"Every day I wake up, and I know I’m going to do some good for some state park." That's what park advocate, George Bristol, said to a conference room of uniformed Texas State Park staff in 2016. That quote hung in my office for years, a daily reminder of a life’s purpose - his and mine. As I reflect on my recent experience at the NASPD Conference in Gulf Shores, two years since I detoured from a dream career with Texas State Parks to launch The Visitor Experience, that mission has called me again. I want to wake up every day and know I’m doing good for America’s state parks.

Doing more with less is something state parks do all too well. While the National Park Service commands much of the attention, the reality is America’s State Parks serve 2.5 times as many visitors and manage 15 times as many sites with roughly the same or slightly less budget. America's state park systems are chronically underfunded and understaffed. The staff of Alabama State Parks creating a world-class conference experience in the midst of a hurricane was a perfect analogy for the lives of state park staff. “These are my people,” I thought while watching them. You are my people.

On the shores of the Gulf last week, I recommitted to spending my life raising the tide of America’s state parks. While I no longer wear the state park seal on my sleeve, I have never felt more a part of the community of America’s State Parks, and I will spend my career working along their side to improve the visitor experience in America’s state parks.

Sincerely,

Ky Harkey, Founder, The Visitor Experience