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Park Director's Blog

31

A Specialist of F-U-N
By Amy McMillan

 Ask Recreation Program Specialist Nancy Edwards what she does here at the Genesee County Parks and she is likely to chuckle and tell you “…it’s fun and games.”  In fact, Nancy creates more than 600 opportunities for Genesee County families and visitors to enjoy fun and games in summer programs that help them get fit and healthy and connect with nature throughout the Parks. And almost all of these programs are free! Last year, nearly 30,000 people built their family’s summer play schedule around Nancy’s programs.

How does Nancy do this on a shoe-string budget?  She has an extraordinary talent for forming alliances with local partners such as the Genesee Intermediate School District and Safe and Active Genesee for Everyone (SAGE) to expand local resources. She’s also no slouch when it comes to writing grants.  Although 2011 is barely three months old, Nancy’s grant-writing efforts since January have already brought in more than $100,000, which will support programs for outdoor education, community gardening, physical fitness and the arts.

As our Recreation Program Specialist, Nancy is also responsible for coordinating operations at the Mounds ORV Area, For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum, and Genesee County Parks’ boat launches and beaches. And as she says, "...it’s all great work!"

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29

Swan Lake
By Amy McMillan

Although snow continues to cling stubbornly to the shore of Mott Lake and a thin layer of ice lingers along the lake’s eastern edge, a small flock of swans seems undeterred by the weather and has claimed the area on the opposite shore as its own.

They first appeared to scout the shore several weeks ago. Since that time, each morning on my way to the office, I see these amazingly elegant creatures floating serenely on the lake.  All of my cold-weather crankiness disappears, and I could swear that my blood pressure drops 10 points at the sight of these living, swimming works of art.

We talk often about the challenges we face in Genesee County, and we work hard every day as a community to solve our problems. How much easier would this work be if we take the time to briefly lift our collective noses from the grindstone of problem-solving to celebrate and bring attention to the half of our cup that is full?

 

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27

In goes the good air...
By Amy McMillan

Keeping our park visitors safe is the Parks Commission’s #1 priority.  While the responsibility for safety falls first to Park Rangers and Park Maintenance, the Parks Commission has added an extra layer of safety by training our full-time and seasonal employees in CPR and first aid.

Each spring, “that AED Guy” (better known to his friends and family as Joel Thiebault) brings all of his training materials to the Mill Street Dining Room and Crossroads Village and sets up shop for eight days to train Parks Commission employees. When it’s all over, dozens of us have become certified, or renewed our certifications, in CPR and first aid.

We all hope that we never have to put our CPR and first aid training to use, but if you need us, we will be ready to help.

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24

Spring Tune Up
By Amy McMillan

 

There are certain pre-season rituals that many of us do while we are waiting not-so-patiently for spring to burst fully into bloom in the Genesee County Parks:

Cyclers take their bikes to the shop for a spring tune up so they are ready the very moment the last duplicitous patch of black ice has melted from the Bluegill Bike Path.  Walkers and runners shop for new shoes for training in Flushing County Park so that both they and their shoes are in the best possible shape to hit the bricks with the Crim Festival of Races in August.  Trail riders clean their tack and brush the winter hair from their horses’ coats in preparation for their first warm-weather ride in the Hogbacks.  Hikers look forward to the freedom of movement that wearing only one layer of clothing brings to their warm-weather treks through the woods. And our park rangers prepare to remind park visitors of the rules for using the Genesee County Parks, and to ticket when necessary. Before we get too deeply into spring, let’s do a bit of a refresher:

Myth: Genesee County Parks offer great places to have a picnic “under the stars.”

Fact: Half right. The parks offer great places to have picnics, but they close at dusk. Plan your evening so you’ll be packed up and ready to leave before sundown.

Myth: Ok, plan a romantic pre-dusk picnic and pack along a great bottle of wine.

Fact: Half right, again. Enjoy your picnic before dusk and leave the bottle of wine at home. Anyone caught with alcohol in the parks gets a ticket. Doesn’t matter if you’re 17 or 77, there are no exceptions to this rule.

Myth: Grab your friends and go for a chilly “double-dare” pre-season swim in the parks.

Fact: Grab your friends and go for a swim after the designated swimming areas are marked – not before. It’s seriously dangerous to swim before the markers are up, due to drop offs, stumps, and other hazards and it can get you a ticket.

Myth: Dogs are welcome to run loose in the parks. 

Fact:  Pets are so not allowed to run loose in the parks. As the owner of three wonderful dogs, I feel for you on this one. I know we also seriously need an off-leash bark park when financial resources permit. Until then, loose pets disturb other park visitors, they can create havoc with the wildlife and, equally importantly, people and wildlife can create havoc with your beloved dog.  When you bring your dog(s) to the park, keep it on a leash at all times.

Before you head to the parks this spring, click here and take a quick look at the rules and regs for park use; they’re here to help protect you and our thousands of other park visitors.   If you have any questions, get in touch with us at the office or ask a Park employee when you see them at the Parks.
 
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20

Masters of The Gardens
By Amy McMillan


Meeting with our community partners to develop our annual partnership agreements is another sure sign that spring is on the way. 

Master Gardener Joanie Snyder, who coordinates the Genesee County Master Gardener volunteers at Crossroads Village, came to the Parks’ office recently to talk about our 2011 partnership agreement. Joanie’s Master Gardener volunteers are amazingly talented people who plan, plant and maintain many of the gorgeous gardens that grace the Davison Depot, Buzzell House, Parker Carousel, gazebo and other areas throughout the Village.

My favorite part of meeting with Joanie comes after we get the details of who, what, where and when out of the way. That’s when Joanie starts talking enthusiastically about the projects she and the dedicated Master Gardener volunteers have planned for the Village this season. Listening to Joanie talk about plants is like a breath of warm, fresh spring air even on the coldest winter day.
 
So, what does she have in mind for 2011? I am delighted to report that those gorgeous geraniums in reds and salmons that garnered so many compliments last year will be back for a return engagement in the garden at the Davison Depot. And remember that cocoa bean mulch that makes colors pop and smells absolutely delicious? It will be back, too!
 
A small heirloom vegetable garden just outside the kitchen will make its debut. The gardens to be planted on the grounds of the Buzzell House will once again be worthy of appearing on the cover of a glossy gardening magazine. There are also plans to add splashes of color to the Fox House, as the Master Gardeners are adding that lucky historic home to their ever-growing to-do list at Crossroads Village.
 
In fact, from the moment you drive into the Village, you’ll be greeted by spectacular gardens developed and maintained by these dedicated volunteers. But don’t take my word for it. Come and see for yourself. Crossroads Village opens May 28!
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17

A Living Legacy
By Amy McMillan

“There is a thing in me that dreamed of trees…”   Mary Oliver

 I recently read a story in a magazine in which several famous and accomplished people, including American poet Mary Oliver, were asked to reveal their favorite words in the English language. While all of the adjectives and nouns selected were certainly deserving of attention, I was more than a bit disappointed that my favorite word appeared nowhere on the list.
 
Long before I became a parks director, “Tree” was at the top of my list of favorite words.  There is, in my opinion, no other single word that does or could convey the majesty of those marvelous miracles of nature.  Coniferous, deciduous, hardwoods, flowering, all forms and species are beautifully represented by that glorious word:  Tree.
 
From the carefully cultivated collections in the For-Mar Arboretum to the stately oaks, sweeping pines, lavish maples, and dozens of other species throughout our 11,000 acres, trees are one of the most celebrated and best-loved features in each of the Genesee County Parks.
 
Did you know you can honor a loved one by having a tree planted in one of the Parks? Our staff will help you select just the right tree for the location you chose, and they will mark it with an engraved plaque.  It’s a memorial that will be cared for through the years, bringing joyful memories to your family and beauty for all Park visitors to enjoy. 
 
The Carolina Silver Bell pictured here was planted in 2002 by Parks Commission staff as a gift to my family to honor the memory of my father, Don L. McMillan.  Watching it bud and flower each year is truly one of the highlights of my spring.
 
If you would like to plant a tree and create a living legacy in honor of someone you love, please contact Horticulturist Brian VanPatten at For-Mar bvanpatten@gcparks.org

 

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15

Spring Forward
By Amy McMillan

As winter winds to an end, I begin “shopping” for signs of spring the way some people shop for shoes. But instead of the perfect sandals, I am looking for the first robin of spring. 

The calendar may insist that spring does not begin until March 20 this year, but if our clocks can “spring forward” on March 13, so can my search for the return of our beloved state bird. As we have all been told since childhood - and with all due respect to Punxsutawney Phil – the robin is the first true sign that spring is here to stay.

Like all seasoned shoppers, I begin in the places where I have had the most success in the past. Every spring, for the 12 years that I have lived and worked in Genesee County, I adjust my travel route between home and the office to include James Bassett Drive, the County Parks road leading to Bluegill Boat Launch on Mott Lake.  Every year, as the wind begins to blow a bit warmer off the lake and the grass begins to turn green, this little detour rewards me with my first robin sighting of the new year.

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13

And the Addy Award Goes To...
By Amy McMillan

 

Congratulations to the Genesee County Parks Creative Marketing Team that includes Hilda McShane; Teneisha Calhoun; Deb Gray; Olmsted Associates, Inc.; and the Mark Lantz Project on their 2011 Addy Awards from the American Advertising Federation – Greater Flint.
 
The team took home a gold award in the “out-of-home” category, which is advertising speak for “billboards”, a silver award for its radio campaign and a silver for its website design.  As a gold award winner, the billboard campaign will advance to national competition.
 
Here’s a little known radio campaign fact:  That rich, friendly voice you hear in the Parks’ radio spots belongs to Genesee County Parks’ own Facility Management Director Barry June! Click here to hear one of our upcoming radio ads. It will inspire you to think of spring time in the Genesee County Parks.

 

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10

Park Rangers: Trained, Experienced & Ready
By Amy McMillan

The appearance of the first returning redwing blackbirds is a signal that spring is upon us and that our Genesee County Parks will soon be filled with winter-weary families eager to picnic and to toss Frisbees and to walk through the woods without heavy coats and boots. As the parks get busy, I am reminded of all the behind-the-scenes work our Genesee County Park rangers do to help keep your parks safe and welcoming.
 
I say, “behind the scenes” because unless you’ve needed the assistance of a ranger, you probably don’t know the huge scope of activities they are involved in at the parks each year. You know them as the good guys you can go to when you lock your keys in your car, when your son gets stung by a bee and you’re worried that he may have an allergic reaction, and when a group of young kids hanging out at a park needs a bit of corralling.
 
You are right…they are the good guys, and they are even better than you know.
 
For starters, there’s their training. Every one of our Genesee County Park rangers is a police officer, trained to assess and act. They are professionals, and among their greatest assets is the ability to size up a situation quickly and accurately and to respond appropriately.
 
Then there’s their experience. Our county park rangers have a combined total of roughly 2,000 years of experience. Several have been police officers for more than 30 years, and many work as officers in municipalities when they aren’t on duty in the parks. They like their work, and they are very good at what they do.  
 
They are ready. Each park ranger is outfitted with several pounds of equipment designed to assist you and to protect you and to protect themselves and the parks. When they have to enforce the law, they can and they will, and they will do it fairly. Every year they arrest people who disregard park rules and break the law and remove them from the parks so that your visit will be as much fun as you’re hoping for.   
 
Perhaps what distinguishes our Genesee County Park rangers most is that they are a premier example of an effective community policing program. They build relationships with people in the parks so they know what’s going on around them. They know the groups that can be volatile. They recognize the issues that can spark trouble. They are pros at problem solving and they know how to head off situations before they escalate. Our rangers expect good behavior in the parks, and they strategically manage tens of thousands of visitors each year to achieve it.  
 
That’s what I mean by “behind the scenes.”

Being a Genesee County Park ranger is a very specialized line of work. That’s why their training, their experience, their equipment and their commitment are key to the success of their work. I have complete confidence in our Genesee County Park rangers. They are a stellar team, and they make us proud. Next time you’re enjoying the parks, find a ranger and tell ‘em thanks.

 

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8

Partnerships - Everybody Wins!
By Amy McMillan

While the concepts of “partnerships” and “collaboration” are getting a lot of play these days as effective new ways to do business, we at the Genesee County Parks have been collaborating with our colleagues in both the private and public sectors since long before it became the trendy thing to do.
 
Collaboration is about more than just playing nicely together. It is about playing smartly together.  When organizations can work together, combine resources and stretch their budgets, everybody wins.
 
Each year, the Genesee County Parks partners with dozens of organizations of all sizes to expand the opportunities we provide to Genesee County residents, visitors, and businesses.  Here are just a few examples:
 
Genesee County Master Gardeners
 
Crim Fitness Foundation
Child Connect
 
Genesee District Library
Flint Public Library
 
Vietnam Veterans of America
Friends of the Crossroads Carousel
 
Genesee County Herb Society
Genesee Intermediate School District
 
SAGE Coalition
Holloway Lake Association
 
GCCARD
Valley Area Agency on Aging
 
National Kidney Foundation
Genesee Lions
 
4C’s
Flint River Watershed Coalition
Friends of For-Mar
Friends of the Flint River Trail
 
 
Mid MI Railroad Historical Society
Keep Genesee County Beautiful
 
Our partnerships and collaborations are a vital part of the behind-the-scenes activities that help keep your 11,000 acres of Genesee County parkland in top shape and ready for you to enjoy, so look for more stories about them in the weeks to come.
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