Senior Staff Notes: April 11, 2024

Maryland Park Service (MPS) Senior Staff Meeting Notes From April 10, 2024

Virtually

Attendees:  Angela Crenshaw, Rachel Temby, Kenneth Miller, Mary Owens, Patrick Bright, Andrew Hangen, Sarah Milbourne, and Dana Paterra

Director Angela Crenshaw opened the meeting at 9:00 am.

Program Planning with Mary Owens

• So far 114 projects have been submitted for review.
• The draft of the Wolf Den Run Strategic Management Plan is ready for review by the Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) Alliance and Ranger Milbourne will be their point of contact. While there is no funding for campground development identified at this time, OHV monies can assist in adding single track trails.  
• Mr. Graham offered comments to the Strategic Management Plan for the Graham Property (Wetipquin Creek) and those were discussed as well as other interpretive options to consider. 
• State Parks Week is next week and the itinerary is complete.
• The Depredation Permit was issued and distributed.   

    Key Projects

• The Swallow Falls Bridge hearing was April 2nd and we have yet to receive a decision.
• Artmor settlement occurred. There is an upcoming meeting with Maryland Environmental Service to discuss the Volunteer Clean up Program and the 18-month timeline. 

    Leases

• New processes with both Land Acquisition and Planning (LAP) and the Department of General Services are taking more time, please keep this in mind when working on leases.
• Patapsco Horse Center, Gittings Baldwin, and the Beauty Blooms leases are still moving along.
• The Notchcliff land swap is moving along between the Department and BGE. 

    Interpretation

• The Interpretive Summit is scheduled for May 7th, please try to send one person from each park.

    Historic Sites

• Chronicle Heritage is working on Western right now; other regions will be proceeding in late April, May, and June.

Regional Reports 

Central Region & Conservation Corps Report with Patrick Bright

• Seasonal employee background checks were discussed. While we will continue to utilize fingerprinting procedures, parks should not use Judicial Case Search or the Sex Offender Registry any longer.
• The Maryland Conservation Corps (MCC) 40th Anniversary observances were discussed. Program staff are working with parks to create Surge Projects for members, former staff, and program alumni. The first Surge Project will be a large invasive species removal project at St. Clement Island State Park on  May 6 and 7th. All participants will receive two free boat rides! Contact Point Lookout Assistant Park Manager Jonas Williams for information and to sign up. MCC alumni are encouraged to assist program staff in networking with former members and staff.
• Interpreting Difficult Histories Team - St. Mary’s College continued coordination with several Indigenous/Piscataway leaders and Maryland Historical Trust about the upcoming archeology project at Chapel Point State Park. The project will begin in May. 
• As in previous months, Central Region personnel continue to effectively navigate many and various property and resource management challenges, including encroachments, lease violations, evictions, and now an unauthorized well that was installed on park property by a tenant.
• The impact of local taxes on park budgets and the burdens of processing them on some park staff was discussed. A meeting with Seneca Creek State Park staff, Park Service leadership, and LAP is being scheduled.
• The closure of the Jones Road Area of Gunpowder Falls was discussed and the bilingual team at Human Resources will assist with publicizing and sharing information. 
• A proposal for a hot air balloon festival at Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area was discussed. The proposed event would only involve tethered balloons. 
• Night fishing at Susquehanna State Park was discussed and next steps involving coordination and enforcement were planned. 
• Leadership reviewed a Patapsco Valley State Park (McKeldin Area) bridge project that will enable the Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park to complete a 10-mile adaptive trail. Park Service Planning will assist with better coordination between Engineering and Construction and park management.

Southern Region Report with Andrew Hangen

• The team at Sandy Point State Park will begin distributing fliers to neighbors at Severn Run to make them aware of the planned deer hunting expansion.  They may involve MCC in the effort. 
• Questions were raised at Sandy Point State Park about using family restrooms. There are concerns about finding missing people and the impact of sand in the shower traps. The showers at Sandy Point were designed for residential and not recreational use. It would be beneficial to hear from other parks who use family restrooms to hear if they have had issues and how they have been resolved. 
• Camp Chesapeake, also known as the Bay Breeze Girl Scout Camp, is the current youth group campground at Calvert Cliffs.  The president of the Bayside History Museum contacted Senator Jackson requesting access to photograph the site.  A visit is planned for Friday, April 12th.  
• We learned on April 9th that there may be necessary closures for the South Park area of Point Lookout State Park. Manager Letts is concerned about the removal of native soil and historical artifacts. Directional boring was considered as an alternative, but it was determined to be cost prohibitive. More information will be forthcoming about the closures. 
• Manager Letts met with two Friends Of groups at St. Clements Island State Park about the possibility of allowing deer hunting.  The groups are in favor of the change. This was requested by Senator Bailey.  
• Thank you to everyone who has provided input for the new hunting guide. 

Western Region Report with Sarah Milbourne

• The ongoing problem with the vault toilet at Wolf Den Run State Park persists due to difficulties in transporting it across a bridge for installation. Manager Oates informed Director Crenshaw about the core issue during her visit. Options are being reviewed by Crenshaw and Departmental Leadership for how to move forward.
• Discussed working to employ a climate educator geared towards assisting with program and curriculum development for parks.  Working to identify funding with Jackie Specht and will work with Melissa Acuti in the development of the idea. 
• Fort Frederick State Park's 100th Anniversary Celebration will be held on May 25th, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and May 26th, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 P.M.  The event will include living history programming and displays from many state and community partners. 
• Met with Frostburg State University’s Recreation and Park Director Natalia Buta about the Canoe Program, an equipment and outdoor recreation program for the student body.
• Straus Lodge pre-con meeting will be held April 17th.  Shortly after, the flooring and other remodel work will be completed, allowing for the building to come back online for trainings.  Ranger Milbourne will work with staff and Training Director Myers to reassemble the building for training. 

Eastern Region Report with  Dana Paterra

• As we gear up for the busier season, the issue of golf carts and segways on park roads was discussed.  Regional Managers should follow up with parks on any major issues from last year and how they were handled in order to gauge the need to regulate slow moving vehicles on park roads and to ensure consistency across parks. 
• DNR Resilient Systems Officer Jackie Specht is conducting site visits and meeting with park staff in the East over the next couple of months with the goal of learning more about on-the-ground climate adaptation opportunities and identifying potential climate mitigation projects in parks. She had a productive visit to Assateague State Park last week and will be visiting Janes Island and Pocomoke River during State Parks Week along with Secretary Kurtz.  We will be assessing Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and sites within the Tuckahoe Complex later in May.   
• The Pocomoke River State Park Pool was discussed and the importance of exercising its systems this summer despite being closed.  Park Manager Heim is working on a plan to ensure it is used regularly by park staff over the next year.   
• Staff from Engineering and Construction, Parks, and the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) met at Love Point State Park to discuss the internal transfer of the property from Park Service to NRP with Engineering and Construction retaining a portion that they are currently using.  All units seem to agree on a path forward and are working towards the end goal of transferring the property to NRP in order to provide better public service.
• The Bill Burton Fishing Pier State Park was discussed.  Ideally, the current pier will be removed and a smaller pier rebuilt on the west side of the Highway 50 bridge where the city/county/Cambridge Waterfront Development Inc. will be responsible for operating and maintaining it as part of their waterfront development; however, there is some disagreement about this among the partners. The Office of the Secretary is aware of these ongoing discussions. 
• Janes Island and Tuckahoe State Parks are working together to revise the security deposit, rental agreements, and rates for the Conference Center at Janes Island and the Lodge at Wye Island Natural Resources Management Area in order to be more consistent and adjust the rates to better offset the cost of renting these specialty facilities.  Once a new policy is drafted, we will meet with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) for review. These facilities are internal rentals.  
• We are assessing camp host terms and conditions for individual parks and will be implementing new procedures in parks where they are needed. This will include better defined lengths of service, mandatory P.O. boxes for mail, and taking a closer look at our application and selection processes for camp hosts across parks in the East.
• Trash free bag orders were discussed. Miller will provide direction.  Expect the updated pass example worksheets (current vs. past) in the next few days.
• Confirming that park closures/reopenings should continue to be sent to the Park Service State Duty Officer and Regional Managers who will then copy the following in their reply: Park Service Director Angela Crenshaw, Deputy Director Rachel Temby, Director of Administration Ken Miller, Regional Manager, Park Manager, Tim Hamilton, NRP Major Catherine Medellin, the Department’s Director of Communications AJ Metcalf, Gregg Bortz, Tracy Sweeney, and please include NRP’s new Public Information Officer Vincent Hunter Dortenzo (vincent.dortenzo@maryland.gov). All of these people need to receive our notifications to ensure proper communication and coordination. 

Administration with Kenneth Miller

• Budget adjustments have been sent out to parks and programs.  Park Managers need to update their projection sheets to reflect their adjustment by April 25th.  I continue to appreciate everyone’s help and understanding in meeting our goal to ensure we are collectively in a better financial position next fiscal year.
• Maryland Park Service transfer opportunities are being developed in conjunction with Human Resources Services. 
• The process is as follows:
• Human Resources will send an email to Park Service employees with a list of positions, locations and a deadline (date and time) for applying, 
• Interested parties will apply and complete the supplemental questionnaire by the required deadline, 
• Human Resources will compile and rank the list of applicants, 
• The list will be shared with Temby, Miller and Crenshaw, 
• Selected candidates will be asked pre-approved questions and, 
• Then Temby, Miller and Crenshaw will work with Human Resources on the next steps to implement the transfers. 
• This will be the first time this process will be used by the Department and Park Service. There will be no standing list. An email from Human Resources will always start the lateral transfer process. This process has been approved by Human Resources and Departmental Leadership and will ensure a fair and equitable process. 
• Deputy Director Temby and I are working with the Office of the Attorney General to work through workforce concerns with the transition to the Medical Institute for Emergency Medical Services System (MIEMSS).
• The annual Spring Managers Meeting will be May 8th at Soldiers Delight.  An agenda and invitation will be sent out soon.

Deputy Director Update with Rachel Temby

• Housing Terms and Conditions (T&Cs): Reminder that vacant house T&Cs are due by April 15th, occupied houses are due by May 1st. Thanks to those who have already submitted drafts
• Revisions needed to some per clarifying direction; awaiting additional feedback from the Housing Review Committee (HRC) to confirm course and fine tune further as needed.  Proposed alternate uses for vacant houses - no need to drop justification in T&C form, just list in body of email or separate word document.
• NRP coordination was discussed. Temby and Crenshaw had a productive meeting with command staff, demonstrating lots of support and movement on some key issues
• MPS NRP Officer of the Year – Lt. Satterfield selected as 2023 recipient. Thanks to MPS staff for nominating outstanding officers, all nominations were shared with NRP command staff.
• NRP will review major office/facility renovation plans for E&C through a security lens to improve safety for staff and visitors.
• MPS Hot Spots List – Updates requested by May 1st 
• Informed NRP of project-related operational impacts/facility closures at Cunningham Falls, Elk Neck, Greenbrier and Point Lookout State Parks. 
• Discussed NRP standard operation procedure for communication of trauma-related site remediation. Park staff should not be cleaning up sites after a traumatic incident. NRP will communicate with Park Staff and then staff will work with an appropriate contractor. 
• Cannabis – no projected change of approach at this time, did not present the degree of concern that was anticipated last summer with the new legislation.  They acknowledged that nylon tent walls offer little containment of activity; continue to address complaints among campground neighbors on an individual basis to ameliorate concerns when possible.
• 2024 Emergency Response Plans (ERPs): Please update ERPs using the existing standard format by May 15th.
• Employee Manual/Policy updates: Further conversation with Departmental Leadership about the MPS manual and how to best move it forward in context of comprehensive DNR policy effort. Identify policies in greatest need of OAG and Departmental Leadership review and share for initial feedback; several may overlap with Department-wide priority policies and move at different pace. OAG and Departmental Leadership will work to review and flag for additional coordination with the responsible  unit (Human Resources, the Office of Fair Practice, Fiscal and Administrative Services, etc.).  In referencing policies outside MPS, providing direct links to current policies is the preferred approach.
• Leadership meeting updates: The Office of Outdoor Recreation presented on initiatives and priorities and there are lots of efforts underway with Parks!  With current staffing and budget challenges be aware of what you can offer and fulfill, focus on basic operations and assist/engage where feasible. Fiscal and Administrative Services (FAS) reminded staff that there is to be NO use of corporate purchasing cards for food purchases for meetings and events. FS-18As, Purchase Orders, or PDT28 (advance check request for vendor) should be used.  When completing expense account forms, be sure to use the newest versions that are located on the Intranet.

Director Update with Angela Crenshaw

• Congratulations to all of our aviaries for passing the recent U.S. Department of Agriculture inspections. I know this was a big effort, so thank you to all involved. Ranger Milbourne led this effort and will continue to be the point of contact for the Scales & Tales Program. 
• Rangers Crenshaw and Milbourne met with the President of Catoctin Furnace Historical Society Inc. Our partnerships are important and if you need assistance managing them please follow your chain of command and let me know. 
• The next Rural Legacy Meeting will be held in person. Land Acquisition and Planning will share the date so that those who are interested in attending can do so.
• Reclasses for certain classifications were discussed and the necessary next steps.
• Letters of Support and Grant Agreements require the Secretary’s signature. Regional Managers are encouraged to discuss use agreements (types, when they are required, etc.) at their meetings so Park Service Leadership can discuss it at our next meeting.
• Port of Deposit and Freedman’s State Historical Parks were discussed. 
• Stewardship and upcoming acquisition goals and strategies to achieve them were discussed. 

Meeting was adjourned at 1:30pm.