Planning for the outdoors comes at all levels, both personal and for State Park staff. On the first half of this Outdoor Explorer we’ll talk to Ricky Geese, Director of Alaska’s Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, and Zach Babb with the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program about the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, or “SCORP.” This document is in draft form and the state is looking for input from the public. It help sets the state’s priorities when it comes to managing state parks for the next five years. It is also full of interesting data about outdoor recreation and tourism. On the second half of the show Rick Roth of Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking discusses the newest outdoor gear in time for the holiday shopping season.
HOST: Paul Twardock
GUESTS:
Ricky Geese: Director, Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation
Zachary Babb: Program Manager, Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA)
Alaska; NPS
LINKS:
Statewide Outdoor Recreation Plan
Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation
Barneys Sports Chalet
Hoarding Marmot
Play It Again Sports
REI Anchorage
BROADCAST: Thursday, November 17th, 2022. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT
REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, November 17th, 2022. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT
Paul Twardock is a Professor of Outdoor Studies at Alaska Pacific University, where he has worked since 1988. He is the author of Kayaking and Camping in Prince William Sound and help found the Alaska Sea Kayaking Symposium/Paddle Sport Fun Day. At APU he teaches a variety of undergraduate classes included Sea Kayaking, Recreation Program Design, Nordic Skiing, The Business of Recreation, and Wildland Ecosystems and Human Impacts. Paul received his BS in Outdoor Recreation from Western Illinois University, went to work instructing for NOLS in Alaska, then received his MBA from APU. Paul’s research includes monitoring of campsites in Prince William Sound and Chugach State Park for human impact, trail use in Chugach State Park, and the Alaska Recreational Boating Safety Incident Database. His passions include sea kayaking, river boating of all sorts, hiking, mountain running, climbing, skiing of any kind, and birding. One of his last adventures involved a mule ride.
Paul is one of several hosts for Outdoor Explorer
