The path that Greg Lein and Matthew Capps shared with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) State Parks Division is now diverging. Lein, the State Parks Director for the past 12 years is retiring, and Matthew Capps, former Deputy Director, has been promoted to State Parks Director.

While preparing for the National Association of State Parks Directors Conference that is being held at Gulf State Park last week, Lein shared his vision of State Parks when he became director in 2012, and Capps shared his vision of the future of State Parks.

"I felt like more could be done through our day-use program and day-use activities," Lein said of his early goals as Director after several years as Deputy Director of the State Lands Division. "As an outsider looking in, you think you know how it works, but until you have walked in those shoes, you don't know exactly what it's like. But I was able to make some changes in the day-use program. We had some parks that weren't manning their gates. We felt like we weren't capitalizing on resources financially.

"We put more emphasis on the trails. We put more emphasis on partnering with people who could help us take care of these trails. We brought in concessionaires like the zip-line companies, food trucks and the cable skiing at Oak Mountain. I felt like it was important for our State Parks to stay relevant to the younger generations."

Lein said he feels those efforts have been successful, and State Parks has been able to keep pace with the younger generations.

"That applies to technology and having a newer and better reservation system, getting Wi-Fi in the parks, and that has been a challenge," he said. "But you can't make that technology work if you don't have that connectivity. And realizing that we don't have to do everything ourselves. It was about not being afraid to have partners with greater core competencies than we do.

"The zip lines are a great example of that. We didn't have to design it. We didn't have to build it. We don't have to staff it. But we get to promote it as something people can do as a day activity or as an enhancement to an overnight stay in the State Parks System."

Tackling the backlog of maintenance issues in State Parks has been one goal, but Lein knows Capps will have to continue that effort.

"These 12 years have gone by in a flash," Lein said. "None of it would have been possible without having a great team of managers. Matthew has been an exceptional Deputy Director. He's brought a lot of fresh ideas to the table with different ways of approaching things. I'm excited about stepping away and leaving it in his hands."

After Capps graduated from Auburn University, he worked with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant program in Mobile. He was director of Dauphin Island Parks and Beach Board and the City of Mobile Parks and Recreation before working in the private sector for several years. He became State Parks Deputy Director three years ago.

"I think we're in a great spot in our State Parks System," said the 42-year-old Capps. "I think we need to maintain and grow. I think if we leverage our partnerships, we can be more financially sustainable. The bond ($80 million bond issue overwhelmingly passed by Alabama voters) is really helping us get our infrastructure into place where we have good return on investment."

Lein said nobody knows more than Capps about the $150-million-plus construction and renovation budget from the bond and other funding sources.

"I came on board when we were fine-tuning the list of projects," Capps said. "Coming in at the front of it, I know it pretty well. There's always the learning curve of me stepping into Greg's position."

The partial list of projects includes the reconstruction of the Gulf State Park Pier, which will be formally opened Friday at 10 a.m., the complete overhaul of the Oak Mountain State Park Campground, a new Lodge at Cheaha State Park, the new campground at Gulf State Park, cabin renovations at Monte Sano State Park, lodge room renovations at Lakepoint State Park, exterior renovations at Joe Wheeler State Park Lodge, construction of a new pool house at DeSoto State Park, a total renovation of Lake Lurleen State Park, renovations and campground expansion at Meaher State Park, new cabins and renovated campground at Wind Creek State Park, and new cart paths at Lake Guntersville State Park.

"Some of those projects are completed," Lein said. "Some are bid and underway and some will be bid in a couple of months. It's always a challenge to balance the needed funds. Part of that balance is the decision of whether to fix old stuff or recognize that its time has come to replace it with something new. The Lodge at Cheaha State Park is an example of that. Building a whole new additional campground at Gulf State Park is another, which is not a renovation. It's brand new.

"It's been wonderful to have that funding and being able to go through the process for the betterment of the State Parks System. It provides better opportunities for the public to use the State Parks System."
Capps said his immediate task is to maintain the momentum the State Parks System has right now.

"We're at a high right now," Capps said. "It's about keeping our team energized and focused on exceeding our expectations for our guests and how we can move this forward.

"And one of my goals is to have our State Parks System become an accredited system by the National Recreation and Park Association. That will take some time. We want to become a Gold Medal winner."
As far as his legacy with the State Parks System, Lein said without a doubt it's the people in place to make State Parks great.

"It's having staff who have learned to think outside the box," Lein said. "They're not stuck in the rut of we're going to do it this way because that's the way we've always done it. It's also growing a new education program, having a new trails program, breathing some life back into our natural resource management program, and recognizing there are things you can do beyond that traditional park infrastructure. People who go to a park want to know what they can do there.

"Trails are so important. People love trails. It's a way to get outside and experience the natural wonders of Alabama. We had trails that I swear were built by deer and squirrels back in the '20s. We're building new trails. We're fixing old trails. When you make changes like that, it doesn't happen overnight. Changing the culture takes time. I feel like I have been able to tweak it a little bit and change the direction of the State Parks System. I'm proud of that. When I was growing up, I had a really good Scoutmaster who told us that when we went on a trip that we had to leave that place better than we found it. That's what I've tried to do with the State Parks System."