SHEA LEWIS

Shea Lewis watches the birdie.

NOVO STUDIO

WIDE-OPEN SPACES SHEA LEWIS

DIRECTOR, ARKANSAS STATE PARKS

As the new chief for Arkansas’s 52 state parks, the roughly 1,000 full-time and seasonal employees who work there, and the nearly 10 million guests who visited one last year, Shea Lewis inherits one of the state’s largest economic engines, generating about $2 billion in revenues. Lewis, who has 24 years of work experience with Arkansas State Parks, moved into the director’s role Jan. 3 from the position of deputy director.

WILD: How has the concept of a state park evolved over the years and does that present an opportunity for Arkansas moving forward? SHEA LEWIS: The original concept of a state park system was to fill a gap between what the National Park Service was doing and what local community or city parks were doing. Another concept about state parks that was really important is that they were in closer proximity to residents. Our original concept was to have a state park within 60 miles of every citizen of Arkansas.

That said, state parks are changing. We are in an experience-driven economy. The younger folks are looking for those unique experiences and opportunities to share those experiences on Instagram or through social media. They want to share what they’re doing with others and we provide those opportunities.

The pandemic has impacted us greatly. We’ve seen a huge influx of visits and firsttime visitors. I talk to some of our park rangers who have had to help many of our guests set up a tent because they’ve never camped before. They’re new to this experience and it’s absolutely awesome that we can be an essential service during such a time in the history of the world. WILD: How does an entity like State Parks continue to expand amenities visitors want without posing undue competition to neighboring communities? LEWIS: State Parks is a partner with communities. I can’t even think of an example where it’s the opposite of that. There are more communities that would love to have a state park than what we can actually provide. We try to find balance with our fee structures, doing comparable rate studies, and we work with our partners. The goal of the state is to provide a service but not out-compete private business. We do view ourselves as an economic driver, but we also take seriously that we are part of a community. WILD: What are some of your immediate goals as director? LEWIS: One of my goals would be what we can do to retain the guests who found us during the pandemic. Building that connection to early experiences is very, very important. My goal is to honor the tradition of what a state park system is, but be innovative at the same time, looking to the future.

In doing that, we’ve done some pretty unique things. We have a new set of trails called the Monument Trails, optimized for hiking, running or mountain biking, developed in partnership with the Arkansas Parks and Recreation Foundation. We’re seeing new guests find us because of those trails at Pinnacle Mountain, Mount Nebo, Devil’s Den and Hobbs State Park Conservation Area. They’ve really brought in a new generation of park guests to us.

We’re also working towards the completion of Delta Heritage Trail State Park in eastern Arkansas. Grants from the Walton Family Foundation as well as through the Department of Transportation are going to help us see that through to completion. That’s going to be an entirely unique experience of riding a bike or hiking or running through lands that have been seen by very few people over a very long period of time.