APPL focuses on nonprofit and agency partnerships, and the people who foster these relationships at the field level. Nancy Kotz, our Member Services Coordinator, recently had a chance to sit down with Dale Ditmanson, Superintendent and Kevin Fitzgerald, former Deputy Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the recipients of our 2013 Agency Partner of the Year Award. Here is what Dale and Kevin had to say about receiving this honor from APPL and about the value of partnerships between nonprofits and public land management agencies:

Dale Ditmanson

APPL: What was your reaction upon learning that you had been selected for this award?

Ditmanson: I was deeply honored that the Board of Directors and leadership of the Great Smoky Mountains Association would consider nominating Kevin and I for our partnership in caring for this special place, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I am humbled that their nomination resulted in Kevin and I being recognized as the Association of Partners for Public Lands’ Agency Partners of the Year.

Fitzgerald: I was completely taken by surprise upon learning the news that Dale and I had been nominated, much less selected for this tremendous honor.

APPL: Do you think winning the award will enhance the perception of your work?

Ditmanson: This award is a wonderful acknowledgement of the true partnership we share with many organizations at the Smokies. It is not just the organizations, but individuals that have a deep appreciation and concern for caring for the National Park and the millions of people that visit year after year. So the question should be, will this enhance the perception of OUR work? Yes, I believe our partnership collaboration will continue to grow.

Fitzgerald I think that it will certainly affirm what we and those who know us already believe, which is that we sincerely value the relationships we have with our park partners. It has been long understood that perception in many instances is reality and our partnerships are genuinely solid, mutually respectful, productive and effective.

APPL: What do you believe are the most important factors in developing and maintaining strong and successful public lands partnerships?

Ditmanson: Our partnerships have been so successful because we have exhibited the ability to talk out load with each other, to engage in open discussion and not hesitate to ask critical questions. We have set and achieved lofty goals, and celebrated tremendous accomplishments. We have also rolled up our sleeves to work together when times have been tough to assure long term success.

Kevin Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald There are many factors in developing and maintaining any successful relationship and I would consider things like frequent and open communications, having an understood and shared vision, mutual respect, trust that demonstrates each other’s interests are being cared for and the ability to have fun! It never hurts to have good leadership, a great staff and a product (both the park and the partners) that people really appreciate.

APPL: What advice would you give to other public land agency colleagues with regard to the agency / nonprofit partner relationship?

Ditmanson: There has not been a day in my tenure as Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park that I have not given thanks for the wonderful support provided by our key partnerships with the Great Smoky Mountains Association and the Friends of the Smokies. In other words, say thanks often! Other critical elements of success; stay true to your mission, share information, collaborate on priorities, and most of all be flexible and understanding.

Fitzgerald: Nothing earth shattering, just some common sense reminders that work in fostering any relationship, be it personal or professional. Really make an effort to get to know your partners, including their boards, staff and membership. Be honest about what you can and cannot do for each other, know where the line is and steer clear of it.  Be open to new ideas and have a clear understanding of the difference between law and policy.

APPL’s Agency Partner of the Year Award recognizes a public lands agency employee or employees who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in cultivating an atmosphere of partnership between their agency and the nonprofit organizations with which they are affiliated. Nominations for this award are accepted from APPL member organizations each fall and the recipient is chosen by our Government Relations Committee. Previous winners include Joe Meade, USDA Forest Service; Rich Weideman, National Park Service; and Timothy Wakefield, Bureau of Land Management.

The relationship between APPL members and the vendors with whom they work is symbiotic . Three quarters of our members are involved in interpretive retail and many others seek items for member premiums. They look for vendors who can supply products that have value to their visitors and are sensitive to the often specialized needs of public lands sites.

Our Members Services Coordinator, Nancy Kotz, recently spoke with Sam Dunham of Concept360, the recipient of our 2013 Outstanding Vendor Award, regarding their work with nonprofit public land partners. Concept360 develops personalized retail apparel programs. Learn more about their products and services at www.c360apparel.com. APPL’s members selected Concept360 for this honor for listening to associations and their agency partners as part of their strategy for delivering quality products with strong interpretive messages.

APPL: What was your reaction upon learning that you had been selected for this award? 

Concept360: Our reaction to being selected for this award was humbled and thrilled! Concept360 has great customers and each one has added something special to our business.

APPL:  Do you think winning the award will enhance the perception of your company’s products / services?

Concept360: Winning the award is an honor. Concept360 has grown through the 25+ years by word of mouth and this means the most to us. This is the reason we stay focused on our track record with existing customers. We would like to thank all our customers.

APPL:  What are some of the factors that have contributed positively to Concept360’s relationship with its nonprofit public lands customers?

 Concept360: Concept360 has taken the long term view that our customers are at a distinct place on how they build their sales and fulfill their mission. By being unique and using creative merchandise to connect people with their parks. These are some of the factors that have contributed to our positive relationships. It is not about any one item but about building programs and about adding value on multiple levels. It’s keeping focused on the end result.

APPL:  How has participation in the APPL convention helped contribute to your business relationships?

Concept360: The convention is a great time to connect with customers and celebrate successes and develop the next steps for the future. Partnerships make us all better. It is an ecosystem that makes everyone’s success more likely.

APPL: What advice would you give to other companies who provide products / services to nonprofit public land partners? 

Concept360: Those of us fortunate enough to have grown up enjoying public lands and raising our kids on public lands need to find effective and creative ways to further the mission and create new revenue streams for the nonprofit partners. With the National Park Centennial around the corner those Associations that position themselves with the creative and unique businesses will stand out and I believe have tremendous success.

APPL’s Outstanding Vendor Award recognizes a company that has demonstrated exceptional achievement in working with APPL member organizations to enhance the quality of their retail services and the visitor experience at public land sites. Nominations are accepted each fall from among APPL’s members and the winner of the award is determined by the buyers. Impact Photographics received the first Outstanding Vendor award in 2011. HogEye, Inc was honored as the 2012 recipient.

Our 2013 Excellence Award winner is Manzanar History Association (MHA) for their book, Children of Manzanar, edited by Heather Lindquist and published by Heyday Books. The book uses archival photographs and firsthand accounts to convey the experiences of some of the nearly 4,000 children and young adults held at Manzanar Internment Camp during World War II. Quotes from Manzanar’s children, most now in their eighties and nineties, are accompanied by photographs from both official and unofficial photographers, including Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and Toyo Miyatake, himself an internee who for months secretly documented daily life inside the camp, and then openly for the remaining years Manzanar operated. The book took top honors in our Children’s Media category.

Our Member Service Coordinator, Nancy Kotz, recently had the opportunity to speak electronically with two of the key players in this project to learn more about the story behind the creation of this award winning publication.

The answers to these questions are combined from two sources:

• Mary Daniel founded Manzanar History Association (MHA) in 2003 and shepherded the organization until 2007. She conceived the topic and shape of Children of Manzanar, secured grant funding, established the collaboration with Heyday Books, and got the project underway in 2005. After leaving MHA, she remained in touch with the project until the book’s publication.
• Maggie Wittenburg succeeded Mary Daniel at MHA in 2007 and managed the book project thereafter.

APPL Executive Director, Donna Asbury (R) with Maggie Wittenberg (L) in the Manzanar store.

APPL: Why did you enter this project?

MHA: The purpose of MHA is to support the NPS in its mission of telling the stories of Japanese American internment during World War II.  For the choice of its first publication, it was felt that there was a gap to be filled in the existing material on the subject. There was no presentation of the unique experiences of the children whose lives were irrevocably shaped by their years behind barbed wire.

This is indeed our first publication, so the decision to enter the project for consideration was not derived from choosing among multiple candidates. We did, however, take into consideration the very high bar of quality set by previous finalists and winners of the APPL Media Awards. We really did feel that our book could compete with “the big boys” — the large APPL members with multiple books and other media projects.

APPL: What was your favorite part of this project?

MHA: Mary notes that in the early stages of research and spending time with the archival material, she was transported to the place and time she felt she needed to go to gain more understanding of what the experience meant for both adults and children. For her, this was hugely gratifying.

Through the long evolution of this book, it was constantly heartening to be part of such collaboration and teamwork.  And there was a huge degree of generosity that characterized the dedication of several individuals who gave of their unpaid time on top of the obligations of their lives and employment. Mary Daniel didn’t earn a cent for her involvement after she left MHA in early 2007. Our amazing editor, Heather Lindquist, contributed months of effort that went beyond the payment she contracted for within the modest grant we had, and all the while she had to keep up with her regular demanding job of exhibit design and creation. Alisa Lynch, the NPS Chief of Interpretation at Manzanar, also contributed a tremendous amount of time to the enterprise; and any time she devoted to the book meant that her days of NPS work were that much longer.

It was genuinely fun to continually discover material contained in recorded oral histories and photo archives.

Lastly, a favorite part was working with Heyday. Publisher Malcolm Margolin truly believed in the importance of the story we were presenting, and having the editorial and design resources of Heyday ready to apply their talents to bringing together our vision and research and writing felt like a genuine gift.

APPL: Do you think winning the award enhanced the perception of the work of your organization?

MHA: Any time hard work is recognized not only feels darn good, but it has the potential of drawing attention to the subject, as well as the site the work supports.

We’re such a small association, and silly as it sounds, the award makes us feel much bigger! Or at least, capable of big things. We weren’t able to be present at the APPL awards banquet, but knowing our name was called in front of the all the attendees makes us feel that the quality of the work stood out in a field of high-quality entries, and we were put “on the map.”

Additionally, we’ve already received notice in the community and among the other outstanding publications on Heyday’s list. Other partners working with Manzanar National Historic Site have acknowledged our achievement. And we feel that the APPL recognition can only help us in seeking funding for future projects.

APPL: Are there things you would change or tweak now that you have had a chance to reflect on the project?

MHA: This project survived one very significant hurdle.  Had we known, we certainly would have avoided it.  Due to staffing transitions and a need to bring in outside expertise as the book was about to get underway, the writer of an earlier book about the subject of Japanese American internment was hired. Mary Daniel agreed to oversee this work pro bono. While the writer was accomplished and passionate about the topic, she was unable to accept the project’s scope as it was laid out. Through two years of the very frustrating challenge of trying to rein in her desire to turn the project into a political and social rant of sorts, it became clear that her involvement should be terminated.  It would have been wise to check with someone who had worked previously with this individual. We needed almost to start from scratch thereafter; with Maggie taking over the project management and Heather Lindquist bringing together Children of Manzanar as it was meant to be.

The take-away for us is to believe in the original vision, to know it’s a solid one, and to ensure that the integrity of communications and outside involvement are well aligned with the vision.

APPL: What advice would you give to other nonprofit public land partners considering a project of this type?

MHA: First and foremost, those who want to create such a book must believe in the value of project and know that anything is possible with the right people and planning.  Second, plan appropriately. Map out the project scope to include: defining and outlining that scope; seeking necessary approvals; identifying suitable partners; budgeting; and executing a timeline for completion. Then, determine funding sources and, if necessary, apply for grants. Lastly, try to learn from any challenges and persevere. Celebrate successes and acknowledge the hard work done by others.

Links for Further Information:

Manzanar History Association – http://www.manzanarstore.com/

Children of Manzanar video book trailer – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr7so5dl-BU&feature=player_embedded

Heyday Books – https://heydaybooks.com/

Reviews:

• Publishers Weekly – http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-618-06778-7

• From Amazon.com

”[An] extraordinary collection of photographs and personal recollections”

–School Library Journal, starred review

”Thanks to the talent of photographers Toyo Miyatake, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and others, these images convey more than words ever could the absurd supposition that children were also the ‘enemy’ simply because of their race. Seventy years later, I am still affected upon viewing photos of my family and childhood friends as we attempted to create a community within confines of barbed wire.”

–Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, former internee at Manzanar, and coauthor of Farewell to Manzanar

”Heartwarming as well as heartbreaking, this rich selection of photographs–many published for the first time–illuminates everyday life at Manzanar.”

–Katherine Ware, Curator of Photography, New Mexico Museum of Art

”For the children of Manzanar, the tarpapered barracks were home. Their resilience during the World War II period speaks profoundly to the power of youth, family, and community. Children of Manzanar is an important record of the lives of these young Americans–their farewells, adjustment, and sometimes even joy in a land of dust.”

–Naomi Hirahara, author of Summer of the Big Bachi and Snakeskin Shamisen

”Children of Manzanar has captured the true life of the children. It has brought back many memories of good times as well as sad times.”

–Saburo Sasaki, former internee at Manzanar

”Far more than a mere memory book, Children of Manzanar presents readers with an exquisite blending of fresh images, original stories, and a stellar array of text panels that will deliver them to the very marrow of Manzanar’s diverse meanings for its unjustly confined population of young people.”

–Arthur A. Hansen, Professor Emeritus of History and Asian American Studies, California State University, Fullerton

”Children of Manzanar belongs in every library if one wishes to gain knowledge of the effect imprisonment had on thousands of Japanese American children. The reader should be prepared, when finished, to ask ‘WHY?!”’

–Dennis Tojo Bambauer, former internee at Manzanar

”I’ve read a lot of books on Manzanar, but this one opened my eyes to a whole different world. Children of Manzanar is a powerful and moving book.” –Alan Miyatake, grandson of photographer and former internee Toyo Miyatake

Each day, the convention began with a general session highlighted by insightful and enriching keynote speeches. On Monday, business consultant and author Devora Zack kicked off the convention with a fun, high-energy keynote, which enabled attendees to determine interactively whether they were “thinkers” or “feelers” with regard to leadership and work styles. PGAV Destinations CEO Mike Konzen started Tuesday with a stimulating keynote about relevant visitation trends and data regarding the types of vacation experiences sought by differing segments of our society (i.e., families, millennials, etc.). Following the keynote, Konzen solicited questions from the audience that will inform a study relevant to public lands. On Wednesday, Marcelo Bonta, Executive Director of the Center for Diversity and the Environment, gave an impassioned speech about the necessity to appeal to growing demographic segments of the American landscape in the name of inclusivity and sustainability.

From L to R: Devora Zack, Mike Konzen, Marcelo Bonta

Agency partnership forums were held throughout the week for the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, and US Forest Service.  Although agency attendance was down due to sequestration, these forums were used as an opportunity to facilitate discussions with convention participants related to agency-specific partnership issues. Report outs from each of the forums have been shared with agency leadership.More than 40 educational sessions were offered during the three days, allowing participants to focus on a specialized theme or sample a variety of topics. Sessions were organized into five tracks that focused on Partnerships, Leadership and Governance, Fundraising and Membership, Educational Programming, and Sales and Engagement.  Popular sessions included Youth Powered Think Tanks: Exploring Innovative Technology Uses, Building a Fundraising Board, Federal Lands and the New Congress, and Artful Employee Performance Feedback.   Many speakers shared their session materials with APPL as a resource for participants to access after the convention.

Fifteen energetic and enthusiastic young leaders represented the Bridge to Tomorrow (B2T) Class of 2013 during the convention, enabling them to develop their professional network and learn more about public land partnerships. This diverse group of young professionals from across the country enjoyed a team building hike in Washington Park, actively participated in sharing their perspectives and ideas with convention participants, volunteered as session monitors and greeters throughout the week, and worked together to present a session on mentoring and engaging young people in the public lands arena.

2013 B2T Class with staff liaison Alex Vidal and APPL Executive Director Donna Asbury

The two-day APPL Trade Show included more than 130 companies and lived up to its reputation as the best one-stop shopping opportunity for nonprofit educational retailers and public land partners. The show featured educational and theme-related merchandise, retail management products, and services focused on the public lands community. Attendees used their time at the trade show to meet with exhibitors, place orders, and review new products and services that could help advance their operations and missions to enhance visitor understanding and appreciation of America’s public lands. The 2013 APPL Trade Show directory is available for everyone to use as a resource throughout the year.

Retiring APPL Executive Director, Donna Asbury, was recognized at the convention for her 12 and a half years of exemplary service and leadership to the organization with the Presidents’ Award from all five board presidents with whom she served. A special video tribute captured photos from Donna’s time with APPL and she was presented with a memory book of postcard notes from the APPL community.

The convention concluded with a Hollywood-Chic themed closing banquet, celebrating the announcement of the 2013 APPL Awards. Awards were presented in 12 categories honoring achievements in publishing, product development, and programming by nonprofit public land partner organizations. Manzanar History Association’s Children of Manzanar was honored as the 2013 APPL Excellence Award winner. APPL was also pleased to present Sam Dunham and his company, Concept 360, with APPL’s 2013 Outstanding Vendor Award.  Dale Ditmanson, Superintendent and Kevin Fitzgerald, former Deputy Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park were honored as APPL’s 2013 Agency Partners of the Year.

For all of the convention pictures click here.

What’s the main reason you moved to Portland?

I moved to Portland for the food scene, there are more bakeries and restaurants than any other city I have lived in before. My girlfriend and I like to try to find two to three new restaurants every week, the main food I’ve been on a kick on recently is Pho. It’s a Vietnamese noodle soup that’s inexpensive and there’s basically one on every corner. I believe that’s a perfect analogy for Portland itself, there are thousands of them scattered throughout the city and they’re all different, and that’s what it’s all about, finding YOURS, finding your own niche.

Tell me a bit about the nightlife?

The nightlife offers a wide variety of local venues; recently I’ve been going to this place called the Crystal Ballroom, which is a really awesome music venue.  Just like the Pho analogy, there are so many venues and you have to just find yours.  I would recommend searching the little underground music magazines, The Mercury or the Willamette weekly.  Read through them and you’ll find listings of all the hot new places here in Portland.  Also, you can’t forget about the food carts.

Oh yeah! Talk a little bit about the food carts…

The food carts are intense.  There are areas with different variations of food carts all put together and they’re called pods. One of my favorites carts, as of late, is a Cuban food cart called El Cubo de Cuba (10^th and Alder Pod). Their sandwiches are some of the best I’ve had in a long time. I was wandering around and saw the picture of this sandwich, “The Cuban,” it looked interesting, so I got it, and the flavor profile was so unique it was like nothing I’ve had before. Anything you can think of food wise, the food cart pods have it and they’re all on a pretty good price scale.

Can you  briefly discuss the forward thinking mentality of Portland?

It’s the most progressive place I’ve ever been to and I got to know more about it through the restaurant side of things.  They try and make everything with sustainable and organic ingredients and they maximize the use of everything, which is completely different from my previous restaurant experiences before moving out here. The restaurants also have a connection with the local community.  A lot of farmers work with these restaurants and personally work with the chefs.  It totally cuts out the middleman and the commercial stuff and allows the restaurants to get the ingredients straight from the farms.

Another thing that impressed me when moving here was the waste management.  They have really good programs that take your trash, recycling AND compost! I just read in a newsletter that by 2015 they are planning on raising the recycling rate to 75%. Everyone here “thinks green,” it’s not something you have to argue.  People really take it to heart and incorporate these ideals into their businesses as well.Can you briefly discuss the city itself?

It seems that when planning and building the city they tried to incorporate more parks, so it’s not just like an urban sprawl, you know? Every neighborhood has a park that seems to be the center and the neighborhood just revolves around it. They tried not to eliminate the forests; they tried to build around them, not to mention what surrounds the city itself. The Willamette Falls, The Multnomah Falls, Mt. Hood, it’s all right here; the North West is one of the most beautiful places in America. Anyone who has been here knows what I’m talking about, there’s no way to describe it; you just have to see it for yourself.

If you had to describe the culture of Portland in two sentences to someone who has never been there, what would you say to them?

“I don’t need two sentences, I can explain it in two words, Be Yourself. I know the saying here is Keep Portland Weird but it’s not as much you’re going out of your way to be weird, just be yourself, and don’t be worried about people saying wear this or wear that. As long as you’re being real and being true to yourself you’ll fit in to Portland just fine.”

How many years have your worked for the Theodore Roosevelt Nature and History Association?

I have been employed with TRNHA for 27 years and have been the Executive Director since 1992.

What was the most valuable thing you learned as the leader of a cooperating association?

In our mission to support the NPS we have the privilege of having our bookstores located in the visitor centers.  With this agreement and privilege comes the responsibility and determination to have a better interpretive product.  Our own productions took a basic product idea and enhanced the interpretive value to compliment the interpretive activities of the NPS.  This development was so unique and, unlike the gateway community stores, we were consistent in every offering by making them extraordinary.  The valuable thing learned is this arrogance in making or choosing the best products results in providing the visitors a completely unforgettable experience.  Our part is making available the take home portion to read more about it, enjoy the memory and recall the experience.  This is so rewarding and I am going to miss being an integral part of this creative process.

What was your biggest challenge as the leader of a cooperating association?

Honestly, it was being a business within the parameters of a government organization.   These two entities are not like-minded and often made simple tasks somewhat difficult.  This merely challenged me to come up with more creative ways of explaining and implementing basic business practices, timelines, marketing, etc…   In the end I became more clever at my job and enhanced the working relationship with the areas we support.

What accomplishment at Theodore Roosevelt Nature and History Association are you most proud of?

I truly don’t know how to pick one that stands out among my accomplishments over the past 20 years.  The most enjoyable has been the many publications and products I have made a reality.  It is  so gratifying to walk a production through from beginning to end.

I am also proud of the consistent generosity TRNHA gives to the areas we serve.  Truly fulfilling our mission, TRNHA has given over 83% of our cumulative earnings as aid.  That is something we managed to do and still progress and maintain a strong healthy business.

What advice would you give other leaders of nonprofit public land partner associations?

Embrace the history of your organization and never forget the humble beginnings and the enthusiasm of those so passionate about your NPS (or FWS, BLM, etc…) sight that they formed an organization to support it!  Enjoy your membership and find ways to let them help beyond monetary support.  Almost every day I found a moment to consider myself rather fortunate to be working in such beautiful surroundings and feel that was a great motivator for what we do.

Want to know more about the Theodore Roosevelt Nature and History Association? Visit them at http://www.trnha.org/.

“Badlands Milky Way” at Door and Window Trail, Badlands National Park SD Photo: John Powell

Hello from the Badlands of South Dakota! I am getting ready to host the Badlands National Park’s first Astronomy Festival Aug 17^th-19^th.  We have invited space science professionals from around the country to come educate, entertain and enthrall the public with interactive talks ranging from college level astronomy to grade-school intro to backyard astronomy.

Our purpose in hosting this event is to shed light on a lesser publicized resource – the dark night sky and Milky Way. Like all public land with valuable natural resources, the dark night sky and Milky Way also needs protection and preserving. Our dark night sky which provides us with a sense of inspiration, curiosity and wonder is disappearing. With the constantly growing concrete jungle expanding its borders, “Endangered Nightscapes” and “light pollution” need to be brought into the forefront of conservation activities.

Public science education and space science outreach are also two things which need to be brought into the public conversation. During the Festival, the visiting public has a wide-range of educational and entertaining activities to experience. We will host scientific talks all three days as well as workshops, solar telescope observing, a movie screening, a book-signing, “Meet-the-Missileer”  at the Rocket-Launching workshop, and of course, night-time telescope observing with “Issac Newton”. Think APPL Vegas but with Newton!

APPL Board member Audrey Peterman will be here signing copies of her new book “Looking for True Happiness? Our National Parks Deliver!”

APPL B2T participants, board members and APPL 2012 convention presenters and participants helped me quite a bit in the planning and organizing of this Festival. B2T is an amazing “think-tank” for young people to brainstorm, create, and network. Thanks again for an amazing experience. I hope to see you all at the 2013 APPL Convention in Portland.

It is through organizations like APPL that this message of “Night Sky Preservation” can reverberate. APPL has many partners who are on the forefront of this issue and have the ability to reach the masses in an effort to cause awareness and promote preservation.

Badlands Astronomy Festival website: www.badlandsastrofest.org

Badlands Astronomy Festival Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadlandsAstronomy

Now that I’ve been with APPL for about two and a half years, the learning curve has become more of a learning bump. To use a dubious metaphor, I’m no longer dipping my toe in the learning waters. I’m about thigh high now. I recently attended the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) Conference in Denver to see if could get in all the way to my waist.

 First of all, let me say that I like Denver. It’s large enough to have all those big-city amenities, but small enough to handle. (Granted, at the convention, I didn’t have a car so I was relegated to about a 10 to 15 block area, but this is my blog entry so I’m sticking to my assessment.) I liked how the blocks are relatively short, making my daily

post-convention sightseeing rather painless. I liked how clean and “green” the city seemed. But most of all, I liked its sense of originality, its sense of being a tad off-kilter.

Bear peering in Convention Center

 The convention center itself features a humongous (that’s about the only word that can describe it), 40-foot tall blue bear peering in the center’s front windows, keeping watch over convention attendees. After dark, as I ambled around my “area,” hideous, pre-recorded roars emanated from the sidewalk grates as I walked over them, making me wonder what sort of ghastly ogre was being held in the Denver underworld, struggling to break free and terrorize the city. Looking down from my hotel window, I could see the theater district extending several blocks—it resembled something of a long, tube, protected by a tinted, glass cover. The 16^th Street Mall, a stone’s throw from my hotel, offered a slew of shops and restaurants from the hip to the more traditional accessible by light rail (as a bookworm, my favorite was the Tattered Cover Book Store, a sprawling, independent seller with plenty of cozy nooks and crannies that included overstuffed, antique chairs and ambient lighting, perfect for hunkering with an actual book in your hands).

Outside of The Curtis

 The quirkiness also permeated, the Curtis, my hotel—a funky little place just a couple blocks from the convention center. Flowery, day-glo starbursts whimsically adorned the knotty-pine walls behind the reception desk while racks of toys and board games lined the lobby. And each floor of the hotel had a theme—from science fiction to one-hit wonders to famous dancers and more. The 14^th floor, where I stayed, had a vintage TV theme (well, some of the “vintage” was more recent). Each time I reached my floor and the elevator doors slid open, Fred Flintstone’s voice greeted me with a “Yabba Dabba Do!” Photos of the casts of Gilligan’s Island, Cheers, Seinfeld, Friends, and others adorned the hallways. A framed photo of Johnny Carson stared back at me as I worked on my laptop at the desk. But the piece de résistance, the apex of their kookiness, was the Dudley Do-Right bobble head doll perched above the toilet. Of course, the offbeat decor rubbed off on me, upping my goofy quotient, as I greeted my little bathroom buddy with a “Goooood Morning, Dudley” each morning before starting my day.

Goooood Morning, Dudley

Yup, Denver’s pretty cool. And this is without taking an amazing convention into account!

Next week: On to the convention

Fourth grade students from the Hulett School in Crook County, Wyoming

Our 2012 Excellence Award winner is Devils Tower Natural History Association (DTNHA) for their book, America’s First, written by a class of fourth grade students from the Hulett School in Crook County, Wyoming. Not only did this book win the 2012 award in our Children’s Media category and this year’s Excellence Award, it was also honored by the National Park Service with the 2012 Director’s Award for Excellence in Interpretive Media.

Our Member Service Coordinator, Nancy Kotz, recently had the opportunity to speak electronically with two of the key players in this project – Linda Tokarczyk, former Business Manager, Devils Tower Natural History Association and Beth Marlatt, Teacher, Hulett School, Crook County School District, WY – to learn more about how the project was born and its impact on the association and the students.

Students show off their awards at the Hulett School in Crook County, Wyoming.

APPL: Why did you enter this project?

Tokarczyk: I thought the project was an excellent example of the kinds of experiences we love to promote and encourage through DTNHA. From the first time I met with Mrs. Marlatt and the students about America’s First, it was very obvious that this was an incredibly special endeavor – one worthy of sharing with more than just our local community.

Marlatt: I cannot take credit for that idea at all. It was Linda Tokarczyk’s (the past business manager of Devils Tower Natural History Association) idea along with Kendra Meidinger from the Wyoming Visitor’s Center. They made all the arrangements and did the paperwork. I think that they recognized that this was a unique partner situation. I know that Linda was very proud of the accomplishments of the students. She was always looking to showcase them and their book about the Tower, a place that we all love.

APPL: What was your favorite part of this project?

Tokarczyk: My most favorite part was the book signing celebration at the Tower – - the students shined! The event highlighted the extraordinarily talented teacher that Mrs. Marlatt is and the incredible abilities of her fourth grade students, who are now nationally known authors and illustrators. I also truly enjoyed working with all of the entities involved with the project – collaboration at its best.

Marlatt: My favorite part of the project is the transformation of the students in their community. They’ve become competent, confident individuals because of their work and accomplishments. I’ve seen them interact with Chief Interpreter Hugh Hawthorne, Tower visitors and people that have read and purchased their book. They have internalized the material about the Tower and love to share their expertise. They all know the content of each other’s pages because they have all proofread the pages. The students are partners and experts. They will be future interpreters, either official or unofficial. They were and continue to be transformed in their learning community.

APPL: Do you think winning the award enhanced the perception of the work of your organization?

Tokarczyk: I think that the award helped to highlight the spirit and intent of much of what DTNHA does on a daily basis.

Marlatt: Absolutely, without question. What is more validating than a fourth grade project with a $50.00 marker budget going up against the caliber of projects produced by APPL members. When I saw the tables of displays of the contenders my heart sank. I was pretty sure we didn’t really belong among them. I consoled myself with the fact that I knew that at least we were finalists. So imagine my utter shock to find that the kids had won the Director’s Award early in the week. It just became more and more amazing that they were awarded the Children’s Media Award and finally the Excellence Award. I can’t imagine the perception of my students and their book could be enhanced more. This is a 21st Century project that really stood the test in the real world. It is a great deal of what I believe as an educator. We need to immerse our students in real projects that will stand in the real world to prepare them for the 21st century.

APPL: Are there things you would change or tweak now that you have had a chance to reflect on the project?

Tokarczyk: I think that the project came together and developed the way it was supposed to for all involved.

Marlatt: There is always something to change and refine. Just like I told the kids when we put the copy in the box for shipment. We have to let it go now and know that we gave it our best. I think that in our budget, time frame and resources we did the best we could. There is always more proofreading and reworking the artwork. We could have cleaned up the pages and proofread and revised one more time. The partnership was wonderful and they were available at every turn. That part of the project went well and from my point of view couldn’t be improved on. They were there for us whenever we needed them and then some.

APPL: What advice would you give to other nonprofit public land partners considering a project of this type?

Tokarczyk: My advice would be to stay open to creative and innovative ideas that our educators and others are doing in the local communities, and then lend support and help where needed to develop those ideas into tangible products and/or experiences for park visitors.

Marlatt: I think the potential is endless. I think that it is important to engage the younger students into the real life world. I think that public land partners should invite classrooms into their spaces. There are so many stories to tell and it offers a real education to our future. This type of project will teach the educational standards, grow future problem solvers and engage learners as well as the community. It really brought all of us together and showed the students that what they learn in our classrooms will make them successful in the real world.

Amy Klein-Greba and Beth Marlatt posing for a picture with their award.

APPL’s Media and Partnership Awards reflect the multi-agency nature of our constituents and celebrate the achievements of America’s nonprofit public lands partners in publishing, product development and programming. Since 2004 they have honored the best of what nonprofit public lands partners contribute to their agency partners and the public. Learn more about current and past winners on our website. The Call for Entries for our 2013 contest will be issued later this year.

Our Members Services Coordinator, Nancy Kotz, recently spoke with HogEye Inc., the recipient of our 2012 Outstanding Vendor Award regarding their work with nonprofit public land partners. HogEye is a supplier of quality tokens of appreciation and collectible items for tourism venues, festivals, national organizations and businesses. Learn more about their products and services at http://www.hogeye.com/. APPL’s members chose HogEye for this honor for their exceptional customer service, their attention to detail, and their collaborative approach in producing custom products.

APPL: What was your reaction upon learning that you had been selected for this award?

HogEye: We were excited to even be considered for such an award from APPL, and humbled at just the thought. For our customers to feel this way about Hogeye Inc., we are truly honored.

APPL: Do you think winning the award will enhance the perception of your company’s products / services?

HogEye: Of course, we hope it does turn a few heads and help some to consider using Hogeye Inc. for their product needs. We work hard for our customers, large and small, and will continue doing what we do best — high quality products and customer service.

APPL: What are some of the factors that have contributed positively to HogEye’s relationship with its nonprofit public lands customers?

HogEye:  Hogeye Inc. strives for excellence in our effort to meet the customer’s needs with quality products at reasonable prices. Our customer service navigates our clients through the process — from artwork, through manufacturing, to interpretive packaging design and at prices that won’t break the bank!

APPL: How has participation in the APPL convention helped contribute to your business relationships?

HogEye:  Participation in the APPL convention has helped our business, but it’s also introduces us to new friends. We look forward every year to attending the convention, not just because it’s our job, but because we get to meet up with great people.

APPL: What advice would you give to other companies who provide products / services to nonprofit public land partners?

HogEye:  Our first year attending the APPL convention it was held in Denver.  We were the new kids on the block. A lot of folks had been attending for years and had built relationships with their vendors. What we had to do was to relax, be ourselves and offer the best customer service possible and the highest quality products possible. We had to walk that line of not giving up trying or be too pushy.

Mike Locke from Hogeye, Inc. accepting his award from President Roosevelt.

To Hogeye Inc., being able to work with the non-profits is like having “the cherry on top”. We get to sell our product and make a living, and know that part of our efforts are helping our parks. These are our parks too, and we are honored that we can help in this way.

APPL’s Outstanding Vendor Award recognizes a company that has demonstrated exceptional achievement in working with APPL member organizations to enhance the quality of their retail services and the visitor experience at public land sites. Nominations are accepted each fall from among APPL’s members and the winner of the award is determined by the buyers. Impact Photographics received the first Outstanding Vendor award in 2011. For more information on APPL’s Award programs click HERE.

Mike Locke and President Roosevelt