Current Position: Fallon Region Manager, Nevada State Parks
How long have you been with the Nevada Division of State Parks and in what capacity?
Twenty years total. I began as a seasonal employee while going to college. I started as a Park Ranger at Valley of Fire State Park near Las Vegas, transferred to Lahontan SRA, then to South Fork Reservoir near Elko. I was promoted to Park Supervisor I at Echo Canyon near Pioche, then to Park Supervisor II at nearby Spring Valley State Park. I transferred to Fort Churchill, then to Washoe Lake for three years prior to becoming the Fallon Regional Manager 3 1/2 years ago. Living and working throughout the state has been both a personal and career benefit many times.
How did you become interested in working as a Park Regional Manager?
I was washing tractor/trailers outside in the winter for $3 an hour when I met a seasonal park employee at school who told me I could make $6 an hour working outside for state parks. I couldn’t believe I was getting paid to drive a four-wheel drive and all I had to do was clean restrooms, haul garbage and build stuff. I loved the job and have been doing it ever since. The appeal of the job has grown from just being outside to being able to make a difference to both the visitor and resource. The visitor is generally relying on you to make their vacation the most that it can be. This may be just answering questions or providing medical assistance to a critically injured child. The resource relies on us to speak for it as it can’t speak for itself. This is generally done through recognizing and attempting to correct imbalances or through enforcement of regulations put in place to protect areas that don’t heal well.
Describe a typical day at your job.
(If there is no such thing as a typical day, then please tell us about your primary responsibilities and duties.)
The typical day for me has changed a great deal over the last few years. Rather than actually developing plans for improvements or constructing facilities, my job is to provide the support, funding and necessary clearances (SHPO, Permits, etc) for others to develop and implement projects. My focus has gone from small, specific areas of a park to the larger picture of the region as a whole. This entails regular communication and coordination with all of the parks to ensure that we are using our equipment and personnel resources efficiently.
In a nutshell, my day consists of preparing contracts, discussing and planning projects and funding and letting my coworkers know what avenues are available to see their projects are completed or their problems are corrected.
How many hours a week do you work in this position?
I average about 48-50 hrs.
What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
Helping co-workers realize their goals.
What do you find to be the greatest challenges of your job?
Doing several things at one time, trying to remember the small pieces of information that are critical but only spoken, not written.
What kind of training/schooling is required in your position?
BS degree (preferably in a natural resource or related field), basic first aid, completion of Nevada Peace Officers Training. Progressively complex supervision of both park areas and multiple employees of varying skills.
Is there any kind of training or general experience that you wish you had before taking your job?
Yes, experience in accounting would have been a great help.
What are a few of the projects that you've been working on recently that have been the most interesting?
Rehabilitation of noxious weed infested areas totaling several hundred acres. This is being done through biological, mechanical and chemical control methods. Also, completion of the Buckland Station Historical Site.
If someone were interested in working as a Parks Regional Manager, what advice could you give them?
Get a BS degree in a subject you enjoy, and work seasonally while in school with one or more different resource agencies to help you determine exactly what field suits you. Specialize if you can. Learn early what you can do and what you cannot do. Develop exceptional skills or knowledge in a few of the things that you can do and surround yourself with people that can do what you cannot.
Please share any further thoughts you may have about working in the state park system:
My career path has been quite an adventure. I have worked daily in places that most people save vacation leave to visit once or twice a year. I have had many exciting moments with all aspects (good & bad) of wildlife, weather and people. There have been frustrations as occur in any profession, generally associated with bureaucracy, but the majority of my career has been excellent.
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