QUARTERLY Winter 2017 R with some of his friends, formed a non- by Charles Money profi t organiza on in 1938 to con nue As I consider the pending close to the prac ce in the other southwestern my career of service to na onal parks monuments he oversaw. and other public lands, it is hard not to For more than 50 years, these be drawn into refl ec on of what chang- small organiza ons func oned without es have occurred in those four decades, signifi cant change, selling books, guides especially during the years dedicated to and maps in park visitor centers. Some nonprofi t organiza ons. In some ways, generated enough money to invest the forces that changed the landscape in publishing their own books, fi lling of support for our na onal heritage informa onal gaps that commercial were mirrored in the chapters of my publishers couldn’t. The more successful own journey. organiza ons generated enough money Thirty-plus years ago, I took a to donate to the park, primarily to sup- chance. I le a management posi on port the park’s educa onal mission. with the Na onal Park Service (NPS) to However, in 1981, an incident involving join the small staff of a “coopera ng the then Secretary of the Interior, James associa on.” At that me, Southwest Wa , changed the course of coopera ng Parks and Monuments Associa on associa ons. (SPMA) was one of the few nonprofi t For several years, coopera ng as- organiza ons formed by the Na onal socia ons were asked to contribute to Park Service to have paid staff beyond a the Na onal Park Service “Director’s few part- me bookstore clerks. In fact, Fund” to support na onal ini a ves and most of the associa ons were actually programs. Cas ng about to fi nd funds managed by the NPS to do those things to host a private recep on in Arlington that the agency was not allowed to do, House, Secretary Wa procured the principally, to sell books. necessary money from this Director’s SPMA’s own origins in the 1930s Fund. When Wa ’s private use of the emerge from the eff orts of legendary funds and the Arlington House came to superintendent Frank (Boss) Pinkley, to the a en on of the Inspector General’s stem the increasing vandalism to Ari- Offi ce, the close rela onship between zona’s Casa Grande Na onal Monument the coopera ng associa ons and by improving visitor knowledge of the Na onal Park Service employees also site. With no staff and li le fi nancial re- came under scru ny. Soon therea er, a sources, Pinkley personally printed small policy order was issued prohibi ng NPS informa onal booklets, placed them in a employees from si ng on cooperat- coff ee can at the entrance to the monu- ing associa on boards of directors and ment and posted a request for a few from directly engaging in the business cents to be le behind by visitors. Since of the associa ons. These ac ons forced charging the public for informa on was frowned upon by the NPS, Pinkley, along (Refl ecƟ on, con nued on page 2) I: MEET ROCKY’S NEW SUPERINTENDENT! (SEE PAGE 8) 2 Rocky Mountain Conservancy Newsle er (Refl ecƟ on con nued) launched campaign a er campaign to created about li le-known parks, like rebuild decaying infrastructure; building the six-million-acre Gates of the Arc c, the nonprofi ts to expand their boards new trails, construc ng visitor centers, and the largely misunderstood Arc c to include a broader representa on of and crea ng educa onal programs that Na onal Wildlife Refuge, were now their communi es, and to hire manage- sought and welcomed children and priori es, as well as publishing books ment staff . With greater independence families from previously underserved on climate change and the preserva- and increased exposure to innova ve popula ons. on of wildlife habitat. We then turned approaches in the nonprofi t sector, the While championed by the park and our a en on to the youth of Alaska, a stage was set for associa ons to create local communi es, the GGNP Conser- genera on that would eventually face a new vision of support to vancy was not without decisions that would determine the fate na onal parks. With greater indepen- itsi cri cs, especially of the Arc c. Working hand-in-hand In 1988, I was lured dence and increased withinw the more tradi- with our partner agencies, we formed back to San Francisco to be onal leadership circles youth advisory groups and service learn- a part of a newly organized exposure to innova ve ofo the Na onal Park ing programs to help ins ll conserva on nonprofi t focused on the approaches in the Service.S Cries to break values and the importance of intact eco- Golden Gate Na onal nonprofi t sector, the upu the organiza on by systems. The organiza on started to see Recrea on Area (GGNRA), stage was set for separas ng its cooper- its mission beyond working within the a park for which I worked associa ons to create a a ng associa on role boundaries of those public lands, and several years earlier. The new vision of support fromf its development working more on behalf of their survival. Golden Gate Na onal Parks anda fundraising role Our family relished its 14 years in Conservancy, with new- to na onal parks. resounded.r However, Alaska, and each of us carried its wild- found freedoms and the thet success of the Con- ness within us as we migrated south support of a progressive servancy had become to a new adventure, this me back to park management team, set about to widely known and other organiza ons, the fi rst park in which I ever set foot. I create a new model of private-sector sup- including the Rocky Mountain Nature have found within the Rocky Mountain port for a na onal park. Up to that point, Associa on (RMNA), were beginning to Conservancy elements of each of the GGNRA was only known by its individual see the value of such “hybrid” en es. organiza ons for which I have had the parts, a random collec on of abandoned Though some like RMNA were eventually honor of serving. From off ering high- military posts and a few neglected city forced to split, the GGNP Conservancy, quality visitor services and programs, to and state parks. Knowing that it could with the help of a vocal community, resist- improving and growing the park through take decades and tens, if not hundreds, ed such a empts and con nued to be an the philanthropic support of the com- of millions of dollars to transform these example of a highly eff ec ve park partner. munity, to engaging the next genera on disparate parts into something deserving A er more than a decade of work- of park stewards, the Rocky Mountain of the name “na onal park,” the organi- ing to help build a na onal park in the Conservancy is playing vital roles that za on established a full-scale fundraising San Francisco Bay Area, in 1998, the will ensure the park’s relevance and program. “call of the wild” became irresis ble and survival into the next 100 years. By building on the revenues from our family moved northward to Alaska. And just as my personal journey sales of innova ve products and fee- There I was asked to lead what would has followed changing opportuni es to based interpre ve programs in highly later be known as Alaska Geographic. A make a diff erence for these lands, so popular venues in the park such as signifi cant departure from Golden Gate, will the con nued evolu on of nonprofi t Alcatraz Island and Muir Woods, we this organiza on was chartered to sup- organiza ons like the Rocky Mountain pport all of the na onal parks, Conservancy support and nourish our fforests and wildlife refuges in na onal parks and other treasured lands AAlaska, well over 100 million in ways we have yet to imagine. aacres. Yet, despite the size of tthese public lands, annually, tthe number of visitors to just Charley Money AAlcatraz Island alone exceeded has been the aall those that would visit Alaska. execu ve Given the low number of visi- director of the Rocky Mountain ttors, Alaska Geographic became Conservancy ffocused less on visitor ameni es since 2012. aand more about reaching those wwho could have an impact on tthe protec on of Alaska, but wwhom may never see its broad eexpanse of wilderness. Films photo: Jim Ward Rocky Mountain Conservancy Newsle er 3 Ask Nancy Quarterly Editor Nancy Wilson a empts to unearth answers to any ques ons asked by Conservancy members and park visitors. If you are curious about something in or about the park, email [email protected] or write: Nancy Wilson, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, PO Box 3100, Estes Park, CO 80517. What is the word origin of “ptarmigan”? The word ptarmigan comes from the Sco sh Gaelic tàrmachan, which literally means TheThe ConservancyConservancy Publishes:Publishes: “croaker.” The silent p was added in 1684 by Robert Sibbald through the infl uence of Greek, especially pteron, meaning “wing,” “feath- A Unique Paper Collage er,” or “pinion.” — The Oxford Dic onary of Bri sh Bird Names Why do aspen trees form buds for the next season in the Alphabet Book for Rocky late fall when they will soon be exposed to many months of freezing temperatures and desicca ng winds? Why not wait The Rocky Mountain Conservancy is pleased to un l spring to develop these seemingly tender and vulner- able growths? Aspen, as do many trees, form the next year’s buds present its newest publica on for kids: ABC Rocky! during the current year’s growing season — o en these buds are A Rocky Mountain Na onal Park Alphabet Book.