19 Jun Co-Op Conference

This week I got to endure on a four day conference near the Atlanta airport. The Cooperating Association Partnerships for a New Century 2017 was a conference created by Eastern National, a nonprofit organization that provides products and services you see at most park bookstores in the southeast. They created the famous National Park Passport where every park has a stamp that you can add to your collection/booklet! The conference’s workshops varied in topics from partnerships with nonprofits, partnership accountability, development of annual operating plans, to scope of sales and how to set up park bookstores! It was cool to see how parks are maintained within the region and how the individuals running these parks operate and improve for visitor experiences. I met so many people and learned so much about others parks in the region that I had the chance to learn about the different types of rules, policies, and agreements that happen within the National Park Service. This really opened my eyes to seeing how NPS works as a governmental agency rather than just how the Southeast Regional office works. I hope I keep engaging in these learning opportunities!