Maryland Park Service Leadership Meeting Notes
From May 13, 2026
Virtual
Attendees: Angela Crenshaw, Rachel Temby, Jonas Williams, Kenneth Miller, Rebecca Jones, Andrew Hangen, Mark Spurrier, Mary Ironside, and Sarah Milbourne
Director Angela Crenshaw opened the meeting at 9:01 am.
Director Update with Angela Crenshaw
Maryland Park Service (MPS) Leadership will review fees in June with Miller’s spreadsheet
Boots can be purchased on your own and do an expense account and request re-embursement and you will be reimbursed for taxes paid. If you can purchase through a small business and inline with procurement, please do so. In the future, we could wrap boots into a uniform contract.
HRS Bilingual Update
If translation and/or interpretation services are needed beyond this work, here is the link to the new request form. This is on the Human Resources (HRS) section of the intranet and the Office of Communications (OCM) intranet in case anyone needs to find it. Below is a table with the bilingual assignments for the upcoming season:
Reaching out to other agencies reminder: There have been several recent instances of Department of Natural Resources (DNR) employees contacting other agencies such as Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department of General Services (DGS), the Treasurer's Office with financial or personnel questions that should have been handled internally at DNR. Please remind your respective teams to consult with the appropriate employees in Fiscal and Administrative Services (FAS) and HRS before contacting DBM, DGS, the Treasurer's Office, the Comptroller's Office, or other agencies regarding financial or personnel matters. It is important for FAS and HR to remain DNR's primary points of contact with these external partners so that DNR's priorities and needs are clear.
Upcoming Meetings
Spring Managers Meeting
Kaizen will be present
Open Table - Groups of 5-7 for a discussion session
The Fall Managers Meeting agenda was discussed
DNR Town Halls - There are three in May. The Sandy Point Town Hall already happened. Next is Rocky Gap and then virtual. Please participate in the one in your region that makes sense for your schedule.
Upcoming MPS Leadership Meetings were discussed
MPS Town Halls 2027 - All in March
March 3 - Chesapeake College
March 16 - Hagerstown Community College
March 18 - Tawes C1 Conference Room
Park Openings - New dates on DNR Leadership’s Calendar and sent to State House
Catoctin Furnace - Done
Freedman’s - This Friday, May 15
Wetipquin Creek - July 2023
Savage Highlands - August 2026
Wills Mountain - September 2026
Holly Beach Farm - October 2026
Changes to the new bi-weekly report were discussed, please share input with your chain of command
Hiring was discussed.
Land Units Meeting Notes
Cost of Climate - legislative mandate to study the cost of climate change. Be ready to respond to data/impact requests (from Jackie’s shop).
Regional Teams - please make sure your staff are attending, looped in Assistant Secretaries to see agendas and calendars and post meeting notes.
DNR Leadership Meeting Notes
Cost containment is going well, especially Parks. DBM has faith in how we manage our money and we want to keep it that way. It’s impacting morale and we’ll discuss how we can work on that
Education Campaign on Trails for ebikes (Office of Communications and Office of Outdoor Recreation)
Campaign on use on trails, Maryland Nice, “Say hey, give way, enjoy the day.” Ebikes give way to everyone on the trail. There will be a press release, two videos, and handouts to parks and bike stores.
There is a fine and bond schedule for when it is needed.
Early June roll out and communications
Workplace Survey Summary
Results will be shared by Dave Goshorn during DNR Town Halls
The results include a lot of faith in front line leadership. There is a lot of transition with retirements upcoming over the next year
There was slightly less participation this time
Procurement and red tape are also an issue along with physical and mental well-being and burnout
Communications from DNR Leadership was discussed
Field Days
DNR Field Day will be kept as it was, as a staff gathering and perhaps change the date. Leadership assessments will be done, DNR Leadership down to the units. This will include a self evaluation and small group peer evaluation. The Secretary’s results will be public.
MPS Employee Field Day was also discussed.
Deputy Director Update with Rachel Temby
Progress was reported on the Use Agreement Workgroup: The team is reviewing draft permit & agreement templates provided by the OAG, working to determine which types of events fall into each category, and working on recommendations for fees and appropriate thresholds for signatures.
Communications
As proposed operational reductions resulting from staffing, budget, bandwidth, and maintenance constraints continue to be reviewed by DNR Leadership, efforts are underway to appropriately message these adjustments to the visiting public.
Minor adjustments to the Biweekly report were discussed; feedback welcome. Please see the acronym key at the end of the notes for use with the report.
Moving forward, notification of the monthly Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Coordinator will be included with the MPS State Duty Officer transition email distributed to all staff.
A small workgroup is being developed to continue to build on the MPS Training Division website towards a more comprehensive MPS Internal website; team will work to determine additional content and refine the organizational scheme to meet this goal.
As recruitments move forward, the upcoming Ranger School scheduled for January 24th to February 19th 2026 at NorthBay Adventure Camp was discussed and efforts were made to identify a Dean Team in short order.
Recent and upcoming changes to Information Technology services were discussed, including bandwidth limits on Starlink services and planned phone system transitions away from Voice Over Internet Phones (VOIP). More to follow in coming weeks.
Coordination with Natural Resources Police is ongoing; specifically discussed were summer staffing levels and anticipated camera system implementation.
An update on MPS policy work was provided:
Ongoing coordination with Assistant Attorney General Grant Foehrkolb through biweekly meetings to review policies in batches, engaging Subject Matter Experts to respond/resolve comments and questions as they arise.
Policy questions raised after last month’s Leadership Team meeting include:
Inquiry into whether tan Carhartt pants could be considered if green Carhartts were unavailable in appropriate sizing (due to women’s pants being increasingly difficult to procure in green). *Tan is an acceptable alternative if green is unavailable in appropriate size, however no formal changes are being made to the Uniform Policy at this time. Please work to ensure all staff have appropriate professional attire to perform their assigned duties.
Inquiry into whether the Equestrian Policy was still active for MPS staff participation. *Prior decision by Policy Workgroup was to omit the staff portion of the Equestrian Program (Agency Policy 21-30) due to a variety of challenges that range from feasibility, fairness, oversight, and liability. The staff portion of the Equestrian Program is currently inactive and will remain so until such time that resources may exist to revisit the program’s viability.
A reminder was shared to ensure all staff participate in Heat Illness Prevention Plan training via WorkDay. The Training Division is working on a Template Plan Revision for individual park deployment that aligns with the recent direction provided at the Department level and will communicate additional guidance. Thank you all in advance for updating your plans in accordance with that direction and working together to implement them as temperatures rise this season.
Year-end equipment purchasing is underway based on identified needs across the state. Thank you all for working quickly to develop specifications and cut purchase orders to ensure we get the tools we need to get the job done.
Program Planning with Jonas Williams
So far this year, 260 projects have been submitted. Work continues on an updated Project Information Form process.
Key Projects
The Planning Team encourages park staff to investigate areas that can be converted into meadow space, potentially saving maintenance costs and staff time while providing new habitat in their parks. Please reach out to the Planning Team if you have any questions. For new and existing areas, updates have been made to the “Grow Not Mow” signs. A request form will be circulated soon for distribution at the Spring Manager’s Meeting.
Cultural/Historic Resources Team
Unknown Studios was selected as the engineering firm that will be leading the Master Planning effort for Freedman’s State Park. Preservation Maryland will manage the project through its existing agreement.
The first charrette for the South Mountain Inn is on May 19th, marking a new phase in the site's future development.
Work continues on the many other projects in conjunction with Preservation Maryland.
Interpretation
Miles for Maryland continues to be popular, with a small summer surge of sign-ups bringing us up to 1,569 registrations. The America in Miniature scavenger hunt has also been popular, with 100 registrations. Both programs likely have countless free participants as well.
Thank you to the ten parks hosting benches for the “Best Seat in the Park” section of the America in Miniature program. This program will likely be expanded in the future, so if your park is interested in hosting a bench in 2027, please add your information here.
Encourage your full-time, seasonal, and volunteer co-workers to attend the virtual Interp 101 on June 2nd, and Interp Skills Training @ Sandy Point on June 10th for program refreshers for the summer season.
Volunteers
Volunteer Coordinators were introduced to the new volunteer program, Galaxy Digital, last week. Another coordinator training will be held in early June, and coordinators and/or managers are encouraged to sign up for one-on-one trainings as well.
Work continues on creating a collaborative space for Friends groups to share ideas and solutions to common problems. This space will be “invite only” with permission from park managers. Please reach out to confirm if your affiliated groups are included.
Maintenance
Suydam and Trego continue working on vehicle/heavy equipment lists and park projects. Please continue to reach out to them for assistance as needs arise during the busy season.
Administration with Kenneth Miller
The fiscal team is working on developing a standardized budget tracking and reconciliation sheet for all parks to use. DNR’s Information Technology (IT) unit is helping to develop the application. The hope is to have it ready before July 1, but it could be delayed if issues still need to be addressed at that time.
The fiscal team will be offering monthly virtual training, but are also meant to provide staff an opportunity to ask questions directly. These can be accessed through the Training Division Calendar, and the next opportunity is scheduled for May 27th from 10:00 - 10:30 am.
The RJ Uniform contract terminates next year. We briefly discussed developing a small workgroup to help develop the next Invitation for Bid.
Friendly reminder that Kelly Broznowicz will be the point of contact for seasonal hiring in all regions after Memorial Day Weekend.
The camping reservation system continues to go well. The team continues to address items as they arise. Please make sure information is dispersed to the park teams and continue to let McCoy know if any issues arise.
Conservation Corps with Rebecca Jones
Historic Trades Corps (HTC) - We are excited to see some progress on plans for hiring the Crew Leader and HTC members, as well as progress on logistical elements for the fall service year. We will begin to distribute information to MPS staff and partners about the program.
Maryland Conservation Corps (MCC):
Spring Project is underway in the West, where crews are applying pesticide to combat the hemlock woolly adelgid. This type of project enriches the member experience.
General MCC status updates: of 25 original MCC members, 17 are on track to graduate. Of those graduating, 12 have jobs or plans lined up so far, and 4 (or 5) will return next year to MCC or HTC. All members who resigned left for a full time job, apprenticeship, or full time school. 11 MCC members will be working as seasonals for MPS, DNR, or the National Park Service. We are working on connecting them to organizations and partners for full time employment post-season. If anyone has ideas, let us know.
Regional Reports
North Central Region Report with Andrew Hangen
Land Acquisition & Planning (LAP) and the Maryland Park Service walked the proposed boundary for Port Deposit State Park with representatives of the Bainbridge Corporation. Minor changes are still needed. LAP is pursuing a 2-3 year access agreement until a formal entrance can be developed to the property.
South Central Region Report with Mark Spurrier
The Patapsco Valley team is planning to reach out to local Fire and Rescue companies in an attempt to provide better response and coordination of resources. After conducting after action reviews of some recent incidents, the team identified some areas of improvement.
Internet fiber installation at North Point State Park gate house has been delayed by Verizon because of delays in permitting. Currently the project has been pushed back into June. They will be using Starlink for the time being.
Deer Hunt planning for this year has been proceeding very well. Discussions between the Wildlife and Parks teams about improving the Seneca Creek managed hunts to make them more successful, opening up opportunities at the McKeldin Area of Patapsco Valley State Park and increasing hunter access to Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area were very positive.
Southern Region Report with Mary Ironside
Asked to verify that a Park Ranger II position was downgraded to a Park Ranger I or Trainee.
The 1st Smallwood osprey egg hatched this morning! View the Osprey Cam here: https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/southern/smallwood.aspx
The food truck vendor solicitation closed with final results to be forwarded soon. Sandy Point is prepared to welcome the trucks for Memorial Day weekend.
Eastern Region Report with Dana Paterra (ON LEAVE)
Following the severe blizzard in late February 2026, the Pocomoke River State Park aviary is officially closed. The three resident birds—Lincoln (Bald Eagle), Lucy (Red-Tailed Hawk), and Cypress (Turkey Vulture)—are remaining indefinitely at Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area. Returning the birds was deemed too difficult for both the animals and staff. Discussions will continue regarding the expansion of the aviary at Assateague State Park for a future home.
Western Region Report with Sarah Milbourne
Track Your Trails (TYT) launched this past week! TYT is a camera station initiative that invites visitors to participate in community science through the FieldScope platform, helping document climate impacts over time. Rocky Gap and Swallow Falls State Parks also came online this week, with signage installed and final platform completion expected soon. Assateague State Park led the launch, installing eight monitoring stations throughout the dune system to track movement, storm impacts, vegetation changes, and pony activity. Ranger Meghan Rhode, along with camp hosts and local students, participated in filming on Tuesday, while western parks will film later this week to help promote the project through FieldScope, social media, and webpages. Climate Education Director Jenna Linhart is currently working with Rosaryville, Cedarville, Janes Island, and New Germany State Parks and is excited to welcome additional parks into the initiative. Please reach out to Jenna if your park is interested in participating!
An emerging situation on the Youghiogheny Wild River Natural Environment Area (NEA) was discussed.
The details of charges at Savage Highlands State Park were discussed.
Discussion occurred regarding the applicability of Golden Age Passes at Wolf Den Run State Park, as well as potential surcharge considerations for Savage Highlands State Park.
Meeting was adjourned at 1:43 pm.
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