Wyoming State Parks outlines new strategic plan, volunteer push and site-criteria concerns

Dave Glenn, director of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, told the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources interim committee on June 5 in Dubois that his agency is finalizing a four‑pillar strategic plan and pressing to expand a volunteer program that logged just over 20,000 hours last year. "We punch above our weight," Glenn said, noting state parks and historic sites, and trails together contribute about $781,000,000 in annual economic impact and more than $1 billion when cultural resources are included.

The nut graf: Glenn framed the briefing around workforce and capacity limits, site‑criteria procedures that trigger statutory requirements before creating new parks or historic sites, and several near‑term projects that could require legislative or interagency action — including the Outdoor Recreation Tourism Trust Fund rules, a $10,000,000 pass‑through for the Wyoming State Shooting Complex, and the Fort Phil Kearny interpretive center backed by a $1,100,000 Helmsley Charitable Trust gift.

Glenn said the department’s new strategic plan narrows its work into four pillars: inspiring service and engagement; stewardship (including cultural and natural resource management required by…