·         Deep Creek Lake – There have been numerous complaints about the impact of fishing tournaments on parking at the boat launch. Park staff will be ensuring that tournament organizers get the required lake / NRMA fishing tournament permits so that we are able to manage / coordinate the tournaments and other visitors.

·         Rocky Gap – A second use agreement was approved to allow the casino to host two additional concerts at the park this summer.

·         Wolf Den Run – Nearly 100 machines registered for the first two weeks of August at the newly opened Huckleberry Rocks area.

·         Greenbrier Dam (Mary Ironside) – A new automated dam status alert system was installed that will allow staff to better monitor water levels. Among other things, the system monitors the wells, rain gauges and overall lake level. The new gate / valve is currently being fabricated and fall installation is expected. Construction to address seepage is scheduled to start in Spring 2020, impacting trails and resulting in the loss of some trees.

Southeastern – Patrick Bright

·         Smallwood State Park – Completion of the shoreline erosion project is not expected in the short term.

·         Sandy Point / Corcoran Tract – Proposed deer archery hunting program is in Project Review, and we will be getting on the agenda for the next meeting of the Broadneck Community Association.

·         Rosaryville State Park – Cost prohibitive to connect the contact station to the power grid, so the park will generate required power via a new whisper-quiet generator.

·         Assateague – Park staff will be meeting with UMES to discuss use of the lab building.

·         Cypress Branch – Staff will communicate with the local fire department about approval of a controlled burn of three buildings for training purposes.

·         St. Clements Island – The agreement with the St. Clements Hundred will be kept intact but transferred to the County as part of the MPS agreement with the County.

PLANNING AND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS – Mary Owens

·         Project Review – Approximately 267 projects are in the review process. The quality of project submittals has improved, which has facilitated the entire process.

·         Strategic Management Plans – Plans continue to be reviewed and finalized. The Tuckahoe State Park SMP was recently approved and will be posted online. If there are old master / land unit plans, Wildlife Action Plans / Forestry Action Plans, please consult them in creating the new SMP.

·         Veterans Conservation Corps – Mary and Nita visited Point Lookout to meet the new VCC Crew Leader and four new VCC crew members.

·         Maryland Conservation Corps – Recruitment for the 35 2019-2020 participants is underway. The FY 2020 funding allocation from the GOSV is being finalized.

·         Bed Bugs – All existing reservations to be canceled / moved for Pocomoke River mini-cabins 181, 191, 192, and M30, which will be taken off-line indefinitely. Mini-cabin 192 will be demolished and converted to an electric campsite. Mini-cabins 181, 191 and M30 will be evaluated for retention / removal. Next steps are for Christy Bright to contact Garrett County pest control company (Tom Thumb) about the use of Aprehend at Western Maryland sites. Curtis Dale will work with Wayne Suydam to assess the age / condition of the Pocomoke mini-cabins. Patrick Bright will contact an Eastern Shore pest control company about the use of Aprehend at Eastern / Southern parks. Along with other notifications, park staff should notify Lora McCoy when bed bugs are found and a cabin closure is implemented.

ADMINISTRATION – Amanda Mock

·         Personnel – All pending / returned PEPs must be submitted immediately. Discussion about the status of several recruitments and pursuit of additional recruitment information.

·         Budget – Amanda provided an update on the FY 2019 closeout, as well as the status of the FY 2020 budget. The FY 2020 budget is significantly less than the FY 2019 Actual. The FY 2020 budget reflects a reduction in estimated park-generated revenues and Program Open Space (POS) transfer tax revenues, as well as the unanticipated withholding of POS reimbursement funding. Regional Managers will be working with Park Managers to develop and implement strategies for reducing park operating costs.

·         Ranger School – The next Ranger School is now tentatively scheduled for Fall 2020 (October 18-November 15, 2020) at New Germany State Park.

DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE – Chris Bushman

·         Deputy Superintendent Bushman asked for any policy suggestions and encouraged the solicitation of ideas from field staff. Mary Owens discussed our current practice of mitigating the loss of one tree by planting three new trees and whether an official, written policy is required. A policy memo will be developed for Nita’s signature.

·         Reviewed July 2019 Senior Staff Notes and discussed several related follow-up items.

·         Park Managers should prioritize staffing of contact stations whenever weather / other factors indicate high levels of visitation can be anticipated, e.g. nice fall weekends, to ensure receipt of required entrance fee revenues.

·         Park staff should consider electric-powered equipment, as there have been significant improvements in battery life and related technology.

SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE – Nita Settina

·         Fall Managers Meeting – Some discussion about the agenda and potential speakers for the November 18-21, 2019 meeting at North Bay. Potential speakers and topics include: SMP Update; Friends / Volunteers - Mark Spurrier; Ecotone and The Beaver Institute – evolving science on the ecosystem benefits of beavers and alternatives to trapping nuisance beavers; Tom Horton - Keynote speaker? / topic TBD; LWCF Lands Management; Round-Robin – Successes / Challenges / Opportunities; Artifacts / Collections Policy Implementation

·         Employee Field Day – Scheduled for September 25 at Washington Monument State Park. Staff discussed coordination of several employee awards.

·         We send our condolences to Ranger Gary Burnett and his family for the sudden loss of former Park Ranger Nikki Brooks-Burnett. We thank all park staff who were able to support the family and represent the Maryland Park Service in uniform.

·         Park staff are strongly encouraged to continue to reduce grass turf and pursue meadow and, perhaps more important, reforestation strategies.

·         Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park was accepted into the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Congratulations Harriet Tubman staff!

COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT – Robert Bailey

Ranger Bailey provided an overview of artifact / collections management expectations and described some of the biggest concerns, including climate control, controlled access, lighting and limited staff expertise. He discussed the need to establish a collections management system, artifact collections policy, loan forms, collections care guidelines and other related documents / policies / procedures. Senior staff will review a draft policy / guidelines and submit portions to the OAG for review.