Welcome from Ohio State Parks Acting Chief, John Hunter

 

Dear Friends:

Dan West, Chief of Ohio State parks for the past 12 years, has retired after 32 years of state service.  ODNR Director Sean Logan has named John Hunter, the assistant chief, to be the acting chief

Acting Chief’s Message

I may be new to my position as acting chief of Ohio State Parks, but I am very familiar with the positive impact that friends groups and volunteers have on Ohio State Parks. And I enjoyed meeting many of you at the FPOSP’s annual fall meeting in Columbus in November.

I have worked for Ohio State Parks for 34 years and have seen the great work that has been done by our volunteers and support groups from different vantage points throughout my career.

Let me take a moment to say, “Thank You!”

Dan West was a true supporter of volunteers and came up with the idea to form friends groups 10 years ago.  After a lot of work, we now have 54 friends groups doing good work in our parks.  Whether they are sponsoring special events or building shelter houses and playgrounds, our friends groups have added value to the outdoor recreation experiences of our visitors.

Now is the time to look back at the 2009 season and review your accomplishments and to begin planning for 2010 and your group’s goals.  We experienced a successful 2009 season in terms of use of our parks, particularly our campgrounds, and one of the reasons that people keep coming back to Ohio State Parks is the improvements in our facilities funded by our friends groups.

I look forward to working with you and together to making Ohio State Parks the best state park system that it can be!

John Hunter                                          

Acting Chief, Ohio State Parks