Dear Dane County Park System Users,
As your County Parks Director for 18 years and working for Dane County Parks and Land & Water Resources Department for 28 years, I will be retiring on July 1, 2021. I appreciate the opportunities that I’ve been given to serve you and would like thank all of you, our volunteers, partners and park visitors for the amazing support you’ve given to growing the Dane County Parks System and programs.
I have a deep appreciation for our staff and the county officials that have supported our programs. Parks staff are very dedicated supporting a 24/7 operation and go to great lengths to make sure that our facilities are well designed to fit into the landscape, maintained and prepared for public use, and available to accommodate multitudes of special events and activities.
Dane County Parks is well positioned for the future. The county is set apart by its unique landscape shaped by the Wisconsin glaciation providing lakes, rivers and streams, steep rugged valleys to the west and low land marshes, lakes and rising drumlins to the east. Dane County is also shaped by its active outdoor-oriented community. Our parks, trails and open spaces provide access to our unique natural resources attracting tourists and businesses which support our economy. There are many more initiatives to come, new partnerships and amazing opportunities to strengthen our diverse and growing community. I challenge you to find another park system, with the volunteers, partnerships and community support as our Dane County Parks System.
One support program that I would like to highlight is the Foundation for Dane County Parks, Inc. This is a grassroots nonprofit organization established to provide sustainability for our growing County Park System. Please continue to advocate for your favorite parks and their Friends Groups while also supporting the Foundation.
While this is the end of my term as Parks Director, I leave you in good hands. Joleen Stinson, Deputy Parks Director, will take over as the Interim Parks Director during this transition. As I move on to new pursuits including volunteering my time to support our public lands, I hope our paths will cross again.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
Sincerely,
