Parks Operations

Hello! My name is Nancy Heltman and I am Virginia State Park's Operations Director. I know, that title is a little vague and probably does little to tell you what I do.

I work in our Central Office in Richmond and manage several key administrative areas for Virginia State Parks. The Operations Section includes our Reservation Center, Volunteerism, Budget, Logistics, some Marketing, and I serve as liaison between our field units and our Agency's support divisions (IT, human resources, procurement, finance). I spend a lot of my time streamlining the bureaucracy of state government so our staff in the field can spend their time making our customers happy!

I have been with Virginia State Parks since 1996 and came to state government after sixteen years in the private sector. I have my MBA from the College of William and Mary and have lived in Virginia for all but one year of my life.

I love our Virginia State Parks and have been to every one of them. My husband, David, and I spend nearly all of our vacations in one of our beautiful Virginia State Parks and now bring our dog Yoda on these excursions.

My goal for the blogs I write is to pass along my enthusiasm for the parks and let our potential customers know what neat things we have going on. From my days as Reservation Center Manager (my first job with Virginia State Parks) and my visits to parks (I have been to all of them). I know most of what there is to know about our parks and will find out anything I don't know. Feel free to contact me any time:

nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov  Or, follow me on Twitter @VaStateParks

We have had a partnership with the Virginia Association of Broadcasters for more than ten years to run television and radio ads in February and March to increase awareness and generate business for Virginia State Parks. This year's theme is: "I Love Virginia State Parks." I thought you would all enjoy seeing the two television spots.

Virginia has had more than its normal dose of snow this winter. Even Tidewater, where they escaped earlier storms, had a ten year record snow fall this past weekend. Sadly it doesn't take long before the snow looks yucky (that's a technical term).

Not so much at a state park. We have hundreds of acres at all our parks and even weeks after a snowfall, as long as it all hasn't melted, there are surprising and breathtaking views.

Natural Tunnel State Park shared some pictures from this weekend's snow.




So after your snow at home gets grey and dingy, come visit us for the fresh stuff!

Don't forget, we are offering last minute cabin discounts of 25% for the weekend if you book through the call center on Thursday or Friday. Call 800-933-7275.

We usually keep the parks open unless downed trees or other conditions create a dangerous situation.

Since I plunged into social media a little over a year ago I have discovered some things about myself. The relevant self-awareness issue related to this post is that I find I am pretty competitive.

As a child my sisters hated playing games with me. Usually they would quit Monopoly well before I took over the board. And maybe in High School and College as a competitive debater I saw the inkling of it. Although, I was always a good sport and enjoyed debating whether I won or not. Maybe anyone who is successful in a career is a good competitor but I never really thought of it that way.

But since I have been on Twitter and blogging the competitor in me has surfaced again. I had to have more followers. I had to have more blog posts. Compendium Blogware, who hosts our blog have periodic blogging contests and I confess it makes me crazy. Doesn't matter what the prize is - I want to win.

So the Shorty Awards, well I couldn't resist.

What are the Shorty Awards? Direct from their website: "The Shorty Awards honor the best people and organizations on Twitter. These unique awards are for the Twitter community, by the Twitter community. On line voting is public and democratic, culminating in an awards ceremony that recognizes the winners in 26 official categories as well as those in brand new crowd-sourced ones."

I was too new to Twitter last year to participate and this year I might have let it go. But then good ole @salottimc nominated us in the #government category.

While I doubt we can beat @NASA, I felt the competitiveness surging through me Friday night as the final hours of the nomination period ticked by. I was inspired by the #shortypawpawty some of my friends were having and sure enough thanks to their support we are in the finals.

If you're on Twitter, I'd appreciate a vote between February 1st and 5th. I have worked hard on @VaStateParks to provide interesting content about state park events, facilities and information. I follow almost everyone back who follows me, and I genuinely try to interact with my followers. That's what I think Twitter is all about.

If you decide to vote for @VaStateParks or any other finalist, here is what you need to know.

Voting ends at noon Friday, February 5, 2010 (EST)

Your tweet must be in this format: I vote for @TwitterUser for a Shorty Award in #category because...

The "because" phrase is important because without anything the vote won't count and the panel will actually decide who wins partially based on what the because statements say. So while RTs count or folks repeating the same reason, they do not count as much as votes with original statements.

If you vote more than once, your vote replaces your previous vote so unless you want to improve the "because" statement, you don't need to.

If you want an easy way to vote for me, just click here. Don't forget to add a compelling "because" statement. Thanks for your support!

The Virginia Master Naturalist Program is a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. Interested Virginians become Master Naturalists through training and volunteer service.

The Holston Rivers Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists is offering Basic Training Class February 18-May 15, 2010 at the SWVA Higher Ed Center in Abingdon from 6:30 to 9:30 PM on Thursdays. Seven Saturday field trips are offered, 3 of which are mandatory. In May, students can choose to participate in the Mt. Rogers Naturalist Rally for advanced training.  At a cost of  $75, excellent instructors will cover such diverse subjects as basic geology, karst groundwater hydrology, aquatic biology, ornithology, salamanders, entomology, stream health, and more.

More information is available here, call 276-475-3599, or email  nhagen@embarqmail.com.

Many Master Naturalists choose to volunteer in our Virginia State Parks and we are one of the supporting state agencies. If you do not live in southwest Virginia, but are interested in the program, there may be a program near you.

There are so many things we do better in Virginia State Parks because of our loyal and large cadre of volunteers. We love our volunteers and have a great program but we can always use more!

Volunteer opportunities abound - you can live and work in a park as a Park Host for one to two months; help maintain trails; monitor or count wildlife varieties; greet visitors at a contact station or in a park office; help with our gardens .... and so much more. We even have virtual volunteers help from the comfort of their home with computer projects.

Come by yourself, bring the family, or sign up your local church or community group to help out on one project or on an ongoing basis.

It's easy to volunteer - all you have to do is sign up on line. You can search for opportunities of pick a general category. Park staff will contact you and discuss your interests. We even offer training.

Whatever you want to do to help, we can find a place for you to volunteer! What are you waiting for?

In the last two weeks, we have experienced some flooding at two of our river parks.

New River Trail State Park had flooding and accumulated ice that forced us to close Baker Island and Double Shoals primitive camping. When I last spoke with Park Manager Mark Hufeisen on January 19th, staff couldn't even get through the ice to see the damage.

On January 26th, the Shenandoah River flooded with impact to Shenandoah River State Park. I'm glad our new facilities are up on the ridge.

As many of you may recall, I stayed at Shenandoah River State Park this summer. Here are some side by side shots showing the impact of the flood.




Nature happens. Development along the river calls for planning based on flooding history and that's one thing we do well. The few campgrounds we have along the rivers in Virginia are designed so when they flood, we can build them back. We do not put any elaborate infrastructure within the 60 year flood plain. My favorite picture from the Shenandoah River flood this week shows one of our trails.

Many of our visitors have found the value in buying a Naturally Yours Passport Plus. This annual pass entitles visitors to free parking and admission to all of our parks for a year. Pass holders are also entitled to a 10% discount on camping, 10% discount on state park merchandise, 10% discount on equipment rentals (may not apply to non-park operated concessions), and 10% discount on shelter and amphitheater rentals.

Th eonly drawback was that if you were one of our frequent campers and liked to use our web reservation system, there was no way to take the discount on line.

Great news - our web software now allows the use of a promo code. If you are a current pass holder, call the reservation center and they will provide you with the promo code to use. The reservation center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and can be reached at 800-933-7275.

If you aren't a pass holder, why not? Check out the fees here. You can purchase a pass at any state park office or by calling the reservation center at 800-933-7275. If you prefer to pay by check, you can also download this form and mail it to the reservation center with your check.

The discounts apply to all of the Plus passes only.

Traditionally spring break - the week before and after Easter - are busy times in Virginia State Parks. After being trapped indoors most of the winter (and boy it's been a cold one so far), it's time to venture out and have some fun outdoors with the family.


Our cabins are available for a two night minimum rental and spring rates are less expensive than the summer. Our family lodges are great for large family gatherings and sleep up to 16. Camping is a great option as well.


Our parks are beautiful in the spring as new life pops out wherever you might look. Plan your trip now before all of the facilities book up. Call our reservation and information center at 800-933-7275 or click here to make reservations on line.

Valentine's Day holds a special significance for my husband and I. It's a long story but we met through the personal ads in the newspaper (again I date myself - the precursor to online dating). It was Valentine's Day when I wrote a letter to him in response to his answer to my ad. We were married the following September. So we often celebrate both Valentine's Day and our Wedding Day.

Most of the last ten years we have chosen to celebrate Valentine's Day or the weekend nearby at one of our Virginia State Park cabins. This year we are planning a week away. Sometimes we go out for dinner or sometimes we just enjoy cooking together, something we don't do as much as we'd like. All our cabins have nicely stocked kitchens. We bring books, videos we can watch on the laptop, and music, lots of music. Funny how little I sit and just listen to music any more. Naturally we also take the time to explore the park. It's winter and there aren't crowds of people and this ads to the romance.


Of course you don't need Valentine's Day as an excuse for a romantic getaway. In fact the best excuse is none at all - and a last minute unplanned escape is a great surprise. In case you have missed it, we are offering last minute 25% cabin discounts for the upcoming weekend if you book on Thursday or Friday through the call center - 800-933-7275. Don't count on there being last minute cabins for Valentine's Day weekend though. We traditionally sell out for the weekend! If you aren't booking for the weekend discount, you can book on line by clicking here.

Your choice whether your idea of romance is one of our newer cabins or one of our historic cabins. Nearly all have a fireplace or woodstove.



You can read about our trip last Valentine's Day using the links below. Obviously we had a good time if I could write four posts!

A Visit to Chippokes Plantation State Park - Getting There is Half the Fun

A Stay in the Osbourne House at Chippokes Plantation State Park

A Trail Through History

Making Memories at Chippokes Plantation State Park

On January 12th we celebrated the last of the state park retirements. Celebrated is a very bad word - Glenn Moorer will be sadly missed. What we celebrated was his career.

His career started with a part time position doing roofing work on the building we met in - Ferrell Hall, part of the Hemlock Haven Conference Center at Hungry Mother State Park. From there he became a regular wage employee and ultimately a full time Park Ranger. His full time career exceeded 35 years. The last nearly 8 years he served as Chief Ranger.

Family, friends, co-workers and members of the community were on hand for the event and shared Glenn stories. Glenn said it the best - his career in State Parks was "a lifetime of friends and a lifetime of memories."

Glenn has a home in Marion so I don't think this will be the last we see of him!

It is no secret that most states are having budget melt downs as a result of the recession. States rely on revenue from a variety of taxes, pretty much all of which have suffered during the economic down turn. At the same time, services for unemployment compensation, social services and low income medical support are all experiencing increased demands.

Arizona sold a dozen state buildings on a lease back arrangement just this week to try and make up their $2 billion deficit. On Friday the decision was made to close 21 of the 30 state parks to help close the gap.

I will be the first to admit I know very little of the details on Arizona's state budget crisis but I do know a little bit about state park budgets and economic impact as part of my duties as Operations Director for Virginia State Parks. I checked out the operating expenses for Arizona's state parks on their annual submission to the National Association for State Parks Directors Annual Information Exchange.

What I found reminded me a lot of our state parks. Arizona raises 40% of their own operating expenses, $9 million, through fee collections. The remaining $13.6 million is the problem. However, when they start closing the parks, that $9 million will erode and sometimes at a faster percentage than the expenditure savings. We've seen it ourselves when we have had to take significant cuts. If the remaining parks also sustain cuts, they will find the revenue decreasing further.

On face value, parks are good things. Are they essential state services? Maybe that's debatable. But consider what parks are: Parks are a place to relate to nature and recharge your batteries. At a time when the world is troubled, people are in financial crisis, certainly the need to "get back to nature" and find beauty in the world is significant. Then we have the health benefit of exercise and outdoor recreation. When childhood obesity is at an all time high and professionals warn of the dire consequences of time spent indoors in front of electronic devices, parks are needed more than ever.

But maybe that's not enough. Desperate times call for desperate measures after all. What else do parks do? They are a core part of their local communities. They bring tourism dollars to the local area. They buy supplies in the local community. They employ people in the community. They are basically a large business in a rural area. Arizona State Parks employ 295 full time staff. State Parks contribute to the state and local economy. There are a variety of economic models that can be applied to show the value of this contribution. It usually is not hard to get to at least what the state's financial contribution is and often the result is more. Arizona's State Parks reported as much nearly a year ago. For that reason, closing parks is counter productive for the economy. The problem is it takes insight and a look at the big picture to see that. Arizona joins California in states that can't seem to see that big picture.

Are other states out there contemplating the same decision? Hopefully they will reconsider and reconsider making budget cuts that result in stripping the parks from their ability to function and generate their own revenue. Tonight I feel for Arizona park staff, their families, their communities, their volunteers and supporters and all of us who will lose access to these valuable natural and cultural resources.

Related posts:

America's State Parks - a Natural Stimulus Program
Why We Need State Parks
The Value of Parks

One aspect of the recession is that tight pocketbooks send families looking for lower cost vacation alternatives. In 2009 Virginians and visitors to Virginia found trips to state parks were a great value for the money and visited in record numbers.


Joe Elton reported in his Annual Report for 2009, "Visitation is up 4% over last year, camping is up 8%, volunteerism is up slightly to more than 235,500 hours with a total value of more than $5 million placed on that labor.  Revenues are up 11% over last year.  Total Reservations for the year are up 5% over last year bringing total revenue to more than $8 million for the first time in history [for camping and cabins]."


The extra revenue came in handy since budget cuts for FY2009 and 2010 exceed $3.4 million. Dedicated park staff and volunteers worked hard so visitors would not notice the impact of those cuts despite of the loss of 19 full time positions and the need to keep another 25 vacant positions unfilled. There has also been a reduction in part time staff who support park operations.


Virginia State Parks will receive a little over $15.7 million for fiscal year 2010 which ends June 30, 2010. In calendar year 2009, the 7.5 million visitors contributed in excess of $175 million dollars to the state and localities, or eleven times the expense to the Commonwealth. In addition to being a tonic for the mind, body and spirit, our state parks are an excellent investment for our tax dollars.


New cabins and campgrounds at Shenandoah River and Natural Tunnel state parks and  three additional cabins at Douthat State Park should boost revenue and economic impact in calendar year 2010. These facilities are the result of the 2002 State Park and Natural Area General Obligation bond which was designed to increase the revenue capacity of our state parks. The bond also funded new cabins at Kiptopeke, Claytor Lake, Occoneechee, Bear Creek Lake and James River state parks and campgrounds at James River, Belle Isle and Lake Anna state parks which are already open.

Governor Kaine announced that his ambitious goal to conserve 400,000 acres in the Commonwealth was reached at the new Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center near Charlottesville on Friday, January 8th.

Read the official press release of the event here.

This World Heritage site overlooks the Biscuit Run property recently acquired by the Commonwealth for a future state park near the end of the year. Preserving the view shed from this site was one of the considerations in acquiring the 1,200 acre tract of rolling hills, forest and the stream known as Biscuit Run. Located in Albemarle County, the property is within biking and hiking distance of Charlottesville.

Violinist Boyd Tinsley of the Dave Matthews Band spoke at the event as a representative of the investors in the original Biscuit Run development who sold the property to the Commonwealth in a bargain sale.

State Parks Director Joe Elton and other State Park staff attended the announcement along with members of the Virginia Association for Parks. The VAFP is a statewide non-profit organization that supports State and National parks in Virginia.

From left to right, State Parks District VI Manager Forrest Gladden; Dave Summers State Parks Law Enforcement Manager; State Parks Assistant Director Warren Wahl; and State Parks Director Joe Elton

From left to right, Virginia Association for Parks members Tom Shaw, Herb Distefano and Jo Finch; State Parks Director Joe Elton; Virginia Association for Parks President Johnny Finch

You may have read my post earlier this week about the Virginia State Parks Youth Conservation Corps (or any of the probably 20 posts from last year). OK, so I have a real weakness for the program.

The Virginia State Parks Office of Volunteer Services is part of the Operations Section that I manage. I have taken a personal interest in the program since the beginning and the Director, Gaston Rouse, and I try to visit as many of the crews we can each summer.

Part of the success of the program is Gaston's hands on management and love of the program and probably mine too. Gaston is also responsible for the basic program design. While he will tell you that he did a lot of research and copied what he found in other successful programs, there is still an art to knowing what the right things to copy are and putting it all together.

But the other key is the wonderful people we have found to be Supervisors for the program.


Typically we have three college aged or older supervisors for ten youth. Finding the right people and sometimes even enough of them and enough of the right sex (since we have all female or all male programs) can be a challenge. In the beginning we thought we would recruit teachers interested in working six weeks of the summer for $3,700. That hasn't really happened and mostly we recruit college students.

We do "grow" our own. Last summer I blogged about Casey Duvall a young man who has the distinction of being in every program we have had. But there have been others. Just today I was thinking of one, John Wargo, because he found me on Facebook. John started out as a youth in the program and then served as a supervisor as he got older. John is making a career in outdoor recreation. John is working as a Recreation Assistant with the US Forest Service Job Corps. He works with disadvantaged youth facilitating canoeing, kayaking, fly fishing, rock climbing, horseback riding, skiing/snowboarding, snowshoeing, paintball, and other activities.

We have now had a number of our most senior supervisors graduate college and go on to their careers or graduate school. So, we are looking for a few good men and women to take their place this year as Supervisors for the YCC.

If you have never been part of our YCC program, you must be at minimum a rising junior in college and over 18 years of age. We have two three week sessions and successful applicants either work one or the other or both. We also require a training session which will be held June 10-13, 2010 at Bear Creek Lake State Park. All of the details can be found on our webpage and the application is on line. The deadline is noon on February 15th. We provide a program completion stipend of $1,500 and a travel stipend of $350 for each session.

The supervisors work along side the youth on the projects and also coordinate logistics, shopping and menu planning. It is a physically demanding position since you are responsible for the youth 24/7 for the three weeks of the program. But nearly every supervisor we have had would tell you that it's a rewarding experience.

For more information, call (703) 583-5497 or email vspycc@dcr.virginia.gov

Okay so this will probably give away how ancient I am, but when I was a girl Alan Sherman did a song called A Letter From Camp: "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh. Here I am at Camp Granada. Camp is very entertaining. And they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining." It actually won a Grammy for best comedy song in 1963 (maybe I was still in utero). If you are not familiar with the song it is several messages from a young boy at Camp Grenada to his parents. In the beginning it is clear he is miserable and homesick but things turn around before the end of the song (after is tops raining).

I never went to away camp for the summer. I'm not sure any of my friends ever did either so possibly this was something that appealed to me about the song. My sense was that summer camps were very expensive or there were some set up for disadvantaged kids. Then of course there was one movie after another - comedy or horror - about nightmare camp experiences.
 

We don't have a summer camp program at Virginia State Parks. What we have is a Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program. The difference? Instead of fun all the time, the YCC is really hard work. The youth, aged 14-17, perform conservation and similar projects in the park for about 8 hours a day. In the evenings and weekends, they participate in educational programs about the environment, the natural world, and local culture, or participate in various outdoor recreation activities, or visit local historical or cultural attractions.

Like a summer camp, it is residential, the lodging fairly primitive (rustic buildings), and there are Supervisors you might equate to camp counselors - most of college age. Our program runs for three weeks. The other difference - for most summer camps the parents shell out a lot of money for their kids to attend. We PAY a program completion stipend of $500 to YCC participants. Trust me, they earn every penny!

I am not sure what kids learned from their summer camp experiences but I have first hand knowledge of what happens to the youth that attend our program. Gaston Rouse, our Director of Volunteer Services and retired Army Colonel, runs the program. I like to say "You can take the man out of the military but you can't take the military out of the man." That's Gaston. The program is structured and the supervisors expect and get the respect of the participants or they go home. While we occasionally have a young person decide pretty quickly the program isn't what they expected (usually due to being homesick), most of the attendees stay the course. By the start of the third week, those kids are determined to make it through to the end for their check. Gaston and I try to visit each and every crew during the sessions so I meet a lot of the participants. While it is hard work and sometimes even grueling, we have a high percentage of attendees apply to come back a second, third or even fourth year.
 

We try to have the youth complete one project from start to finish so they see they made a difference. At the formal graduation held on departure day, the youth are excited to show their parents what they accomplished. This program is valuable to us because of the work that gets done and because it introduces young people to the value of supporting parks. We usually find several young people each year who even decide to focus on a career in natural resources.

Parents have told us they sent us their son or daughter and got a different person back - one that seems more willing to do chores or has a new take on personal responsibility and doing for themselves. The youth prepare meals, clean their living quarters, do their own laundry. They learn how to use tools, how to work as a team, how to get along with people from different backgrounds or cultures. They learn the satisfaction of working hard for a goal. The work is physically demanding. It's summer so it's hot. And there are bugs. Lots of bugs.

We have an all on line application process and primarily make selection decisions based on the way the questions are answered by the young person. We offer the program at selected parks in two three-week sessions. In 2010 those are June 20-July 10 and July 18-August 7. You can select a session preference but not the specific park. We make every effort to assign successful candidates to a park outside of their immediate geographic area. But we also try to avoid parents having to drive across the state to drop off their child or pick them up. Based on the parks, sessions, and whether the program is male or female, sometimes we can't meet those goals. 

The program provides lodging, food, uniform shirts and hat, backpack, water bottle, first aid kit, goggles and work gloves. And, the $500 program completion stipend.
 

If you are interested in the program, I encourage you to read the details carefully on our website before starting the application. Also remember the answers to the questions are important. We have a non-negotiable, no exception deadline of noon on April 12, 2020.

You might also enjoy reading some of the blog posts about last year's program. Many of the posts about specific park crews include a slide show. The pictures give you a pretty good idea of what the pictures are like. Supervisors post pictures on Flickr as the program progresses so parents and friends can see what the young people are up to.
 

In a deal described as a bargain sale and finalized December 30, 2009, Virginia State Parks became the proud owner of 1,200 acres in Albemarle County as a site for a future state park.

The acreage, known as Biscuit Run, had been the largest residential development ever approved in Albemarle County. The investors paid $46.2 million for the land in 2005. The Commonwealth paid $9.8 million from a combination of remaining acquisition money from the 2002 State Park and Natural Area Bond and Federal transporation enhancement funds. The owners will also be eligible for Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credits and federal charitable deductions.

Governor Tim Kaine announced the purchase in a press release. Governor Kaine has an ambitious plan of protecting 400,000 acres of Virginia land during his administration and has worked hard to acquire or protect open land through conservation easements. An article in the Charlottesville Daily Progress also reported the sale.

While the final attendance figures are not yet in for 2009, it is estimated that Virginia's state parks enjoyed 7.4 million visitors with an economic impact for the localities and state of $180 million.

The Charlottesville area has long been under consideration for a state park and has been identified as an area needing a State Park in the Virginia Outdoors Plan. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the state to acquire such a valuable property which offers spectacular mountain views, abundant flora and fauna and is in the viewshed of Mr. Jefferson’s Monticello estate and farms,” said Secretary of Natural Resources L. Preston Bryant Jr.

The property is south of Interstate 64 and between Old Lynchburg Road (Rt. 631) and Scottsville Road (Rt. 20).

View Larger Map

What's next? The Biscuit Run property joins other "land banked" park acreage including land in Powhatan (on the James River), Gloucester (on the York River), Shenandoah (Seven Bends), Henry (Mayo River) and Stafford (Widewater) counties. Money has been provided to develop High Bridge Trail State Park, a rails to trails project on land donated by Norfolk Southern Railway Co., and Powhatan State Park, land that once belonged to the Department of Corrections. Much of High Bridge Trail State Park is now open for trail use but operational funding is minimal. No operational funding has been provided for Powhatan State Park. No development or operational funding has been allocated for any of the other land.

State law requires that a master plan be prepared to guide the development of each state park. This process includes public meetings. Of course, money for development and operations will also need to be provided. While development may be confined to the future, the Biscuit Run property is now preserved in this critical growth area of the state, assuring open space and recreational opportunities for many years to come.
 

Happy Holidays to all our park visitors, reguar readers and folks who just stumble on this post. Enjoy this pictorial of Virginia State Park snow pictures!

I have written several posts about Virginia State Parks staff honored at our recent annual employee recognition. This last list are individuals who have shown excellence in various specialties or a special accomplishment.

Nathan Clark and Sarah Fisher at Smith Mountain Lake State Park each handled special challenges this year.

Debbie Coffin from James River State Park showed compassionate care to an event attendee who needed emergency medical treatment.

John Corrigan at Sky Meadows State Park took over new responsibilities and contributed to the park in a variety of exceptional ways.

Barbara Jackson, Goldie Taylor and Joyce Barden were honored for their many years of excellent state service as they prepare for retirement at the end of this year.

Sam Bailey was honored for his work cataloging a database of our Virginia State Parks trails.

Dave Collett, Park Manager of Claytor Lake State Park was honored for his contribution to resource management.

Dave Cope at Wilderness Road State Park was recognized for his efforts in the Karlan Mansion renovation.

Staci Martin, Cyndi Juarez and Staci Martin were recognized for their efforts securing grant funding in support of our parks.

Jaimie Lomasney was recognized for her efforts with volunteer development in her district's four parks.

Chad Shelters from Holliday Lake State Park was honored for his work with the Community Service Worker Program at his park.

One of the reasons Virginia State Parks has been able to excel in spite of budgeting challenges is our dedicated staff and volunteers. Recently staff were honored in an employee recognition event. This post is dedicated to the teams who work together to do great things for our parks.

Goldie Taylor, Joyce Barden, Bryan Anderson, Betty Little, Courtney Newell, Jaimie Beck, Cole Beck, staff at our Logistics Center and Sign Shop were recognized for their efforts in a year with staffing and other challenges.

Eric Hougland, Craig Guthrie, Dan Coffin, Judith McParland, Donna Calloway, staff of our 35th state park High Bridge Trail State Park were recognized for their efforts getting more stretches of this rails to trails park open for the public.


The staff of New River Trail State Park had a tough year with staffing issues. It is a difficult task keeping a 57 mile linear trail running and this staff work together to make it work.


Craig Seaver, Nancy Heltman, David Collett, Theresa Duffey, Chuck Wyatt, Tim Vest, William Peal, Bill Jacobs were recognized for completion of the Campground Management Manual which has guided the development of new campgrounds and renovation of old as well as sets the procedures for managing operations.

Don Byrne, Barbara Stiles, Al Cire, Brian Heft, Warren Wahl, Chris Doss, David Summers, Eric Hougland, Gary Brumfield, Joey Dayton, Robert Chapman for their work toward gaining VALEPSC Accreditation for our Virginia State Parks law enforcement.

Macy's featured Virginia State Parks as a beneficiary of their Turn Over A New Leaf. Paula Hill and Beth Roach were recognized for their coordination of this program and Ken Benson, Russell Johnson, Scott Flickinger, Tom Cervenak, Sarah Phillips, Steve Price, Krista Kermode, Keith Morgan, George Tiedeman were recognized for assisting with in store programming to create awareness. Macy's contributed $45,000 to us as a result of this program.