Since millions of people from across this country use and
enjoy the California State Park system every year, I wanted to share my
thoughts on the recent appointment of retired Marine General Anthony Jackson as
the new State Park Director.
Yesterday, I had the privilege to meet General Jackson in
Sacramento and listen to his vision for restoring public trust and confidence to
state parks. I was impressed with his
motto of “service before self” and that he was bringing his ethos to the
program. I believe a number of other OHV
representatives who also got to meet General Jackson came away with
that same impression.
As a former federal land manager at military bases, he successfully
balanced the use-of-land to train Marines with many of the same environmental challenges
that face the OHV community. Although relatively
new to his current assignment, General Jackson shows a deep understanding of what
it takes in 2013 and beyond to manage both motorized and non-motorized forms of
recreation.
To get a better understanding of the new CA State Park
Director, I would encourage all of you to listen to his January 15, 2013 radio
interview on KQED. The 50 minute
interview will give you a great insight into the man and his views on the
future of state parks. If you cannot
listen to the entire broadcast, I would encourage you to listen to the “OHV-related”
segment from 36:00 to 40:00.
KQED Radio Interview
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201301150900
In closing, I believe he will use his vast experience to
bring accountability to the office and work hard to improve communications
between diverse stakeholder groups, federal and local partners, and others that
have an interest in access to a viable park system.
