Changes: Where do we go from here?
FOR THE PAST FIVE MONTHS I have been diving into the Strategic Plan and the Balanced Scorecard and was one goal shy of wrapping up the six part series. With the departure of Administrator Domenic Bravo, however, I thought I would use the August issue of The Newsletter to talk a little about Domenic as well as the future management plans for the Division of WYOParks.
As most of you know, Domenic came to us in 2008 as a young man (30 years old) ready to take on the world. Eleven years later, as he is walking out the door, he still comes to work with the same drive, passion and innovation that are hard to match. Eleven years is a long tenure in this position, and Domenic is probably the longest current serving director at NASPD (National Association of State Parks Directors).
Rather than list all of the things upon which Domenic has left his mark, I would invite you all to take time to reflect on the improvements and changes that have directly impacted your park or site over the past eleven years, and know that a majority of those improvements came from his leadership and energy (and the people who implemented his direction). Although we have seen some very significant budget and personnel reductions over the course of Domenic’s time in leadership, I can tell you that the impact to this agency would have been felt much worse had it not been for his innovative passion and political abilities to lessen the blow.
Please join me in wishing Domenic & Mary godspeed on their new journey and adventure. Luckily for our industry, he isn’t going far and will still be a great advocate for the WYOParks brand.
As for the future management structure of WYOParks, over the past several years we have been working on pushing responsibility to the appropriate level through a variety of changes:
- By going back to a two person deputy/chief management structure in the division;
- By creating full-time District Managers and empowering them - and therefore their superintendents - to have the ability to manage and operate their respective areas without burdensome oversight from multiple layers of management.
- And, over the past several months, by working on a pilot management structure wherein I - along with Deputy Administrators Nick Neylon and Dave Glenn - have shadowed Domenic to ensure that we have a clear grasp of his duties, responsibilities, and special projects.
After much discussion and direction, I feel that we (myself, Dave, Nick, and the District Managers), can pick up the management duties performed by Administrator Bravo, thus giving us the ability to push his FTE position elsewhere (location still TBD). This will eliminate one layer of management with the intent that turnaround for anything that has to rise to that level should be quicker. District Managers will have the empowerment necessary to provide answers and direction more quickly, which will hopefully improve each superintendent’s ability to run his or her respective parks and sites.
I am confident this organizational structure will not only work, but that our system will thrive in the empowerment structure developed. As always, we will continue to monitor and self critique the process; however, we will also encourage feedback from the team to improve and continue WYOParks’ success.
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Hot Springs Discontinues Bison Feed Tours
IN A STATEMENT PUBLISHED ON Facebook, Hot Springs State Parks has announced that it will no longer offer public access to the daily bison feedings:
“With the recent bison/human encounters in Yellowstone,” the statement reads, “we will be discontinuing our bison feed tours here in Hot Springs State Park. I believe we are sending the wrong message to our visitors.
“The bison here are fed on a daily basis and are used to the feed truck and employees and appear to be very friendly animals. Before each tour we warn the tourists to stay in their vehicles while on the tour, because the buffalo are dangerous! However they see our bison handlers, out of the park truck, feeding the herd and one particular female (cow) will even eat out of the bucket.
“Safety and proper interaction with the animals is our #1 concern!”
Feedback so far has been that of disappointment combined with understanding. As one FB response read, “A very wise decision based on your statement above. It is too bad that you have to discontinue your program because of a ‘few,’ but nonetheless the best thing. Thank you for all your time and efforts.”
 SOMETIMES YOU PUT UP AN EXHIBIT and, although people seem to appreciate it, it never seems to make much of a human connection. Recently, an exhibit at the Wyoming Pioneer Museum made a REAL connection!
On September 11, 1949, Shirley Bower married Henry Goodrich in Worland, Wyoming. Somehow over the years, her wedding dress - purchased in Denver for $89.95 - made its way to the Pioneer Museum, where it was recently put on display. In July 2019, nearly seventy years after the nuptial event, Mrs. Goodrich visited the museum to see her gown on display.
The museum staff was thrilled that Mrs. Goodrich came to see the dress and posted a photo of the event on the site’s Facebook page. “We had more likes, shares and comments than ever on this post,” said Curator Jenna Thorburn (shown here with Mrs. Goodrich). “Moments like this really make everything we do worth our while.”
Comments were posted by friends, relatives and former students of the one-time first grade teacher. The most flattering comment came from Nancy Goodrich, daughter of the bride: “The dress is immaculate and so well cared for by the museum staff! And the museum is wonderful. If you haven't visited in a while you should make plans to go! It's an amazing trip back in time.”
 Wyoming State Parks & Cultural Resources recently partnered with Visit Cheyenne to conduct Google Street Views and Google 360 Tours of local attractions. In addition to Cheyenne, the Wind River Visitor's Council promoted Boysen and Sinks Canyon State Parks while staff had fun with staging scenes for the camera. More to come on that later...
 
CarlyAnn Carruthers, Sr. Planner
Wyoming State Parks
Meet CarlyAnn, one of the newest members to join the State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails family. She was born and raised in Cheyenne and comes to us via the Laramie Main Street Alliance. CarlyAnn is very enthusiastic about her new role with our agency and said "There's so much going on, so many cool places we manage...I'm really looking forward to exploring the sites from a perspective other than a visitor." She is married to her husband Dustin Carruthers and together they really enjoy gardening.
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