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Missouri State Park System
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Staff Input

The following comments were submitted individually by staff to Doug Eiken division director.

Staffing Expansion and Training
First of all, I was under the impression that we are to reduce staff in state government. Unless this is a filling of a position that we put on “budget hold,” then each vacancy should be examined to see if it should be filled with a FTE (full-time employee), seasonal or possibly a volunteer.

When filling FTE positions, they need to be trained and instructed to make decisions based on policy and established approved procedures. To help ensure that this will happen in some key management and administrative positions, new employees in these positions need to attend a division-oriented week-long training session (Whys and Hows in State Parks).

Funding
Check in to leasing out some of our buildings that can be used by the private sector. Their use would need to stay within our mission statement. An example would be the leasing of the Katy Depot building in Sedalia by the Chamber of Commerce. This may only be practical at a very few sites.

New facilities/areas
Don’t commit us beyond our means of support. It’s great that we have a dedicated sales tax. But it will only go so far. Right now we have a number of buildings and infrastructure that we can’t take care of. And let’s be very careful that we don’t inherit any “white elephants.” If we are going to develop areas within established facilities, then let focus on youth users, e.g. skate board facilities, basketball courts, etc.

Diversity
We are or have been a non-traditional employer for many minorities. I feel we need to work width inner city job services for advertisement and promotion. We may need to consider re-establishing a program similar to the old YCC or YACC to get potential long-term employees started with us.

Programs/events
Some of our special events seem to cater to single purpose special interest groups. Staffing and funding for these events seems to be more of a tradition.

Marketing/promotions
We need to start targeting the potential youth users of our facilities. Youth camping programs, youth overnight trail hikes and other activities that we have available that they may engage in while staying at a facility.

Changes, Ideas, Improvements

Staff Expansion and Training, Diversity, Retention
I firmly believe that our hiring/merit system is the biggest threat to recruiting quality candidates for our job openings and therefore the biggest threat to DSP. I think that our hiring process is a failure due to the lack of meaningful job descriptions posted for these positions. THIS COMPLETELY AMAZES ME. Just open up Lotus Notes and see if you can tell what any of the job postings are really for. We need to post PDFs with ALL job postings and provide written copies of PDFs at all interviews. I realize that OA (Office of Administration) is largely in charge of merit positions, but we have got to do something to accurately describe our job openings. I think we all know that the merit position descriptions are almost useless (to the point of civil liability) due to the range of positions that fall under the few generic job titles. Imagine yourself as an aspiring DSP employee with no info on how DSP is organized (no organization charts available on the park/site level) and you have no idea what merit application even to fill out! I have been ridiculed by several DSP managers as being a “greeny," meaning that I like to approach projects with environmental sensitivity. I was very surprised to find that so many DSP employees see their employment as a job only – not a means to showcase awareness or ingenuity. I know that there are MANY good DSP candidates out there if we give them an honest chance instead of the romantic bs we now offer.

I disagree with some aspects of our Resource Management and Interpretation Program. I think that interpreters are a vital part of the DSP team. However, many of our interpreters are also charged with biological duties such as habitat management or monitoring. Many of our interpreters have little or no training in these fields which are elemental to our mission. I doubt that any of them have formal training in both biology and teaching. This leads to several complex issues, but my main point is that both missions, resource management and interpretation, may be compromised. There is no perfect canoe for all waters; you choose one for the water ahead -- meaning that both fields are very important and one person cannot do both as well as they should be done.

I suggest posting a full-time dedicated biologist or resource scientist in each district to alleviate and advise interpreters in their resource work. Preserving our best examples is busy work and keeps our Central Office Resource Managers (and I say that in the literal meaning of Natural Resource Manager, not OA’s all-encompassing job title) very busy. Yet part of our policy requires also the rehabilitation of damaged lands. That said, I know that we must do the best with the time and budget we have. I feel that DSP has placed too little emphasis on our ever-dwindling biological systems and too much on customer service.

I think that our training programs are excellent. I would like to see an in-depth training on money from bill paying to budget.

Funding
Many health problems are becoming associated with sedentary lifestyles. The Department of Health had representatives at the Missouri Trail Summit trying to explore options on exercise for citizens. Perhaps we can use more of a health angle, physical and mental, to partner or secure more funding.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has campaigned in recent years to expand their urban outreach. DSP has some information posted in Conservation nature centers, but I think that we could do more to improve our public image and outreach to the public through a more intensive partnering with MDC at these nature centers.

Overcrowding is not a problem in most parks. It can be a big problem at some parks. Perhaps a limited user fee could be used to control some of the traffic. Our current user fees are very acceptable. We are often much cheaper than private campgrounds. Perhaps we should consider awarding discounts or off-season prices only to Missouri citizens?

A last idea -- Jim Yancey and David Goggins serve a vital role for DSP. As more parks move toward county water/sewer, a small portion of the accompanying regulatory workload is diminished. And in light of the success of the DNR Ombudsman program, is there anyway to use our environmental crew to introduce various Division of Environmental Quality employees to the “real world” of environmental regulation? If we can persuade DEQ to fund our DSP environmental program, we can provide real-life valuable training to DEQ, allowing DEQ employees to see regulation from the “regulated side of the fence.” I think that the benefits from such a partnership would be great for DEQ and DSP (and would save us a bundle!).

New Facilities/Areas
To follow some of the ideas from above about urban outreach, the Springfield area seems to be short of parks within a short distance. East of Springfield in Webster, Wright or Douglas counties there are many large tracts available. Douglas County has many high quality streams that are threatened by too much development. I would also suggest expanding the size of every existing park where feasible.

Programs/Events
I think we do a great job on these areas.

Marketing/Promotions
This is not an area that you should listen to me! I think we do a good job here, although I do have concerns about our capital improvement investments in motorhome accommodations in a rapidly changing economy and demographic. Motorhomes do little to connect “campers” with any portion of our mission.

Information/Communication
Here is an area that DSP has fallen embarrassingly short on. We must improve our internal communications and information. Many large projects seem to be top secret as there is so little information available. For example, when discussing DNR’s apparent opposition to protecting endangered species in the Missouri River in newspapers and radio programs, I never heard any mention of DSP’s partnering for habitat restoration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Weston Bend State Park. This habitat improvement, sponsored by a division of DNR may have been the best kept secret on the Missouri River when it should have been touted as a great example of cooperation for resource protection!

Few of us in the field or even central office know what occurs in other DSP programs such as Resource Management and Interpretation Program. I know that many facility managers are ….how to say it…dubious of RMIP’s performance, especially in the communication end of things.

Establish a Web page, like other DNR divisions. Certainly we have a Web page for our facilities, but none for our division. We have recently added some information to the “Parks” Web pages about DSP and perhaps all we need to do is expand this information. I would like to see organization charts, real job descriptions, threats -- long and short term, projects and budget information. I guess what I am trying to get is a statewide status picture here…. trying to help employees and the public to see the big statewide picture beyond their facility or desktop.

Thanks again for this opportunity. I would be happy to expand on any of these topics. I will also continue to assess our performance to see what other ideas I can offer.

Thank you for asking for my input. I’m afraid that my futuristic view is very selfish and intended for the Missouri’s American Indian Cultural Center at Van Meter State Park. The citizens of our state and people traveling across Missouri are very fortunate to have a new facility about a diverse group of people under represented -- the American Indians.

Under the category of Staff Expansion and Training, I feel it is very important that Native Americans are involved in the actual interpretation of the site. An American Indian on staff is needed at the new cultural center to help promote understanding of their culture and better reflect the purpose of the center. In order to attract qualified and trained staff, I propose we develop an internship program with recognized higher learning institutions for American Indians.

My ideas on developing new Programs/Events, for that category, will need funding. It just takes money to pay performers to visit the site and share their knowledge and expertise on a subject or craft skill. In the past, all state-sponsored programs were paid by us and free to the public. Why not have the participants pay a fee to learn the skill being demonstrated or taught? That might limit the number in attendance, but we can specialize to a particular audience that will pay for the experience hence helping to pay for the instructor. I keep thinking about how the site could sponsor a pow-wow. Besides not having the expertise to “run the show,” we have no funding to “do it up right.” Gifts and competition prizes are expensive.

The one thing I think we need most to help with Marketing/Promotions is signage. I have not talked with DSP/MODOT coordinator to inquire about a directional sign on Interstate 40. Nor have I look into the cost of and private funding for a highway billboard.

Idea List

Invasive Species Control

Important
Invasive species control is very important for maintaining ecological integrity of parklands, something that has to be given higher priority than interpretation and recreation because we are the caretakers responsible for carrying these wonderful natural resources forward for future generations. The quality of interpretive and recreational experiences will be reduced because of invasive species. Control of invasive species will be very costly in terms of both E & E expense and labor expense.

Labor Intensive
Bush honeysuckle for example tends to be found in thickets with lots of small stems. Treatment involves hand cutting (to work around native trees) and painting a herbicide on each cut stem. Control is very labor intensive and will be a big drain on staff time. Bush honeysuckle doesn’t mind the shade of trees and spreads rapidly in woodlands. While prescribed fire will set back bush honeysuckle, it grows quickly and could get large enough in between burns to not be harmed by fire. Also, many of our woodlands are not managed with fire. At Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, an intern and other staff and volunteers put in over 300 hours in 2006 to control bush honeysuckle (a mild infestation and we didn’t get all of it). In only a few years, bush honeysuckle and other invasives can go from unnoticed to taking over, so we need to act now while the situation is manageable.

Urgent and Costly
If we don’t act now, the situation could quickly grow beyond our capability to combat. I’d hate to have to give up. Woodland wildflowers come out before native trees leaf out so they can obtain sunlight, but bush honeysuckle leafs out early in the spring and shades wildflowers. The appearance of the woodlands would change drastically. Just walking off-trail would become a nightmare of entanglements rather than a pleasant experience. Tasks that once were simple, like raking around a snag to prepare for a burn, will become much more difficult. Operational, recreational and interpretive activities will all be affected. I’ve focused on just one invasive species. Unfortunately, there are several others. Just at Rock Bridge, about $1,000 to $1,500 of stewardship funds are spent each year to control a portion of the Sericea lespedeza that exists in the park. Some parks have fewer invasive problems than Rock Bridge, but I think most parks have some invasives and will surely be facing more in the future. For example, I have noticed that bush honeysuckle exists in many rural areas throughout the state. The longer we wait to act in proportion to the problem, the more it will cost.

Recommendations
Specifically, I recommend acting as soon as possible to: 1) Direct park managers to devote staff to invasive species control as time is available {PMW as well as interpretive resource folks}. A lot can be done in the off-season. 2) Hire crews to travel statewide to do invasive species control and survey needs {because current staff don’t have enough time available to adequately address the problem}. 3) Greatly increase budget allocations for the purchase of herbicides and equipment and for the hiring of contractors. 4) DSP resource management staff should prioritize invasive species and provide information on the best control methods. 5) Coordinate with MDC’s invasive species coordinator and legislators to consider listing some as noxious weeds so that everyone will be responsible for controlling those invasives on their properties. 6) Increase efforts to educate the public. Develop a poster of the most common problem invasives, ask people to remove these from their properties and give sources of more information about how to remove them. 7) Let’s start a “Be a good neighbor” promotion among those that own land surrounding state parks where we write letters, hold programs, etc. and ask them to control invasives. This could also serve as a forum for addressing other issues such as water quality.

Vision for State Parks
(not in any order of importance)

Although acquiring areas for new state parks is important, I believe that we should place a higher priority on acquiring land to act as a buffer between urban encroachment and our current state parks. We need to increase our funding for property purchases significantly.

We need to be more efficient in our bill paying. Put a park’s E & E, SMR E& E and possibly CI money into a checking account and allow bills to be paid at the park level. Facility heads would be responsible for making sure all purchasing rules are followed (there could be appropriate disciplinary action taken if not). Any invoice (with the exception of fuel) over $1,000 could go through current channels. It shouldn’t take five (or more) people to pay a bill especially those under $25. (The imprest fund cannot be used for many items and is limited to a maximum of $25 except for refunds. It still takes the same people to get the imprest fund reconciled as it does to pay an invoice.) If you don’t think this is a good idea, then look into making sure every division employee has a procurement card and that the procurement card should be used for everything including services such as vehicle repairs and utilities.

I realize that liability is an issue and the Katy Ride is at, over or near capacity each year, but we need to do C.A.M.P (Cycle Across Missouri Parks) rides again. We are placing a heavy burden on our Katy volunteers especially the day coordinators for the ride. Perhaps we could alternate: C.A.M.P in even years, Katy in odd. We should also look at the possibility of doing a fall Katy Ride. To see if there would be enough interest, ask the question on the Web site. Right now, we are using data from Katy Ride participants to determine that June is the preferred month. There’s a bias in just asking them, because they are attending the event in June. I’ve talked with several people who would like to have a fall ride and I’ve talked with even more asking about C.A.M.P. rides.

We should also look into the possibility of doing a horseback ride or hike similar in scope to the Katy Ride along the Ozark Trail. Not being that familiar with the trail, I don’t know how feasible it would be.

If MDC, with DNR’s assistance, can raise funds for the Missouri Conservation Heritage Fund by hosting the Endangered Species Walk/Run, why can’t we raise funds for the Missouri State Parks Foundation by doing a similar thing? We could host events in all areas of the state using the park system’s trails.

In order to protect the natural resources in the park system, we need to devote more funds and staff to exotic species control.

There are several reports about children today having “Nature Deficit Disorder” and with people in general being afraid to go outdoors because of tick-born illnesses, West Nile virus, etc. If people really start to stay away from parks because of these issues, it will have a negative impact. In order to combat these views, we need to hire more interpreters to go out especially to urban areas to get people interested in nature again.

Dear Dr. Eiken:

I received a letter from you soliciting ideas for the future of the Missouri State Park system. Of course, if one asks 100 people, one will receive 100 different responses. However, I am sure you will be able to pick up on common themes and together, we, as an agency, will be able to improve the state park system so that it becomes even better than what it is.

One of my main concerns is the differences between the field staff and Central Office staff. There are definitely some inequalities and if one does not recognize the differences, then it will be difficult to resolve. One major difference is the fact that the people in the field work on weekends and holidays, the days that society has historically deemed as salient days off to spend with family and friends. Society’s work force is on a Monday through Friday work schedule. The staff in the field, however, is not fortunate enough to have a schedule such as this. Even the time accounting system is not set up to easily handle this issue. How do we resolve the issue besides resigning and taking a Monday through Friday job or taking a job in Central Office? Perhaps there could be pay differentials to help lessen the sting caused by working weekends and holidays. This would be something that the Office of Administration would have to look into.

Another difference between the field staff and the Central Office staff is that it seems that several positions have been given token job classifications, even though they are not performing the job duties equivalent to field staff with the same job classifications. For example, there are several Natural Resource Managers in Central Office, but many of them only have one or two issues that they are responsible for. Whereas Natural Resource Managers in the field and Park Specialists, their assistants, are responsible for personnel and the myriad number of issues that arise with a human work force. They are responsible for the employees’ performance expectations and appraisals. They have revenue collection responsibilities for which they are accountable and must undergo periodic audits. The facility managers and assistants are responsible for purchasing and making sure the bills are properly processed and paid in a timely manner. The facility managers and assistants are on the front lines when dealing with the public and their reactions to major issues at the park level, be it an injured or lost visitor, a broken water line, or any number of other issues that frequently occur. A Natural Resource Manager and his or her assistant must be well versed in a large number of issues. The extent of responsibility is vastly different, yet the titles and pay are the same or greater for those people in Central Office. This, too, would only be resolved if the Office of Administration reviewed the issues in their entirety with your influence. This inequality follows suit in other job classifications. For example, compare the job expectations of a SOSA in Central Office to one in the field.

The State Park Mission is actually realized at the parks and sites level. Citizens and visitors to Missouri truly and entirely enjoy all DSP efforts at the parks and sites level. However, field staff must respond to a number of different individuals in the Central Office, because each has become a specialist in only one or two areas. There seems to be no cross training at the Central Office level or there are too many people working there to the point where one person does not know what the other person is doing, or people are holding positions of authority, but are afraid to make a decision. At one time, I believe you said that the people in Central Office (besides the directors) were supposed to offer support for the field staff. Just recently, we were given instructions as to whom we should send paperwork when an employee is hired. The receiving party is different depending on the letter of the employee’s last name. Why isn’t there one simple procedure for us to follow and the receiving office can distribute their work load as they deem necessary without burdening us with it. In reality, though, the numerous positions in Central Office just present another obstacle or another “hoop” that we have to “jump through” in order to accomplish anything.

The large number of people in Central Office also makes it very difficult to receive an answer to a question. A smaller staff in the Central Office and more staff in the field to meet the demands placed on the parks and sites would help the current situation. Directors are necessary in that they direct or guide the agency toward the future. A small number of Central Office staff are needed in order to maintain consistency throughout the state, however, it seems we have, as my Grandmother used to say, “too many chiefs and not enough Indians”.

A large Central Office is disadvantageous for many reasons. The larger an agency becomes, the less cohesive it is. Just recently, a letter concerning several issues was received in Central Office. A Natural Resource Manager responded to the individual in writing only about the issues of her particular interest. From a customer service point-of- view, one, united, letter of response should have been drafted. We are doing a disservice to our customers if we keep increasing our Central Office staff and do not meet the needs and demands of the general population.

Another personnel issue that would help to elevate workers’ morale is to solicit employees’ ideas, such as you did with your letter. Employees will respond if they are asked. However, if they are never asked, they often will not share ideas. Good ideas can be obtained from people with different job classifications, different backgrounds, or different interests.

If you need to know what kind of supervisor a person is, one needs to ask his or her employees. If you need to know how park staff handle customer service issues, one needs to visit the park when it is at its busiest. If you need to know how park operational issues are handled, one needs to visit the park and ask all parties involved.

The approval process is a mystery to many people in the field. Once a document is sent to our Central Office, we often do not receive any more information about it. A system needs to be put into place that allows the initiating party to be notified (in writing) as to what its status is and whether the idea or request has been shelved (with reasonable justification) or will be moving forward. Perhaps a cover page could be attached to each document that contained the names of the individuals in the approval process. It could be circulated with the document and it would eventually end with the initiating party. If someone is not able to approve or deny the document, then there should be someone assigned that can “speak” on behalf of that person. It seems that a document must be approved by an unusually large number of people. There should be no more than one of each of the following reviews: natural resource, cultural resource, planning and development, financial, and the Director’s signatures.

I was fortunate enough to have attended a one-day Walt Disney Customer Service Seminar. Their organization successfully deals with a lot of people, in a similar type of business, but for profit. We would be wise to take lessons from them. For the most part, our agency does a wonderful job in meeting peoples’ expectations. However, this seminar made me realize that in order to improve, an agency must work as a whole and each individual, even the directors, must experience working on the front line. Working with the public is the only way to entirely appreciate the essence of customer service; after all, relating to the public is a fundamental portion of our jobs. Disney handles this in a very unique way - all employees, even the CEO, must work a front line job during a holiday or two throughout the year. This helps to relieve some of the regular staff for a holiday and enhances other employees’ understanding of what the field staff deals with when working with the public. I believe our Central Office staff would probably be surprised at the various issues that we encounter.

Training is important, however, I believe DSP could save more money. Instead of holding training at the Central Office, send the trainers to the district offices. Granted, DSP would have overnight expenses for the trainer(s), but most field personnel could travel to their district office, attend a meeting or seminar, and return to their facility all within a reasonable day. DSP would not realize a large expense for overnight stays for a large number of their employees.

Another idea for meetings is to use the technology of today. Most issues discussed at meetings are not resolved at the meetings. Rather, they are discussed. Discussion is very important, but it could be done via e-mail vs. in person. The facilitator of a meeting could easily e-mail the issue to the parks and sites, ask for comments, issues, problems, etc.; then compile and re-send the responses for a review.

I realize that the issues or ideas I mentioned might not even be considered issues or reasonable ideas from your position, however, I thank you for asking for my input. I appreciate the opportunity to share ideas with you. As stated earlier, I believe we have one of the best state park systems in the nation. Improving the working “conditions” can only enhance one’s attitude. Attitude plays a major role in performing a job well.