Episodes

It's Leopold Week where we celebrate the life and work of Aldo Leopold, the "Father of Wildlife Ecology" and no doubt a big influence on many of us in the conservation field. But how many of us stop to appreciate the fact that Leopold is from here in Iowa, born and raised in Burlington (my hometown, incidentally). So much of what he wrote and what has been written about his focuses on his professional life and his travels and accomplishments outside of Iowa. But the "Land Ethic" that he's so wel...

Kody Wohlers has built a career around fire. Now he is ensuring that future generations of land managers have the skills and experience to properly apply this critical management tool to landscapes in their own communities. The Loess Hills Alliance's Cooperative Burn week has become the gold standard for agencies working together to not only impact a globally significant landscape, but to teach and mentor up-and-coming conservationists along the way. In this episode Kody tells us how it all came...

There's a lot going on in the statehouse lately, notably a bill in the Senate that would fund the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund (aka IWiLL ) while making some significant changes to various other tax codes. In this episode, I chat with ICCS CEO Adam Shirley about some of the bill's details, what some of the response has been to it, and what we can do as parks and conservation professionals to keep the Trust funding momentum going. As with all legislative updates, this infor...

What if we gave every student in an entire 4th or 5th grade class a fully immersive, week long, multidisciplinary outdoor learning experience? That’s exactly what School of the Wild is doing in school districts across Iowa. In this episode I talk with Jay Gorsh, the program’s director, and Kenny Slocum, a Naturalist from Clayton County, about the program and how we can bring it to our communities. To learn more or to find Jay’s contact info, just Google “Iowa school of the wild” or go to www.out...

This is the first of what will likely be many legislative updates shared through this show. This is a snapshot of the status of the Iowa Legislature as it applies to the world of county conservation as of this day in time (January 30, 2023). There are a lot of moving parts in the legislature so if you listen to this much past the original posting date, there's a good chance some of this will be outdated already. So it goes... I do plan to post these updates with some regularity, especially as ex...

Here on day two of the Winterfest conference I chat with The Armless Archer, Matt Stutsman and try not to go too fan-boy on him. I also chat with some of the event’s presenting sponsors and Adam Shirley, the new CEO of Iowa’s County Conservation System.

Coming to you live (sorta) from the annual Winterfest Conference in Coralville. Here we dig into what goes into putting on the premier county conservation employee conference and get some insight into the event itself. This is the first in a series of episodes recorded live at the event.

It's the beginning of a new era for Iowa's County Conservation System. Adam Shirley just officially took the reins as CEO, carrying forward the work and legacy left by 47-year County Conservation veteran Tom Hazelton. But no doubt Adam will put his on spin on things and bring his own ideas and initiatives in the coming years, as all leaders do. Curious to hear what he has in mind for the future of the nation's best county conservation system, I had what I suspect will be the first of several cha...

For the first post of 2023, I’m asking for your help. Over the break I determined that the scope of this podcast is, and will most likely continue to be, focused on county conservation. That’s the world I know and love and therefore is the world for which I want to create content. So I need feedback from you, the county conservation employee, regarding what topics to cover and who to talk to on this show. And also, what should I call it? I don’t know that the "Outdoor Executive Dad" moniker is t...

In this episode, the tables are turned when the host becomes the guest. I recently joined Steven Brody, Director of the Chamber of Commerce here in my hometown of Burlington, IA for an episode of their podcast, All Things Greater Burlington . We talked about issues facing parks and conservation, the various programs and facilities my department manages, and plans for the future. And I shared some of my parks and conservation philosophy along the way. Enjoy!

Some business deals get done in bars. Others, as today's guest, Jeremy Hess, has discovered, get done in boats. On the river. While catching catfish. As the Director of Economic Development for the Greater Burlington Partnership, Jeremy knows a thing or two about bringing businesses to town. He also knows how important parks and recreation amenities are to business leaders and today's workforce. This conversation explores the intersection of parks and economic development. Along the way, we disc...

How do you build a strong, cohesive team? Drink beer and catch fish together! Okay, maybe that's not exactly the way today's leaders should operate, but early in Brian Moore's career nearly 40 years ago, it worked pretty well. Brian recently retired after more than 32 years leading the conservation department in Chickasaw County. In this episode, we talk about why it's important to get people out of their normal routines sometimes, how he went about strategic planning, and how 30+ years went by ...

I wanted to know how important parks and outdoor recreation amenities are from a workforce recruitment perspective so I reached out to the recruiter for my county's largest employer - the local health system. KC Fleming is tasked with finding and recruiting physicians for Great River Health, convincing professionals at the top of their fields to relocate to southeast Iowa. And while our conversation does focus mostly on this part of the state, the take-home message is the same: Parks and outdoor...

43 years is a long time to do anything, and Dennis Lewiston spent that long working in county conservation, spending 37 of those years in Jefferson County alone. The wealth of knowledge that these long-serving leaders bring really is astounding and that's why I do this podcast. I've said repeatedly that we're playing the long game in our professions. Yet for those of us in the trenches, those of us with half a career ahead of us, it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day grind. But as guests like ...

Shortly after Ray Delmege started his career at Polk County Conservation, he was assigned to Jester Park which was described to him as "a glorified cow pasture where motorcycle gangs and college kids came to drink beer and party." If you've been to Jester Park lately, you know it's a long way from a "glorified cow pasture" today. In fact it's a poster child for what county parks can become when tenacious park and conservation leaders relentlessly pursue a vision for a better future. I originally...

If you build it, but nobody knows about it, will anybody come? What's the "personality" of your organization? How do you build so much trust among your community that 81% of it votes to give you $65 million to further your parks and conservation efforts? That's what I discuss with Kami Rankin and Shae Rossetti from Polk County Conservation in this episode. They were responsible for the department's community outreach efforts for years, recently culminating in the successful $65 million bond issu...

When one county department sues another over a hog confinement issue, that's a story worth telling. But then again, over a 40-year career, you end up with plenty of stories to tell. Bob Etzel retired from Tama County Conservation after a four-decade stint as the department's director. In this episode, recorded back in mid-2020, he shares some of his insight from a long career in county conservation. We discuss working with boards, favorite books, hiring good employees, the likelihood that Tom Ha...

In this podcast, I try to glean insight from those that have been in the industry for a while and this guest certainly fits that criteria. Rick Schneider served as director in Woodbury County for 43 years and shares some of his knowledge and experience with us in this episode. Enjoy! And if you're enjoying the podcast, please share it with your colleagues in the industry. Tell them about it or forward the link to your favorite episode. Thanks for listening!

Adams County, Iowa is one of, if not THE, smallest counties in the state. Yet the county conservation department's main park, Lake Icaria, generates over $600,000 annually in direct revenue with a local economic impact of $3-4 million. In this county of less than 4,000 people, 73% of voters in 2016 approved a $1.3 million bond referendum to invest in their favorite county park and economic engine. The Board of Supervisors added to it with other financing mechanisms resulting in well over $3 mill...

Tom Hazelton is to County Conservation what Aldo Leopold is to the concept of a Land Ethic, or what Ding Darling is to political cartoons about environmental topics. Tom has been involved in County Conservation his entire adult life, having served a full career as a Park Ranger in Linn County then "retiring" into the role of CEO of Iowa's County Conservation System in 2011. At the end of 2022, Tom will "retire" yet again, handing over the CEO reigns to a new leader. But he won't go far. We're su...

Linn County is the third of four counties in Iowa where voters overwhelmingly approved funding to support parks, trails, water quality, and other quality of life improvements via the county conservation department. In this episode, I interview Linn County Conservation Director Dennis Goemaat about Linn County's bond. Enjoy! If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with other colleagues in the field. And don't forget to subscribe and leave a review in whatever podcast app you use. Doing so help...

In 2008, voters in Johnson County passed the state's first county conservation bond referendum. In this discussion with Larry Gullett, Director at Johnson County Conservation, we go over how the bond came to be...and almost didn't. This is the second in a series of episodes focused on county conservation bond referendums that have passed throughout the state over the years. If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and leave a review. Doing so will help other park and conservation professional...

Polk County voters have passed two bonds to be used by the county conservation department for park and trail development, water quality, and other quality of life improvements. The first bond passed in 2012 with over 70% support. The second one passed in 2020 with 81% support. In this episode, I talk with County Conservation Director Rich Leopold about how these bonds came to be, what they learned through two bond referendum processes, and how Polk County Conservation has developed such immense ...

I had a moment of insight while walking a trail today and couldn’t help but share it. Too often we parks and conservation leaders get lost in the job and the day-to-day grind that we forget why we do what we do (at least I do, anyway). In a moment of literally seeing the forest for the trees, I sat along the trail and recorded this as a way to remind myself - and hopefully you, too - not to forget why we do this work. We’re leaving a legacy, writing our signatures on the landscape of our communi...