Maryland Park Service Leadership Meeting Notes
From October 8, 2025 ~ 9:30 AM
Patapsco Valley State Park - Hollofield
8020 Baltimore National Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21043
Attendees: Angela Crenshaw, Rachel Temby, Jonas Williams, Kenneth Miller, Andrew Hangen, Mark Spurrier, Mary Ironside, Dana Paterra, and Sarah Milbourne
Director Angela Crenshaw opened the meeting at 9:23 am.
Director Update with Angela Crenshaw
Before the start of the meeting, we presented Ron Ripperger with his Ranger Certification! I asked him if he remembers what he said at Ranger School about what he enjoys about being a ranger and he said, “I love the State of Maryland.” He also shared that he’s a lifelong Marylander. Congratulations to Ron and thank you for your service, politeness and positivity.
Service Milestone Awards were given to members of Park Service Leadership and certificates were shared with members of leadership to give to their respective team members.
Hiring
Voluntary Separation Program (VSP) - There were 25 in total in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and 12 in the Maryland Park Service (MPS)
12 approved staff members
Rodney Staab - 42 years
Martin Callahan - 40 years
Santa Scott-Waller - 39 years
Allen Jones - 38 years
Carla Cebula - 32 years
Dorcas Coleman - 31 years
Holli Francisconi - 24 years
Jesse Gipe - 14 years
Edward Smith - 7 additional years, post-retirement
David Gigliotti - 6 years
Matthew Gregory - 4 years
All parties were notified, and no one was denied the opportunity.
PIN Abolishment - There were 9 total in DNR, 2 for MPS
Planner for the Review Team
State Park Ranger I with Conservation Corps
Hiring Freeze Exemptions (HFE)
Here is an update on MPS’s 4 approved HFEs:
1. Administrative Program Manager III - Director of Maintenance and Logistics - Posted on JobAps and closes on October 9th
2. State Park Ranger Manager I - Freedman's Park Manager - Posted on JobAps and closes on October 9th
3. Administrative Officer III - Personnel Officer - Waiting on the list of candidates from Human Resources Services (HRS).
4. Conservation Corps Program Manager III - Candidates were sent to HRS
Additional HFEs were submitted, and I’ll share updates on them when there is forward movement.
Our blanket HFE was denied for State Park Ranger Trainees, Park Technician Trainees, and Natural Resources Planners for a total of 48 positions.
HB717, the Public Lands Bill, allows us to request a full-time position for every 400 acres purchased. In 2025, the Department added 2,400 acres which is equal to 6 positions.
Title Changes for Rangers - These discussions are happening between the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the union. I’ve requested clarity, a list of applicable people, and language for notifying staff. If there are questions, please move them up your chain of command. No other changes are being made to the class specifications.
Do not ask HRS for hiring updates, they are working as hard and as fast as they can.
Changes to MPS fees were discussed and a process and a timeline. More details are provided below in Deputy Director Temby’s section including insight from the State of Delaware.
The plethora of MPS agreements was discussed and how we move forward making them uniform.
Regenerative Agriculture in parks was discussed. We would like to share possible sites with Department Leadership. Plots will be about 5 acres, 10-year use agreements, and need access to water and electricity. Please check in with Maddy Williams on any existing agreements or plans. Thus far we are looking at the following locations:
Merkle Natural Resources Management Area - these are moving forward
Susquehanna State Park
Southern Maryland Recreational Complex
Sang Run State Park
Patuxent River State Park
South Mountain Recreation Area
2026 will be the Year of Maryland State Parks
Secretary Kurtz received copious kudos for the work done by Parks at the Governor’s cabinet meeting!
Park Openings - Spring/Fall 2026
Savage Highlands State Park- Late Spring 2026
Wetipquin Creek State Park - Anticipated closure in January 2026
Holly Beach Farm NRMA - September/October 2026. Host an event with fishing, kayaking, birding, history and the climate change/resilience projects
Freedman’s State Historical Park - Early Spring 2026. Host an event to highlight the wonderful work at Greenbury Howard’s House, the family burial ground, Locust Villa, and the trail re-naming.
Catoctin Furnace Cemetery - Host an event in February 2026. The state is hoping to acquire it soon as an addition to Catoctin Furnace.
Wills Mountain - Date is to be determined.
Please work with your Regional Manager/Director and the Planning Team to create a list of needs to make these locations open, safe, and operable.
Maryland’s 250th is coming up. The team will share components of programs that they would like to see at parks, swag, and their logo. I let them know that Parks already have a lot of programming and we can tie our existing programs into the celebration.
New Park updates
Wetipquin Creek State Park - Secretary Kurtz and I participated in a Community Meeting that was well-received. We hope to close in January 2026.
Gwynns Falls State Park - The Stakeholder Advisory Committee Field Trip is done and was well-received. The next step is to submit the draft report to the Committee.
Port of Deposit State Historical Park - We are working on the northern boundary and the Department will have a meeting to discuss it soon.
Parks in the news
Freedman’s State Historical Park - Featured in the Baltimore Banner, very well-received
Bill Burton State Park - Eric Luedtke provided a quote, but I’ve not seen the article yet.
Days Cove Rubble Fill, a part of Gunpowder Falls State Park - Not very positive. They applied for a new permit under the Maryland Department of the Environment that has not been well-received.
Monthly Leadership meetings as requested by staff were discussed including next steps and what to include.
The agenda for the Fall Managers Meeting was reviewed, discussed and updated. Some follow up is still necessary.
Housing Review Committee updates were discussed.
Deputy Director Update with Rachel Temby
Team discussed the need to identify a variety of potential solutions to absorb staffing shortfalls from Voluntary Separation Program, hiring freeze, slowing vacancy backfills, and general attrition. Practices to be further discussed include: Reductions in public services/offerings, reduced hours of operation, consideration of temporary assignments and supplemental support from other teams, expanded seasonal hiring, streamlined workflows and reduced administrative tasks. Other ideas and innovative approaches are welcome. Brainstorming meeting among Regional Managers to be scheduled shortly.
Team discussed three distinct areas of service charge restructuring needs: day use/ park entry (team noted that Honor Boxes should begin to be rebranded as ‘Self Pay Stations’); facility charges (campsites, cabins, pavilions, youth group, other reservable structures); and special event fees (application fee, security deposit, percentage of total revenue, etc.) and a brief overview of Delaware State Parks’ approach was shared following attendance at a recent open house where the Delaware State Parks Fee Proposal was presented.
Several operational items were noted for targeted follow up discussions, including: proposals for parking management, review and update of waterfront management protocols, and ongoing efforts towards electric vehicle (EV) acquisition (4 new EVs this year) and new challenges with EV charger service.
Other updates included approvals for out-of-state travel to conduct routine park business (banking, purchasing, veterinary services, equipment servicing etc.), recent changes to internet service programs under the Department of Information Technology, and development of a statewide safety committee with regional representatives to meet quarterly and tackle topics resulting from Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) inspections, Injured Worker Insurance Fund (IWIF) matters, and training needs in parks.
The Conservation Corps team has been coordinating closely with Department of Service and Civic Innovation (DSCI) Service Year coaches on program management, training parameters, and member feedback. Maryland Conservation Corps (MCC) crews are settling into park projects and looking forward to upcoming MPS training opportunities. Fall project is scheduled for next week based out of New Germany State Park to perform Hemlock Woolly Adelgid treatments at Wolf Swamp.
Please bring forward any Policy/Protocol Questions for further discussion.
Program Planning with Jonas Williams
Key Projects
Proposals to identify a potential partner for the Point Lookout Campground Great Maryland Outdoor Act (GMOA) project are due on October 24th. We hope to have the Patapsco Valley Master/Climate Plan GMOA request for qualifications issued very soon.
Please let the Planning Division know if you have any Critical Maintenance or Capital Improvement project questions that we can lend a hand with. Keep us in the loop so we can step in wherever the park staff needs assistance!
Leases
Work continues with Ranger Temby and the Land Acquisition and Planning team to develop a tool to assist park staff with the decision-making for the next uses of vacant properties.
Cultural/Historic Resources Team
Preservation Maryland and the Cultural & Historic Resources Team continue to do great things together, including moving towards completion of the initial Freedman’s State Historical Park site surveys, stabilization of the Plank cabins at the Elkridge Furnace in Patapsco Valley, and the kick-off of efforts at Susquehanna State Park.
The entire Planning Division spent time finalizing the lease presentation for options for moving the Gittings-Baldwin lease to the next stage.
Interpretation
Ranger Acuti, volunteers, and Park Service staff welcomed more than 4,500 visitors to the State Park Booth at the Maryland State Fair. Thank you to all who helped!
Girl Scouts Love State Parks took place in mid-September. Nearly 700 scouts participated in park programs and activities across the state.
Summer programs reached 80,629 park visitors this year (May-August). Great job to all who led these programs this year with limited staff and resources.
Volunteers
Carly Brukiewa continues to visit parks to identify places where she can lend a hand with park volunteer efforts. Let her know if you’d like her to visit or help with a volunteer event/program. At the same time, we’re working to update the general affiliated foundation agreement with the Office of the Attorney General. Please reach out to Carly if you have any questions about current or potential agreements.
Maintenance
The Savage Highlands Regional Project was a success, focusing on helping to frost-proof the yurt's water lines and rebuilding two roof structures. If any regional projects could use a few extra hands from across the state, reach out to Bill Trego and the Planning Division!
Thank you for sending in the Project Justifications last month. They totaled roughly $27 million of Critical Maintenance requests this year. Wayne Suydam, LeeAnne Chandler, and I will try to attend winter meetings between Engineering & Construction and Parks so we can help keep things moving.
Administration with Kenneth Miller
Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) sent 340 Park Service customers letters indicating they have outstanding camping refunds due to Camis changing their payment processor. These refunds are primarily from 2024. If parks receive any questions, please have customers contact Lora McCoy via email. These refunds have already been pulled from park revenues and placed into a holding account during fiscal year 2025 and will not affect park revenues this fiscal year.
Park visitation was briefly discussed.
The employee award process was briefly discussed.
Updates to use agreements and the special event request process is moving forward. However, due to competing priorities, the self-imposed implementation goal of January 1, 2026, must be extended. This will ensure the final agreements and processes are fully worked through before implementation. A new date hasn't been finalized, but we anticipate implementation closer to spring or early summer 2026.
MOSH park inspections have been failing primarily for two recurring reasons, the absence of a Hazardous Communication Plan and undocumented completion of training. Please use the provided hyperlinks to the communication plan and training tracker as tools to ensure your park is in compliance. If your facility already has these resources in another format, that is acceptable.
Regional Reports
North Central Region Report with Andrew Hangen
Recent questions were asked by the Natural Resource Police and the Wildlife and Heritage Service about hunting enforcement in State Parks. The Office of the Attorney General clarified that the Park Service hunting regulation gives authority to the director to designate hunting areas, species to be hunted, methods of harvest, seasons, and weapons to be used. Any other restrictions such as sign-in sheets require the issuance of a permit unless there is an existing regulation or law that covers the activity. Contact Andrew Hangen with questions.
Final 5 Star preparations are underway at Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area, and the event is scheduled for Thursday - Sunday of next week.
South Central Region Report with Mark Spurrier
There is a discussion occurring about the use of volunteers to provide an additional presence at Hart-Miller Island next summer.
Thank you to the South Central team for hosting the employee field. It was a great event with lots of positive feedback.
Southern Region Report with Mary Ironside
Southern Maryland Recreational Complex has two drain field failures. Review of all the information and discussions on solutions will continue.
Partial substantial being scheduled for the Point Lookout project. The campground will open in late-spring 2026.
Eastern Region Report with Dana Paterra
Please hold on updating MS-22s as a result of distribution of duties from those positions lost to Voluntary Separation Program (VSP). Guidance will be provided as we consider potential strategies to provide relief to impacted parks.
Staff are welcome to complete the training assigned in WorkDay regarding absence requests but please continue to get your leave requests approved through the established process in your parks.
Weekly reports are due on Tuesday, October 14th due to the upcoming holiday.
The Maryland Park Service Park Dashboard site was the third most visited site within the Department of Natural Resources website. This speaks to the effectiveness of the tool in communicating with our customers.
Western Region Report with Sarah Milbourne
Natural Resources Police (NRP) have notified Maryland State Police (MSP) and the Special Olympics of Maryland that they will no longer provide ice-cutting services for the Deep Creek Dunk, as this activity is not considered a law enforcement function. In past years, the Maryland Park Service participated in ice removal alongside NRP, and this change will likely result in a request for us to assume the lead role. We discussed how to proceed considering this development.
Thank you to the Patapsco Valley Team for hosting. Meeting was adjourned at 4:04 pm.
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