July 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 10

Lewis Ledford has the distinction of being the first North Carolinian to rise in the
ranks from entry-level ranger (at Mount Mitchell State Park) to director of North Carolina
State Parks and Recreation. During his 35-year career in the division, Ledford served as
superintendent at Mount Mitchell, district superintendent, and superintendent of parks.
Since his appointment as North Carolina's state parks director in 2003, that system has
grown by more than 40,000 acres and has added seven new state parks and a number
of new state natural areas. Throughout, Ledford has been instrumental in developing
important partnerships with conservation organizations, major landowners and local,
federal, and other state agencies. He helped lead the formation of citizen advisory groups for each state park in
North Carolina and strengthened volunteer park friends groups throughout the state.
A graduate of Appalachian State University and the Natural Resources Leadership Institute at North Carolina State University, Ledford has served on numerous professional boards and
committees, including the National Association of State Park Directors, the North Carolina Recreation and Parks Association, and the National Association of State Outdoor Recreation Officers.
Recognition and awards during Ledford's tenure include: Government Conservation Partner of the
Year award from the Conservation Trust of North Carolina and recognition in the Gold Medal Award program for excellence in parks and recreation management. He won the 2007 William Penn Mott Award
for Excellence from the National Society of Park Resources; and in 2010 he was presented the Lifetime
Achievement Award from the College of Natural Resources, PRTM, at North Carolina State University.
He currently chairs the NRPA Public Policy Committee.
C

our message of the value of parks and
open spaces is a compelling one. One that
NRPA depends upon its members across
the country to echo, share, re-tweet, and
re-post. And an old axiom still holds true:
Delegates sit up and listen when they get
calls and messages from their home districts. Numbers matter when legislative
decisions are made, and NRPA depends
upon its membership to remain poised
and ready always to respond energetically to legislative calls to action.
In what ways does NRPA's advocacy
work provide benefit to our membership
and to communities?

Just in the past two years, millions of dollars for parks and recreation projects
were threatened. Due to NRPA's advocacy, those dollars remain available for
our agencies throughout the country to
use. But there are other tangible benefits besides dollars budgeted and projects saved.
Providing good information empowers
people. North Carolina state parks offer
a powerful example of that: Their darkest days may have been the early 1990s
when budgets were starved, parks were
neglected, and infrastructure was failing.
We in the North Carolina state park system began a very systematic information

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campaign not only for our own folks and
the administration but for the local parks
and recreation community, as well. Talking points were well researched and then
repeatedly hammered home. The surprisingly successful bond referendum
followed by the legislative act to establish a dedicated trust fund for state and
local park projects was the end result. It
made believers of us. The effects of that
campaign still reverberate in North Carolina. And NRPA provided the research
and served as a clearinghouse for reliable data and talking points.
It is important to remember that the
information NRPA provides not only buttresses advocacy at the national level,
but that it also helps members confront
issues and sway opinion at the state and
local levels.
I've heard members say that participating in the Legislative Forum is a great
learning experience in how to influence
legislation at any level. Participating in the
forum also builds the confidence of members when it comes to approaching state
and local elected officials. The process
can be especially important for younger
professionals, who can come to realize
that they can have an impact as well, and
that decisions made today will affect the
profession for years to come.

CMY

July 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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