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Black Hills National Forest - U.S. Forest Service

As a small cooperating association, Black Hills Parks and Forests Association (BHPFA) has two full-time staff and employs a team of seasonal staff to operate retail stores at sixteen locations across South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. In speaking with Executive Director Patty Ressler, it became clear to me that this organization supports an enormous swath of land and upholds diverse partnerships to provide programs, products and services to their visitors. Since 1946, they have supported the National Park Service and today, also support national forests, three national grasslands, a state park, an archaeological site, a historic tree nursery, and a wilderness area.  Patty explained that BHPFA has undergone many changes throughout its history and that it is now transitioning forward to becoming a more effective organization. One major step in their transition is a change in the operations and support that BHPFA provides to its board. 

Prior to this year, BHPFA had a board of seven elected members who served without term limits. This past May, they voted to change that tradition in order to bring new perspectives and provide greater representation. “We want to be open to tomorrow’s generation,” Patty explained. To diversify, they identified a matrix to recruit new members from different geographic areas with different experiences and interviewed candidates suggested by the board. The board also voted to set term limits to three, three year terms and to increase its board to nine members, with four new members joining this past spring.

"It's exciting to see the energy and passion coming to light," said long-serving Board Member Colleen Hennessy. Colleen explained that the organization had been trying to bring their policies and practices to standard for the past eight years. This new group was exactly the catalyst they needed to move forward. Over the past few months, BHPFA has updated many of their bylaws, created a board orientation program and finalized a board manual so that new (and existing) members can serve with the resources they need to lead (Members can view sections of the board manual here). 

The board orientation program includes an extensive, multi-hour training over dinner to provide a personalized way of bringing new members up-to-speed. “The orientation sessions have received positive feedback,” Patty said. She explained that they walked new board members through the organization’s mission, goal-setting and then asked the new recruits where they wanted to be involved. According to Patty, this method allowed for new members to accept responsibility and leadership from the beginning. 

In addition to energizing new board members, BHPFA has found ways to engage current board members as well. Throughout the year, new and existing board members will meet with agency partners to discuss best practices and how they can support one another. These meetings are something Colleen noted as a highlight of her position and a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas and share resources: "I like to attend these meetings and ask how can we better help [the agencies] do interpretive programs and educate people." Through this type of engagement, board members receive information directly from the agencies and, in return, serve as representatives of BHFPA.

Living in "one of the most incredible places in the country" Colleen believes the board is critical to sustaining BHFPA and to protecting the public lands. She also adds that, "in moving the board forward, you need to make sure they're ready to take their load." Change is never easy but, as BHFPA has learned, it is rewarding to re-energize and re-focus board leadership and that support and training is an ongoing and essential process. 

BHPFA is interested in hearing from other PLA Members about how they energize and engage their boards. Do you have a go-to resource for board development or board essentials? Head over to our Member Forum and let us know! *You must be part of an PLA Member organization to participate in the forum. To learn how to become a member, visit http://publiclandsalliance.org/membership/join.

BHPFA convention attendance in Albuquerque	Jewel Cave National Monument Visitor Center with BFHPA store in the background