David Rainer: State parks directors group gets glimpse of what Alabama has to offer

While the Alabama Gulf Coast continues trying to reason with hurricane season, that tropical weather aspect of living on the Gulf Coast was a point of fascination during the recent National Association of State Parks Directors (NASPD) Conference at The Lodge at Gulf State Park.

Almost every state in the U.S. was represented at the conference, where directors got to know each other better and exchanged ideas on how to improve state parks around the nation. Louisiana State Parks’ Brandon Burris had to deal with the effects of Hurricane Francine and arrived later in the conference.

Fortunately for Alabama, only the outer bands of Francine reached the Alabama coast, but it gave the conference attendees a glimpse of what coastal residents deal with on an annual basis.

“Of course, we couldn’t plan for this, but one of the most interesting things we heard was that people from the Midwest were excited to actually see what it’s like to be in a tropical system but not be in danger,” said Greg Lein, who will end a 12-year tenure as the Director of Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) Alabama State Parks Division at the end of the month. “They got to see the Gulf of Mexico a little frothy with big waves and got to hear the wind blow. That never occurred to me that people would be interested in that.

“I remember one of the guests – I think it was the director from Idaho – leaned over to me at one point during the meeting, and she said, ‘Are we okay here? Should we be concerned about this storm?’ I said, ‘You’re in the safest place on the Gulf of Mexico right now. You don’t need to worry about a thing.’ She said, ‘Well that’s good news. I think I’m just going to experience it and soak it in.’ That just comes with the territory of living on the Gulf Coast.”

The last time Alabama hosted the NASPD Conference was in 1982 when the old lodge and lodging facilities were still intact. Those facilities were wiped out during Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and the beachfront facilities were in limbo until the Gulf State Park Enhancement Project rebuilt them to an unparalleled standard. The Lodge at Gulf State Park was the first hospitality venue built to certified FORTIFIED™ Commercial Building standards. Although Hurricane Sally in 2020 damaged the recently reopened Gulf State Park Pier, The Lodge prevailed basically unscathed.

“We felt like it was time for our peers to come down to Alabama and see all the hard work and all the good things we’ve been doing,” Lein said. “We wanted to share those experiences, share those lessons and let them see all the positive things that are happening in Alabama. People know we’re great in football and other sports, but we’re not always at the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to great hospitality or iconic places. We knew they would love The Lodge and love the beach.

“It’s been a long time. We have a whole new property to show off with a bunch of other features, so we had a great time hosting them. This has also been unique because most state park systems don’t have a lodge and conference space within a state park that can host a conference of this size.”

During a break in the weather, the attendees took a tour of the park, including Lake Shelby and the new cabins, the Learning Campus, the Campground, the Nature Center, Romar Beach, the Beach Pavilion and the new Glamping Village off Rosemary Dunes.

“There’s so much to show at Gulf State Park,” Lein said. “It’s a huge park with a lot of interesting success stories. I think we made a very positive impression for the State of Alabama on our guests.”

After a video welcome from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship provided the conference attendees with an overview of the many projects and enhancements ADCNR currently is undertaking that benefit Alabamians as well as the millions of visitors at Alabama State Parks. He highlighted the importance of outdoor recreation in Alabama.

“Outdoor recreation is huge in our state – a $14 billion economic impact and 135,000 jobs. That is a big deal,” he said.

Commissioner Blankenship asked for a show of hands for the attendees making their first trip to Alabama.

“About half of the people at the conference had never been to Alabama before,” he said. “I’m happy we were able to provide a glimpse of all that Alabama has to offer. Many of those who raised their hands said they were planning to come back when they didn’t have to work.”

At the conference kickoff, attendees were treated to a huge buffet filled with delicious Alabama seafood.

“If you come to the Gulf Coast of Alabama, you’re going to have to eat some shrimp and crabs and oysters, and I think the people from all over the country sure enjoyed that,” Commissioner Blankenship said. “It’s exciting to have other people from other states here to show off what we’re doing but also to learn from them about the successes they are having in their states that we could replicate here in Alabama. The conversations we had will benefit all of us to do good work at our state parks.”

NASPD Executive Director Lewis Ledford praised Lein’s leadership during a difficult era in Alabama State Parks when funding sources were extremely limited.

“You went from a challenging time when they were talking about closing state parks,” Ledford said. “During Greg’s leadership, that went from that kind of situation to a constitutional amendment changing the enduring support for the Alabama State Parks System. That’s incredible. Thank you for that kind of leadership.

“Alabama is one of the great state parks systems in our country. We’re so glad to be here. I’ve been here several times, from Guntersville to the caverns and mountains as well as the Gulf Coast. It’s just an incredible parks system. Typical of America’s state parks systems, Alabama is very resourceful, very dynamic in managing their parks. When you’re getting the kind of visitation that state parks get in America today, you’ve got to be on the cutting edge of providing resources, protecting the natural resources and providing quality outdoor experiences.”

At the annual NASPD awards banquet, Lein was honored with the Distinguished Director of the Year Award, signifying his achievements accomplished over his tenure as State Parks Director.

“It was a real honor to be recognized like that,” Lein said. “I know the folks who have received that award are a great group of peers.”

Lein is going out as fourth-ranked tenured parks director by years of service, with only three other directors having more time in service.