ANPR President Scot McElveen's Remarks at Ranger Rendezvous 32
Dec. 7, 2009, Gettysburg, Pa.

The Year in Review

Good morning. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Scot McElveen, ANPR’s president and the guy you get many of those ANPR e-mail reminders from. The focus of my remarks today is loosely based on what type of year 2009 has been for ANPR, but I also hope we will be making some organizational decisions this week that will affect what kind of year ANPR has in 2010.

Historically, this has been a good decision-making week for me because in fact 18 years ago this week, I made a decision with some calculated risk to ask Jeannine, who is now my better half in every sense of that phrase, if she would like to go out on a date with me. And after the longest 45 seconds of my life, filled with silence on the telephone, she agree to give it a try against her better judgment. As this week progresses I hope that I can invite some of you to take a calculated risk with me to become more active in ANPR business.

As you all know, not far from here 146 years ago another president gave a famous speech that although brief, 278 words to be exact, were exactly the right words for the moment. I fear that my remarks will not be as brief or as well suited to the moment as those, but I do hope that they will convey a sense of where ANPR is as 2009 closes, and a few places we may try to take it as a new decade begins. I will be happy to recognize anyone who has a question or comments during my remarks, or I will definitely leave time at the end for questions and comments.

Rick Gale Honored

First, I must acknowledge something missing from this Rendezvous, something that has never happened in the history of Rendezvous. We are missing a certain persona; about 20 rows back usually sitting on the center aisle, with a cowboy exterior and a work ethic on behalf of ANPR that was seldom rivaled in our 32-year history. That’s right, this is the first Ranger Rendezvous ever held in which our friend and past president Rick Gale is not in attendance. For years there was a loose contest between the original 33 founding members on who would be the last one to say that they had attended every Rendezvous. As other individuals dropped out I could see Rick was proud to be the last. He was also proud to say that he never had attended one single breakout session at Rendezvous unless he was involved in teaching or facilitating it. I think we all have our fond memories of him at Rendezvous, whether it was hawking raffle tickets, collecting fines as bailiff, making that off-handed remark that was usually right on point at a business session, or just giving career encouragement and advice to us individually. To many Rick became the embodiment of ANPR. During Rick’s tenure as ANPR president we made some of our most significant organizational progress on things like Ranger Careers, housing and IRF, and we had our highest membership numbers (over 1,700) and our highest financial assets during this period.

Rick’s untimely passing in March left a void in ANPR, but I’m sure it is nothing compared to the sense of loss felt by Rick’s family. To Rick’s family members here with us in Gettysburg, his daughter Beth, son-in-law Cliff, and granddaughter Lily, and to Rick’s other family members who will read these remarks later, let me pass along the deepest sympathies of ANPR’s members for your loss, to be added to our thanks for sharing him with us for 31 years. We know that Rick is here in spirit with us this week as evidenced by the appearance of his briefcase that again sits in its usual place while Rick is around talking to members, raising funds and spreading his good cheer. Rick was frequently referred to as ANPR’s fund raiser-in-chief. A memorial fund was set up in Rick’s name and many members generously donated. At the request of Rick’s family, the money collected ($4,700) will be used to support and help achieve some of the NPS Second Century Committee goals.

Last year we recognized those who had retired from the NPS prior to Rendezvous, so this year we’d like to recognize those who have retired since last year’s Rendezvous or those who are retired but were not at last year’s Rendezvous to be recognized. Please stand. Thanks for your efforts on behalf of the National Park System and Service, and for your continued support through ANPR.

Loaded Guns in Parks Debate

What do you think of how ANPR’s 2009 went? Chronologically we started out the year continuing with the “whether loaded guns are appropriate in parks” debate. We had initial success in our advocacy, but that was later trumped by the United States Congress. Let me explain. NPCA asked both ANPR and CNPSR if we would be interested in joining them in a lawsuit to challenge the new 36 CFR firearms regulation pushed through at the very end of the Bush administration. The three nonprofits retained the Hogan & Hartson law firm of Washington, D.C.; ANPR did so on a pro-bono basis. The legal filings of Hogan & Hartson led quickly to a U.S. District Court suspension of the regulation on grounds of failure to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. That victory was relatively short-lived because in May the U.S. Congress passed legislation attached to the Credit Card Holders Rights Act that permits the possession of firearms in national park system units per state law. That means all firearms, not just concealed weapons. CNPSR and ANPR continue to offer our opinions to NPS management on how to implement this law with the least negative impact on park resources, values, employees and visitors. The new law takes effect Feb. 22.

As usual, we began the year with money and membership numbers concerns. As we met in Santa Fe last December our membership numbers were at 1,208, about a 150-membership increase from the year before. At that time I said, “Wouldn’t it be great to gain another 100 memberships by the time we meet in Gettysburg?” Early in 2009 our memberships had fallen to 931. Unfortunately we did not make that 100 membership gain again in 2009, but I am happy to say we held on to what we had and are currently at 1,190. Teresa Ford will speak more about our membership numbers later, but let’s use proven methods and try new ways to get our membership numbers to 1,300 by the end of 2010. I’m also happy to say that our finances have been stable in fiscal years 2008 and 2009. In FY2008, our net income was just under $4,700. So far in FY2009, our net income is approximately $20,000.

Our new membership numbers continue to be strongest in the seasonal category, and part of those numbers relate to ANPR’s health insurance program. For the second year in a row, ANPR’s health insurance program flyer was distributed by WASO to NPS regional offices. This still is not our preferred distribution method to NPS employees as we believe it doesn’t maximize the number of people who find out about this program. With administration changes come new political leadership in the NPS Washington office, and we hope to revisit this distribution method in 2010.

To Seek NPS Recognition of Rendezvous

With this new NPS leadership in place, we also hope to revisit the discussion of NPS recognition of Ranger Rendezvous as an official professional development opportunity worthy of attendance on NPS duty time with paid travel and per diem, at supervisory discretion, of course.

We seated four new board members and appointed one (due to a resignation) in February. We also have had a recent resignation in October when Craig Ackerman, our board member for special concerns, cited NPS work time commitments that allowed little time to devote to ANPR business. That leads us to board elections for members whose terms will begin in 2010. We have four openings and those are president elect, fundraising activities, membership services and special concerns. I renew my plea to the next generation of ANPR leadership to come forward, especially those of you who have just joined in the last decade. Just last week I received an e-mail from an ANPR member and he expressed his desire to see ANPR do less whining and produce more tangible outcomes that are positive for employees and public lands, and he listed many worthwhile efforts we could and perhaps should be involved in (see page 17).

My reply to him was that ideas are good, but without volunteers to do the work necessary to develop organizational positions, establish and maintain lines of communication, fact check, investigate, travel, etc., then it is unlikely that any of those worthy causes or outcomes will involve ANPR. It has always been my perception that ANPR is willing to go wherever its volunteer workers take it, and I can give several examples of that, like the Wupatki eaglet issue in 2000, or ANPR representation at NAI or other professional conferences, or our health insurance program. In each of those cases an individual ANPR member or a group of ANPR members had an idea and committed the time and energy to it. Serving on the board is one significant way to bring your ideas and desires to fruition. Except for the president’s position, board members should be willing to put in two to five hours per week to work on ANPR business.

ANPR has a wonderful opportunity in the next few years to be on offense and assist the NPS in many ways that will help the agency, the System and ANPR and its members, as opposed to playing defense as we have in the recent past. Helping ANPR and its members, and most likely helping your own career aspirations is opportunity waiting for you, that you should not pass up in the positive outlook I expect will continue for several years. Heck, I’m excited just telling you about it and remembering how it worked for me my first time on the board, which was 20 years ago this year. We will accept nominations for open offices here at Rendezvous on Thursday or nominations can be made by e-mail or fax no later than Thursday, Dec. 17.

Submitted Comments on Bike Trails in Parks

In another regulatory matter, ANPR submitted comments in opposition to a proposed regulation revision that, in our opinion, would have given park superintendents almost singular power to establish bike trails, even in park backcountry. Our belief is that the current level of checks and balances in the Part 7 Special Regulations process better protects park resources from poor decision making often influenced by local pressures and/or individual career concerns.

ANPR’s board voted to reword several sections in our bylaws, mainly relating to our organizational statement of purpose. At almost every location in the bylaws where the group being addressed was “park ranger” we changed that to “National Park Service employees of all disciplines.” You may ask why we did that. Over the years we’ve not always been able to convince NPS employees in non-park ranger positions that ANPR advocates for them, too. These changes remove any doubt that ANPR is an organization for all NPS employees, with the only remaining vestige of “rangers-only” being our name.

Early in the year ANPR signed a contract for Ranger Rendezvous 33 at the Riverhouse Hotel in Bend, Oregon. The dates are Oct. 30-Nov. 4, 2010. I want to talk this location up early and often in 2010, but that will be hard to do if the volunteers necessary to plan, organize, coordinate and execute this event don’t materialize soon. The same holds true for 2011. We have not yet begun to search for that eastern location, mainly because it would be irresponsible to sign a contract that could obligate substantial ANPR monies without an indication that there will be the leaders and coordinators necessary to pull off a successful Rendezvous. So, we are in a wait-and-see mode for the Rendezvous in 2011. If any of you or a group of you would like to talk about hosting the event in a location near you, please speak with me or any board member.

In 2007, ANPR surveyed NPS employees in an attempt to learn more about what type of activities ANPR could pursue that would attract more of them to become members. One area identified was as a training provider. In 2008, ANPR offered two training courses in conjunction with Rendezvous, but we did not get enough registrants in either course to hold them. This year our board member for education and training, Rebecca Harriett, arranged to offer “Operational Leadership” training here in Gettysburg. I am pleased to say that course is being held and concludes today, but there were more spaces that we could have filled in this course. Should we continue to offer training in 2010? Are NPSers really interested? Part of our original reasoning to try this was the 2006 survey of federal employees in which NPS employees ranked themselves 209 of 223 in employee satisfaction with training courses the agency offers them. This same survey in 2009 ranks the NPS 206 of 216, so it seems that the opportunity is still there. But what courses could ANPR offer at what dates and what locations? Those are the questions ANPR needs to successfully answer to make ANPR-provided training a successful venture.

College Chapters of ANPR

Last year we embarked on an attempt to involve more students in ANPR by encouraging college chapters to form. In theory, we have chapters formed or forming at Hocking College, the University of Tennessee, New Mexico State University and Slippery Rock University. ANPR offers networking to these folks as they look for opportunities for jobs in the NPS. This week I ask all of you to make new friends, invite some of these new folks (blue buttons) into your conversations in the hallways or in the Hospitality Room, or invite them to lunch or dinner with your group. Don’t make a liar out of me. We are friendly people and interested in being helpful to young people trying to start their NPS careers.

Last year we began to discuss if a change in ANPR’s organizational leadership structure would help recruit more new members, retain more existing members, and/or energize existing members to make them more active. Some members recall our previous structure with regional representatives that mirrored NPS regions and wondered if we should return to that structure. The regional reps often knew at least one ANPR member in each park in their region to facilitate communications. Another idea was to add representation for several of the major career fields to further ensure everyone understands that ANPR is an organization for all NPS employees. In the last month, we asked our e-mail listed members to participate in an online survey to test some of these questions. One hundred responses were received, and while I haven’t received the final report yet, some of the preliminary results are interesting.

In response to questions if an organizational change would affect membership renewal, 22% said they’d be more likely to join, 78% said no effect; even 22% increased renewal could mean about 40 more renewing members at our current rate of loss.

In response to a question if an organizational change would affect the rate that nonmembers may join, 11% said more likely, 87% said no effect. Even 11% could be a sizable number of new members if, in theory we’re talking about 11% of the 20,000-plus NPS employees who currently are not members of ANPR.

In response to a question if an organizational change would increase involvement in ANPR by current members, 56% said more likely, 43% said no effect. 56% of current membership extrapolates into approximately 625 members more actively engaged and involved in ANPR business. Wouldn’t that be fantastic!

So, let’s talk about this again this week, informally at breaks, meals or in the hospitality room, and then bring it back to the floor for discussion later this week. Many of you are familiar with ANPR’s Bill Supernaugh Memorial Scholarships, which allow members or NPS employees who have never attended a Rendezvous to come with the majority of their travel expenses and registration fees paid. Last year we offered three scholarships, and this year we were able to offer four scholarships out of 15 applicants. I’d like to identify those selected individuals by asking them to stand: Stephanie Steinhorst, Tom Grant, Christina Garton and Todd Bishop.

Help Continue Supernaugh Memorial Scholarships and Rick Gale Memorial Fund

And now I’d like to ask each of you to help us fund this worthwhile endeavor (the Supernaugh Scholarships) and the Rick Gale Fund by opening your wallets, purses or pockets right now and donating what you can to these funds for scholarships that will be awarded for the Rendezvous in 2010 in Bend, Oregon, and to continue Rick Gale’s work on behalf of ANPR. Whatever amount we collect now will be equally divided between the two funds. In particular, in relationship to the Supernaugh Scholarships, the dollars donated now and during the year are the only source of funds for these scholarships named in honor of longtime ANPR member and second generation NPS employee Bill Supernaugh. Bill loved coming to the Rendezvous and participating fully in it both professionally and socially. So if you are so inclined, please give to these funds at whatever level you feel comfortable with. Just pass any donation toward the center aisle and we’ll pick those up.

Later in this year ANPR, along with 50 other organizations or groups, NPS personnel, members of Congress and the administration, were invited by NPCA and the Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy to participate in a conference to start the process of formulating how the recommendations of the National Parks Second Century Commission might best be achieved and implemented. If you have not already read this report with its recommendations, I encourage you to do so. And, then perhaps many of you will decide you’d like to lend your advice and/or your time to help ANPR do its part in this effort. For those of you working in NPS entry level jobs or others who just don’t believe their voice is heard inside the official NPS chain of command communications, here is an excellent opportunity to be a part of high-level decision-making that has great potential to affect future operations of the NP system and the NPS. If you want ANPR to regain some of its former clout among higher level NPS managers, Congress and the Executive Branch, this is one tremendous opportunity. Help us to not miss this opportunity in 2010.

Future of ANPR

Finally, tomorrow we are going to have a business meeting specifically to talk about the future of ANPR. At that discussion there may be a proposal submitted to the board for a vote to support a gathering of new generation of potential ANPR leaders to map out a plan for how we transition from an organization that meets the needs of 20th century NPS employees to one that meets the needs of 21st century NPS employees.

Making any nonprofit, volunteer organization as successful as it can be is a circular proposition. The more active the current members are, the higher the quality and quantity of accomplishments the organization achieves. The higher that achievement level is the more nonmembers want to join and become members to be associated with the success. The higher membership numbers translate into more clout and communications with decision-makers (NPS management, Congress, administration), and more stable finances. More clout and communication with decision makers and more stable finances allows for higher level organizational accomplishments in quantity and quality. And the circle starts all over again.

Rick Gale knew this circle of success well and he was our most successful leader in getting it out of neutral and into drive. On Rick’s behalf and on behalf of your current officers and board, I ask each of you to volunteer some small amount of your time and energy to ANPR in 2010. Seize this opportunity and moment that we have right now, and perhaps not again for another political cycle, to start that circle of success moving more rapidly. Based on what I saw last year in Santa Fe and am already seeing this year, I’m encouraged, but ANPR’s future success really depends on each of you.

Thank you for your attendance here this week, and with that I’ll open the floor to any questions or comments you might have.

— Scot McElveen