Guardian of the Wild: Royce Johnson's Inspiring Tale

Amelia: 0:01

Welcome to a thrilling new phase of exploration and enlightenment. As we launch season 3 of Voices of Inspiration. Our journey unfolds with the captivating story of Royce Johnson, a dedicated park manager whose narrative embodies resilience and unwavering commitment, both the long life's pathways and among the wonders of nature. In this travel-infused podcast that pays tribute to the strength of the human spirit, royce's story radiates with brilliance From his role in overseeing Georgia's breathtaking state parks to gracefully embracing the challenges of fatherhood. Royce's life weaves a captivating tapestry of dedication and devotion. Join us as we venture into the depths of his experiences, revealing a narrative interwoven with determination and insight. Through Royce's journey, you'll rediscover the profound beauty of navigating life's adventures. So, as we journey through season 3, guided by Royce's remarkable narrative, let history be the compass steering us through a season adorned with inspiring tales of triumph, exploration and an unbreakable spirit, both along the trails of life and in the heart of nature. Everyone has a story to tell. We connect and relate to one another when we share our stories. My name is Amelia Old and I am your host of Voices of Inspiration. Join me as I share stories of friends, family and strangers who my everyday life and travels. We will laugh, possibly cry. We'll walk away feeling connected more than ever to those around you and ready to be the change our world needs. Everyone has a story to tell. What's yours? I really appreciate you. I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're here. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day for this.

Royce Johnson: 1:53

No problem, I look forward to it and I appreciate you thinking of me and giving me this opportunity.

Amelia: 1:59

Can you share with us what initially drew you into a career in outdoor leadership and education?

Royce Johnson: 2:08

Sure, my dad's from northern Minnesota, so I grew up going out to the wilderness, hunting, fishing, being outdoors camping. We used to go like 50 miles from the Canadian border and we would take a canoe and portage it on our backs and two miles and come out to this pristine lake with no houses and no people and spend the whole day paddling and fishing. I always had appreciation and love for the outdoors as I grew up doing that. It was funny because as I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I didn't know there was a whole lot of careers for outdoors, because it's a fairly newer field within the last 20 to 30 years where people are making full life careers out of them. As I started doing research, I started finding schools that offered not just associate's degrees but bachelor's degrees in that type of field. I've always worked with kids or people, and so that's where the leadership and teaching kind of aspect came from. Throughout my career it's whether it was working with youth at summer camps or youth at small group and church, or I was also a lead wilderness instructor for troubled boys for almost five years, taking them out and willing to setting. I just kind of fell in love with that and realized you can get a degree and pursue it as a lifetime goal. That's kind of what I've done with my career and kind of made it my passion, my goal, to stay with that.

Amelia: 3:54

It's really cool when you can make a career out of the thing that you love the most as far as hobbies and things. I think that that's really important finding the things that you really enjoy and really love and being able to make a life and a living out of that. How was your experience as a park manager? You worked at several state parks in Georgia and in South Carolina. How was your experience as a park manager in various state parks shaped your understanding of the importance of outdoor spaces for communities and individuals?

Royce Johnson: 4:33

It's a huge importance. I started out my career as a city park ranger in the middle of Columbia, south Carolina. We offered several different parks where people were walking, biking, recreating. I did nature talks. We had a fish ladder for American shad species to help preserve them and their spawning. Being able to teach that and educate that kind of stuff to people, but also providing a place to recreate, is important. My journey led me to Sweetwater Creek, 15 miles from the downtown Atlanta area. See, over 800,000 people come and we had over 1,500 acres and over 15 miles of hiking trail. The hiking and getting people out doors was really important. We also had a historic mill there, and so teaching people history as well is great. Then conservation as well wildlife opportunities to teach people. Especially people in urban settings don't fully understand the different wildlife they may encounter. That was a neat opportunity here. Where I'm at now at Jack Hill, it's mostly recreational. We are like the heart of Breedsville we have a splash pad and we have a basketball court and we have 18-hole golf course and playgrounds, providing an opportunity for the locals to come and be able to use every day and just come through. We got kids and adults and all kinds of people to come and use it. What was crazy is we just went through a pandemic and Georgia State Parks never closed. We saw all these people come out and try camping for the first time because everybody was locked down and they want to get out of the house but still do it safely. Georgia State Parks provided that refuge for those folks and we had clean bathrooms and we were doing everything. We had certain protocols that we had to follow. The amount of new camping and the new guests that have found Georgia State Parks through all that has been amazing. Having that opportunity and being a part of that and meeting people from all over, not just Georgia. We were having people come from Florida, north Carolina, tennessee, because all the other states were closed down. Having all these people come in and you get to meet these people. It was pretty awesome to see that Now they're returning to the parks. They discovered us, they discovered other Georgia State Parks and now they're exploring other parks. It's pretty awesome to provide that opportunity for people to enjoy.

Amelia: 7:14

For the listeners. Can you actually explain where Jack Hill State Park is? What may be the larger city nearby that they might be familiar with?

Royce Johnson: 7:24

Sure, we're about 45 minutes from Statesboro, which is where Georgia Southern is. We are about an hour and 15 from Savannah. We get people from Florida Savannah area, but a lot of people that are traveling through on their way to Florida find us, and we do have 29 campsites. We do have 10 cottages, so people do use us. We're also big for weddings. We do a lot of family reunions, a lot of birthday parties, a lot of business meetings. It's pretty awesome that we provide all kinds of these different opportunities golf outings for different groups with the golf course. It's pretty unique as well. There's just a lot of opportunities. Even though we're in a smaller town, tatano County, we still get used by a variety of people.

Amelia: 8:13

That's awesome. Now I want you to talk a little bit about your family life. I know that you've been presented with sets of challenges during the pandemic, with working in the park systems. That's not your only thing. You have a family, you're a dad. Can you talk a little bit about those challenges on both ends?

Royce Johnson: 8:43

Sure Park, life can be challenging at any given time because we're on call, we live on site. Then you still have to balance that family life. I have two boys, hunter and Fisher, who I provide this awesome opportunity for my children to grow up in a state park. They get to enjoy the same amenities, they get to grow up in nature and learn some of the things that I've learned through the years and I get to teach them. They get to go on programs and that kind of stuff. That's a neat opportunity. Not only that, but I'm also a dad of two special needs kids, which is a whole nother challenge For those out there that have special needs kids. They know that it takes a lot more time. It takes a lot of schedules. There's a lot of therapy, doctor visits, things that I have to do outside of work, and I have to find that balance between getting what I need to get done at the park and what I need to get done at that family life. Looking for the state has been great because I've been able to do that. They're good about having time off and changing schedules around to kind of meet the needs that I have as well as still be able to do what I need to do on the park side. So it's not always easy because every day is different. But it gives me inspiration because I'm providing not only an awesome place for my children to live, but it's my motivation every day to do a good job because I'm providing for those kids and giving them a better life to be raised in the park. So it's my motivation to do well and help the parks succeed, just so that they can succeed as well in life.

Amelia: 10:35

Can you talk a little bit about the challenges that you faced with your children and what they have gone through and what your family has gone through?

Royce Johnson: 10:45

Sure. So my first son, fisher, was born while we were actually in Columbia, south Carolina, and I had applied for Georgia State Parks because I went to school in Georgia and wanted to get back into Georgia and we thought we had more time. But that didn't work out the way we thought it was going to work out, which happens in life all the time and so my wife gave birth to Fisher six weeks premature while we were in Columbia. She gave birth on a Monday and then on Wednesday we left the hospital. She was a huge trooper and was able to get out. I drove from Columbia to South Carolina, columbia, south Carolina to Georgia, atlanta area for the sweetwater job and that was like a three and a half hour drive and I had to be there at 8 AM for an interview. So did the interview, went straight back to the hospital because my son spent two months in the NICU. He was born premature so his esophagus wasn't attached and then he had a blockage in his nose so he had several surgeries and different things go on while we were there. I got the job and I spent the first month in sweetwater without my wife and kids. She was commuting back and forth with her parents that live in Augusta and I spent the month up there in Atlanta just learning a new job, a new career, and it was all to. I knew it was just a better opportunity for me for growth and career path. So, despite those challenges, I knew it was important and the goal career goal that I wanted to do and my wife was very supportive of that and we worked through those challenges Fast forward. Now he's seven and still has dilations, Just got recently diagnosed with autism, so we're facing some of those challenges. And then my second son. He was born in 2018, and so he was diagnosed with a very rare brain defect called semi-lobar pro-holoencephaly and it's a mouthful and it's just a rare brain disease where the back of the brain is infused. And he's got a lot of things going on there. Where he's five, he can't walk, he can't talk, he's doing a lot of therapy and that kind of stuff, but the laugh that he has and the smile that he has, I wouldn't trade that for the world. So just the challenges that I face with him having to do therapies and facing a kid who has a G-tube and we have to feed him through that and I know there's a lot of people that have gone through those challenges and I've met other awesome people that's gone through that same stuff and it's encouraging when you get to meet other people because you get in your own world and you know how it is because you're in that routine. But not everybody else understands that unless you've gone through that and then you can make that connection. People understand some of the same things that you may face on any given day.

Amelia: 13:48

Where do you find your inspiration through all of these challenges? Where do you find your inspiration and your motivation? Clearly, it's your children.

Royce Johnson: 13:59

Sure, definitely. My children and my wife and I. We're very much a team and I think that same team mentality when I go into the park. You're only as good as your team and the team that you motivate and that you help. And so we help pick up each other's pieces, the strengths and weaknesses that we have. When I get home, as soon as I get home, I know my wife's been with the kids all day so I'm like don't even have time to have time to meet it's like, oh, what can I help you with? How can I get his medicine going? Do I need to get him off the G tube? Do I need to get him dressed and ready for bed? I pick up the pieces of where we're at. Same thing, in the park I have that same mentality of how can I help you guys? We are very team oriented here at Jack Hill because we have to be. We run unlimited staff so we rely heavily on each other. So I take those same experiences that I do every day and I use those to motivate my team and help my team. And I understand when people have family issues or draw more things that come up, because we all have lives outside of work. So I'm pretty understanding and sensitive to those type of things. So all those things, I think, help me in my career as a manager but also help me in my life. So those kids, when I see them smile and I see them happy, that's my motivation. Hunter, my little one, he loves to be tickled, so I make sure that every day I spend time as the tickle monster doing that. And Fisher loves to pretend and so a lot of times I'm Bowser and he's Mario and he's beating me up. We're playing that role play and that just helps me. And I go home for lunch and that's my reset, no matter how my day is going. I take that hour lunch break if I can, and I go home and, no matter how my day has gone, I spend a little bit of time with the wife and kids and eat my lunch and then that's that reset button. So I go back and I've kind of got that refocus and re-motivation to tackle whatever challenges come for the rest of the day.

Amelia: 16:12

So I think that's a really important tip because so many people don't take that lunch break. They don't take that hour to step away and reset. So I think that that is a really important thing and I'm glad to hear you say that you do that. Do you have any other tips for parents who may be in similar situations as you are of balancing career and home life?

Royce Johnson: 16:38

Sure, I mean that's it's not easy, and I'm fortunate that my wife is able to stay home full time, but that's not always the case for other people. You know, for me it's taking things a day at a time and knowing that every day is different. So just keep working at it. You know, especially with kids with special needs, there is no fix at all. You know my son, one day will be happy with something, the next day Nothing will be happy, right? But I know that it's just temporary, that you know, the next day we just push through, navigate through it and then, you know, move on to the next day and the next day is different. So, you know, take the good days and really enjoy those, and when you have those tougher days, take what you've learned from that and grow from that. But don't get discouraged from that because you know you got to look at the big picture, the end goal. You know things don't happen right away. Things just take time to build and grow and so, being that consistency and is important especially with kids with special needs, schedules are vastly important. You know, when you start changing stuff up all the time, you know it's sensory overload and things like that with kids with special needs. So trying to find as much consistency as you can in the home and you know, balancing work and all those things is important Not only at your work life but also at your home life. So you know, taking those tips I think is the greatest things that has kind of helped me through my career is finding that balance. And you know also, when you need to take time, don't be afraid to ask for it too. You know sometimes you just need to get away. You know, for us it was a family vacation to Universal this Christmas and it was awesome. You know both kids got their own experiences and really got to enjoy that. And so you know, make sure you're taking those opportunities to get away because you know you need to, you need your time to, you need to refresh, you need to do that. So sometimes people feel so overwhelmed that they have to do everything, but it's also important to you know to have time for you to recuperate and for your own growth.

Amelia: 18:56

So you sponsor because what you're saying is so important, because so many of us, myself included, don't do those things.

Royce Johnson: 19:05

Right.

Amelia: 19:05

You just keep adding on to the plate and we don't step away and we don't reset and we don't take time for ourselves, because you know, if we're not good for ourselves, we certainly can't be good for our families.

Royce Johnson: 19:17

Exactly, exactly so with.

Amelia: 19:19

That said, in your experience, how do parts and recreational areas contribute to the overall well-being and mental health of individuals in the community or visitors?

Royce Johnson: 19:32

I think it's vastly important. You know, getting outdoors we saw that through the pandemic. You know the lockdowns and you know a lot of that damage that happened through that just people not having that social interaction with other people, and you know. So, getting outside not only is healthy, right, because you can recreate, you know, but it gives you an opportunity to socialize. You know, splash bed or camp out I can't tell you how many guests get away with groups of families you know three or four families will come up, load up the RVs and come out. The kids are out playing, the parents are out hanging out doing their thing at the campsite around the campfire. It becomes that social event for everybody. And then you know just the learning as you grow. I'm, you know, I'm 37 now and I've learned that I have a great love for history, which I didn't have when I was younger, right, and all these things that I took for granted, like that I you know when I was in school and different things, and now I'm like trying to soak it up like a sponge, and so you know things that you may be, knowledge you may be learning now may not be that relevant or important to you now, but later on you're going to be like I'm so glad I learned that because you may use it, or you know, it's just fun tidbit, information for a conversation later that people didn't know. There's just a lot of things like that. That is also beneficial, which I think is great as well. But you know, having that time to stick it out and have fun, whether it be, you know, getting on a paddle boat and paddling on the lake or fishing I mean, we have so much stuff for a variety of different people and we see a variety of different backgrounds. So that's what I love, and every Georgia State Park is different. We all offer something different. There's a lot of historic sites that are strictly historical. There's a lot of places that have tons of hiking trails, bike trails. There's places that do a lot of programming for kids and people to get involved, like archery and crafts and paddling and stuff. So people that are trying to learn new skills that you know they may not be comfortable or don't know how to get involved with, well, hey, they can go with a ranger and feel more comfortable doing it. You know, instead of you know paying some private and feel a little bit more uncomfortable. You know they're able to do it in that setting. So we offer a wide variety of different things for people to plug into, which is what I think is awesome and unique about it, and I love visiting the Georgia State Parks and just state parks and other states as well, because everyone's a little bit different, so it's you know, they offer different, different things for different people. So, and it's cool when we get people saying, oh, which one's your favorite? And they're talking about all the places they've been to, because they're connecting to these different places and making memories in these different places that they take with them.

Amelia: 22:27

So it's funny that you say that about history because I'm a little bit older than you but I also have gotten into his. I always, like as a kid, loved history and stuff. But I think that it's almost like next level right now at my age and I think that kids laugh at me because I'm definitely the parent that reads every little plaque of everything, of anywhere that we go and and then provide that information to them, whether they want to hear it.

Royce Johnson: 22:58

You know that age. You know I remember being an agent and not really caring about it. But now you know I look back and I see the importance of that. I try to teach my kids that importance, even though they may it may just go over the head, but maybe one day, you know, it will connect with them. Because history is important. You know where we come from. We got to learn from those mistakes that we made. You know we didn't always get it right, but you know, learn from that, grow from that. You know that's how we become better people.

Amelia: 23:27

So yeah, definitely. My daughter's like, oh goodness, here for a guide again Anywhere that we go. I mean, even when we moved to our current home, like I researched the area and the history of it and you know, and my daughter's, like you can definitely play, you know, trivia with us about the history.

Royce Johnson: 23:51

Yeah, that's good.

Amelia: 23:54

You mentioned your son Fisher's diagnosis of autism. How has that journey influenced your perspective on inclusion and accessibility in the parks?

Royce Johnson: 24:05

So that's a good question. That's, as both my kids you know, as the challenges that we face. That's something that's on the forefront of my mind and something I'm appreciative of Georgia State Parks that there is a big initiative to become more accessible within all of Georgia State Parks. Several years ago they did a survey of all these things that we are not in compliance with ADA, and so we've been working on a extensive plan of different phases to make sure that we're being more inclusive with ADA accessibility. We have three cottages that are ADA accessible, that are specifically built for that. We've got a brand new mini golf course that was built with completely ADA accessibility, which is awesome. Wheelchair can fit through the whole thing, which you know was not capable on the one that we had previously. So the state of Georgia and Georgia State Parks is doing a phenomenal job of trying to include more of that type of stuff and we can still increase on that. We've got several parks have gotten mobile wheelchairs that are like all terrain wheelchairs that can go on trails and that kind of stuff to give people opportunities. We've built ADA kayak launches and boat ramps and fishing piers and just giving people that didn't have an opportunity before an opportunity to still share in the same recreation opportunities that other folks have, and so we continue to push and strive to make that better in the state park, and so I'm always mindful of how can we do that, whether it be playgrounds or different areas that we can try and improve on that picnic shelters, different things like that. So we have different projects that are in the works, that are being developed that haven't been completed yet, like a new ADA boat, boat logs that will be completed in the next year or so here at Jack Hill and ADA fishing pier to provide those opportunities. So we have a lot of say of that as far as what we envision in the parks, and a lot of that's funding and different things. But we have goals and opportunities, and so that's definitely always on the forefront of my mind, because my kids use the park every day, I can see some of those challenges that they may face. Or I go to other places, other parks, and see what they have and kind of learn what they have and see how we can incorporate that same type of here as well.

Amelia: 26:39

Can you share, like a specific moment or interaction with a park visitor that deeply impacted you and reminded you of the importance of your role?

Royce Johnson: 26:52

I get that pretty regularly so it's hard to pick out just like one. But I can think of something recently that actually happened this past week. It's funny because we wear a lot of hats and we have to do all kinds of stuff. So you know, as a park manager, if I got a clean toilets, I got to clean toilets. If I got a you know AC breakdown, I got to do that. So we were kind of short staffed after the holiday and I had one guest that came in and he saw me and we kind of had a little conversation when we checked in, when he checked into his campsite, and then he went to the golf course maybe an hour later and I was there giving the lunch break to the lady up there. He's like man, you're everywhere and I was like I'll see you later, I promise I'll see you later. And about another hour later I was down at the splash pad getting the chemicals balance and he's out there on the splash pad. He's like you're the jack of all trades, aren't you? You know, good at everything, master of nothing. And I said that's exactly what I am. When you see that friendly face, you know, it kind of gives you that piece of mind. You know things are getting done and so you have interaction, and so it always makes me feel good that you know, not only because a lot of the times what we do is behind the scenes. We do a lot of paying the bills, a lot of other things, so people don't always see, you know, what I'm doing on a day to day, but there's other days, like that, where they fairly clearly see what I do, but they can see that I care about the job because I'm out there trying to, you know, attack all these tasks for the park, to make the park a better place, and so I know that guests, you know, have that piece of mind and can enjoy the park because they know the restrooms are clean and they know this splash pad chemicals are balanced, so they know it's safer for their kids to be on. You know, providing for my staff like making sure they get their lunch break, and they need that too and so you know I'm all over the place. So, but it's important to be all over the place because if you don't know how the different departments work or you're not checking up on those departments, then you may not know that things aren't getting done or things are being missed. So I think it's important to kind of be everywhere and I spend time with my staff. I go to different departments every day and just check on them and a lot of times it's just non-work stuff because you know we get bombarded with work all the time. So sometimes it's like, hey, how's your family? You know what's what you've been doing reading anything good, watching anything good, just something to get the break. That you know cycle of the mundane of every day. So yeah, but that to me, you know, having those at any time I can interact with guests is awesome because I spend a lot of time around the desk. But you know I just love hearing people's stories where they're coming from. You know how much they love the park. You know things that they would like to see improved. You know I write everything down. So you know I try my best if within reason, if we can make you know that happen. It's all part of that good customer service and giving the guests that best experience that they can get.

Amelia: 29:59

So have you witnessed any like transformative moments with visitors, where you've seen them overcome maybe a personal obstacle or a fear in nature?

Royce Johnson: 30:12

Yeah, definitely with programs, especially when I was in Sweetwater and Atlanta. I mean we were getting a lot of people that had no idea what it was like in the outdoor setting at all and they would be so nervous and so scared and so unsure. And then they come out and they get on a paddle program and they realize that they can do it right. These are skills they didn't even know they had and all of a sudden you see them coming back for things you know they're not just signing up for that program Now, they're out hiking and they're doing all these other things. That and building that confidence is awesome when you see people. I watched a regular here in our park that started out just walking and he was a little bit more overweight at the time and he comes out every day rain, shine, it doesn't matter the weather. He's out every day and he walks a couple miles just to get here. Then he walks a couple miles to the park and then he works out and I work out equipment. He is buff. Now he is Jack. I wave at him every day. I see him every day. I get happy because it was kind of a funny story that he didn't wave at anybody when he first started. One of my goals was to make him wave to me, and for about six months every day I wave nothing back, and I'll never forget when he waved back I got with the other staff and I was like guess who finally waved at me? And now he waved at all the staff, and so it was cool that we had this little connection with this that comes in use the parks every day and, just through consistency, something as simple as a wave from this guy means a lot to us because we're trying to, even if it's just a wave, interact with every guest that comes through. Even seeing somebody like that get transformed is cool too, even though we're not having that one-on-one conversation. But we know he's utilized in the park every day and we do our best to wave and make sure he feels welcome when he's coming through.

Amelia: 32:18

How does Jack Hill State Park support sustainable tourism practices and engage with the local community to promote environmental awareness?

Royce Johnson: 32:29

So we have some pretty cool unique environmental things that happen here. So Jack Hill, even though we're a recreational park, we do have a very rare picture pant species that's only found in Tantinville County and we have a natural habitat that is protected area that we actually have to maintain as a park. We do prescribed burns and then we do bush hog mowing and then we do surveys of that area pretty consistently Several times a year. We go and check up on those plants and so when you have opportunities like that where most people don't know, so we do history or nature hikes to that area to let people know about that population. But also we're in the process of developing a plan to make a picture plant bog like a homemade one. So those plants were transplanted, seeds from that plant were transplanted to Atlanta Botanical Garden and they were able to repopulate that plant. Well, they're able to get us several species of those same plants that came from here and we're going to replant them in an area of the park that is accessible to everybody so that we can use it for educational purposes and kind of make it kind of a unique area for programming and that kind of stuff. So that's something we focus on, but all the state parks have different things like that. We have an active friends group that just got rebooted up, which is a volunteer group that partners with us, and so we're looking for this spring to build a pollinator garden to help with bees and hummingbirds and different native species and then use that also as a teaching tool to educate the public about the importance of pollinators and some plants that they possibly could grow in their own gardens just to help with wildlife. We do different nature talks and the importance of wildlife, because you will see a variety of wildlife even though we're in Reedsville City limits. We have a healthy deer population, turkey population. There's a hawks nest that's pretty close to my house and I see all the time. I see a fox pretty regularly. And then we do other things for recreation purposes, like the pond. We do pond management for spraying and we build a bunch of fish attractors with the Ogiji Tech Michael College to try to increase fishing in our pond as well. So we do different things that tie to recreation and some that are just a natural habitat restoration for educational purposes, for the public to understand as well.

Amelia: 35:18

Have you had any like unique or memorable encounters with wildlife?

Royce Johnson: 35:27

I've had several throughout my career. I'll never forget one of my last weekends at Sweetwater. There was a mallard duck that somebody accidentally caught with a fishing hook, and so they don't train you for this when you go through DNR school, but you know, you just have to have a kind of care and love for animals. So me and another staff member went out on our boat and we were able to catch it with a net and I sat there and de-hooked it and got the fishing line unwrapped from them and it was crowded. There was people everywhere and I'm sitting here doing it because I feel like it's my duty to help the animal, not thinking about everybody else that's out there in the day use area. So as soon as I get everything done and I let the duck go like I got a standing ovation from like there's people around the park that were just sitting there clapping. I'm like I'm just doing my job. I didn't know that all these other people were watching me in that rescue of those animals, but there's definitely been several times. There's been hawks that we've captured and took to a rehabilitation place and they were able to relocate. I've done snake removal. I've done all kinds of different things within the career that just kind of pop up and not something that you get trained on or the day to day. But when things come up, whether it be a public safety issue or whether it be for the health of the animal, sometimes we just have to spring into action and try to help those type of species. So yeah, I've done that several times throughout my career.

Amelia: 37:07

That's great, though. That's great that you are attentive, and I mean you mentioned this earlier about not seeing people at parks, and I love to go to state parks and I have certainly been to several over the years where you don't see anyone, you know, or you go to the office and there's no one around and just to ask a question. So I think that that's great that you are so hands on. What initiatives or programs does the park offer to engage families in outdoor activities and in education? I know you've touched on some of the things, but are there any others?

Royce Johnson: 37:46

Sure. So one of the big helpful things is the Georgia State Parks website. Ga State Parks Network has an events tab on their main page so you can click on events and you can look by park specific. But if you're looking for a specific program like paddling or hiking, you can put up that generic search and then have a mile radius of how far out you wanna look in that mile radius and it'll list all the programs that are upcoming for that specific event and then you can figure out if you wanna go to that park, if it's close enough and that kind of thing, time and that. So we do a wide variety of different programs, whether it be recreation like paddle programs, hikes, nature type programs. We have a part-time naturalist. She does a lot of art projects. So we just did a build a bird feeder out of pine cones and peanut butter or honey for those who are allergic to peanut butter and bird seed and it's a natural way to feed birds and you're teaching that. We did a build a bee out of toilet paper rolls and stuff. So it was a little art project and then you're teaching kids about pollinators and the importance of that while they're building a craft with your SMORE programs for families so they can get out and just have a SMORE and have a camp, hang out around the campfire and interact with different folks. Each state park has a junior ranger program that a kid can do on their own and each book is specific to the park so they can earn a badge at every state park. So it encourages them to continue on doing that, not only at the one park but at several parks, and then they get sworn in by the manager, assistant manager or the naturalist and so it's a big deal for the kids. It's a big deal for the parents to instill those nature and the importance of the outdoors and that kind of stuff and then they earn something cool with it. And I can't tell you how many kids we've had that have done 50 something parks that they've gone to, all among completed those programs. So it's a really unique opportunity for that. We do school programs, so we get connected with local schools, whether they come out and do a program here or we'll go out to the schools and do programs for them. I've done several different programs in schools. I've done wilderness training, I guess you would say, like how to build a campfire and how to pitch a tent and those basic type skills, wilderness, survival type stuff. And then we've done nature talks. We have some parks, have live animals like snakes and stuff that we can bring to the schools and teach them about wildlife. We also have a lot of animal skins and schools where we can do animal ID so people can understand what different animals are. So there's a wide variety. The historical sites do all kinds of historical stuff. They'll do cannon firings and we have several forts. They'll dress up and period, attire and take people through that time period and what it was like. So there's a wide variety of different things to try to connect people with and so we try to run programs every weekend, because that's typically when most people are available. You know that's when they're in the campground, that kind of stuff. We focus on holidays, we focus on spring breaks, those times when we know families are gonna be around, to try to get them plugged into those type programs.

Amelia: 41:26

I am extremely into, as I mentioned earlier, history, archeology, things like that, and I'm in a lot of groups of people who, whether they're surface hunting or they're going on a property with permission, can you tell those listeners what they are and are not allowed to do at a Georgia State Park if they see something surface level? I personally know what to do, but can you provide listeners of what they should do if they see an artifact on surface level?

Royce Johnson: 42:05

I appreciate you bringing this up because a lot of it is just people just don't know if they're uneducated on what happens, and sometimes we have to be the bad guy and kind of explain those rules. But so everything in the Georgia State Park is protected. So everything you see. You're not supposed to take a leaf, sticks, anything out. Everything is supposed to be found and kept the way it was found in nature and that's all to protect Georgia. It's wildlife, it's nature, everything. So if you come across an artifact, notify the park manager. We have special archeologists that do surveys on the area. We actually have geological surveys and archeological surveys at all sensitive sites and so all those things are mapped out. A lot of our sites have museums, so a lot of that stuff will end up in the museum for educational purposes, unless it, like Native American artifacts, are supposed to be left where they're found because they're considered sacred artifacts. And so we, you know, try to educate folks. But a lot of people don't know. You know you're not allowed to metal detect in the state park. You're not allowed to magnet fish, which is a big one that we've come across lately of. You know, taking a magnet and throwing out and seeing what you get and taking it out, even though people see that as trying to get rid of. You know pollution and that type stuff, but you're also disturbing. You know sediment and things that you don't think about when you're pulling that stuff out. It actually can cause more damage than leaving the stuff in there. So yeah, so we just try to educate the public on that and understand there are other avenues for you guys to go. Like you said, you know public landowners. If you're trying to metal detect and that kind of thing with permission, obviously always get permission those type of places. But state parks and historic sites, that kind of stuff is off limits and we try to protect all of Georgia's state resources.

Amelia: 44:03

And for our rock calendars as well, to leave the ginseng.

Royce Johnson: 44:09

So we don't. I know there's a big push for painted rocks, and but it is not the way that nature is intended it's not natural to the historic sites and to the state parks. So we ask people not to leave the painted rocks in the state parks because, technically, if you're going through a nature center and you see something with paint on it, it's not how you would find it in nature, and so I understand that those are memories and we get people that do get upset about that. But you got to look at it as a perspective of you know we don't want people leaving stuff behind. We want people to find it in that natural setting that they found it when they came in, and so we want to leave the park in that same condition as well.

Amelia: 44:54

Thank you for addressing that. Like I said, I'm super involved with different groups with archaeology and artifacts and rock counters, so that go and look for different quartz crystals and things like that, you know. So I thank you, I appreciate that.

Royce Johnson: 45:09

I appreciate you even brought that up as a flood, because it is. It is important for the guests to know, because they you know, you don't know what you don't know. Right, exactly.

Amelia: 45:19

Van Apart, manager, you have explored, I'm sure, a lot of outdoor spots in your area. Can you suggest a couple of hiking trails or scenic spots in that area that captured the beauty of the region?

Royce Johnson: 45:33

So we are almost kind of limited to where we're at. You know we have a one mile hiking trail, but it is not a loop trail. You just go in half mile and you come back out in the half mile. Most of what we have is farm area around us. But there are other Georgia State parks within 45 minutes of us that have trails. George L Smith is one that has. Not only do they have hiking trail, but they also have a kayak paddling trail. They have an old Cyprus swamp and they have their trees marked, because everything can look a lot alike when there's nothing but Cyprus trees. So they have the trees marked where you can actually do kind of a paddle tour where you're doing it on your own as well. We have Magnolia Springs State Park, which is also within about an hour of us. They have an old spring there and they've got several hiking trails as well. So I definitely would push that. And of course, savannah has several state parks and historic sites that have several hiking trails as well, skidaway Island being one of the big ones. Wormslow Historic Site is pretty close to there as well, and then you've got a bunch of other historic sites that are along there. So most of what you're going to see as far as hiking is going to be in the Georgia State Parks around my area. Now, when you get up to North Georgia and some of those, you're going to have a lot more waterfalls and different hiking trails. But state parks provide a wide variety of different hiking trails, biking trails, different things like that for guests to use, and most of them are usually pretty scenic and have different things that you can see along the way.

Amelia: 47:16

What are your plans or goals that you can share, that you have, for the future development and enhancement of Jack Hill State Park?

Royce Johnson: 47:25

So we're always trying to figure out how we can expand and grow. You know we are only 600, just over 600 acres, so we're not a very big park as far as land, and most of that takes is taken up by our 18 hole golf course is a wide variety. So we just got done with our mini golf course, we got 18 hole regular golf and we also have 18 hole foot golf which you play with the soccer ball, which we're the only Georgia State Park that has a foot golf course on it, and so one of my goals is to incorporate this golf and then we would have four different varieties of golf for people to recreate. And I'm thinking about trying to do some type of incentive If you're able to come out and do all four, giving some type of prize away for those guests who are able to complete all four, because there's not a lot of places that have all those opportunities. They may have mini golf, may have regular golf, but they don't have foot golf. And one of the other things we're trying to get is disc golf, because we do have a big push for a lot of people that play disc golf. I know there's a big push in your area of disc golf. So there's courses, and when I was in Columbia there were several of our parks that had courses and we had people that were out every day playing, playing disc golf. So that's one of the goals, obviously. I kind of talked about the pitcher plant bog and that's one of the ones we're pushing through to provide that opportunity for folks. There is long term five year, 10 year plan to try to expand where we can build more cottages and campsites, as we are busy almost every weekend. We're pretty much at full capacity for campsites and cottages most weekends so, and we're carrying people away. So just providing more opportunities for people to come and stay is important, and so providing that opportunity would be awesome. So there's ideas of how we can do that, whether it be expanded expansion on the golf course or restructuring the way we have stuff built on the park. And then there's stuff all definite projects in the work for just renovations of our exterior, of our group shelter, which is a building that gets rented for birthday parties, is the 80 person capacity building that gets rented a lot for business meetings, for birthday parties, family reunions, and so just the upkeep of those buildings. I would like to see upgraded playgrounds in the next few years. Just a more ADA accessibility and just just upgraded to just be a little bit more modern. So the great thing is we've been pushing for a lot of upgrades throughout the state park because COVID pushed a lot of people to the park, revenue was up and so with revenue, the current management has done a great job of investing that money back into the parks and there's cottages being rebuilt all over the state. There's new restrooms that are being upgraded all over the state, new buildings. So there's a big push to continue and into investing into the parks and providing guests the best opportunities when they're here, to make sure that the amenities and everything are up to standard and newer and kept up nicely.

Amelia: 51:01

So I ask every guest this do you have any words of wisdom or favorite quote that you would like to leave with our listeners?

Royce Johnson: 51:10

There's so many good things that I could say, but you know, for me I guess if I had words of inspiration for people's, whether they're in my situation or just going through, whatever is, you know, make sure you're taking that time to take a step back and and taking time for yourself. But also, when you face those challenges and things can be overwhelming, you know, take things a step at a time. Don't always look at the big picture, but focus on what you can do, not what you can't do. And so you know, if you're able to just tackle this little thing here and then the next day you're able to tackle this, it's kind of get that momentum and build. But if you just become overwhelmed and don't, you know, you try to do all these things and then you don't get any of it done, you're not making that progress. But if you're, you can do that one step here and then that next step and that next step, then before you know it, whatever you're working on is going to be accomplished. So just, you know, slow down and take things a step at a time and you'll be able to eventually meet those goals that you know you may have for yourself.

Amelia: 52:16

I love that. Thank you so much for joining me today and sharing your story. I know your schedule is super busy, so I'm grateful that you took time to chat with me today and I really appreciate it.

Royce Johnson: 52:28

I appreciate the opportunity to not only share my story but, you know, share my love for Georgia State Parks and what we do. And you know I'm here at Jack Hill so if you ever want to come visit you'll see me. Quite often I live in the parks that come say hey.