Alabama State Parks' Lein Retiring, Capps Promoted

By DAVID RAINER, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

The path that Greg Lein and Matthew Capps shared with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) State Parks Division is now diverging. Lein, the State Parks Director for the past 12 years is retiring, and Matthew Capps, former Deputy Director, has been promoted to State Parks Director.

While preparing for the National Association of State Parks Directors Conference that is being held at Gulf State Park this week, Lein shared his vision of State Parks when he became director in 2012, and Capps shared his vision of the future of State Parks.

"I felt like more could be done through our day-use program and day-use activities," Lein said of his early goals as Director after several years as Deputy Director of the State Lands Division. "As an outsider looking in, you think you know how it works, but until you have walked in those shoes, you don't know exactly what it's like. But I was able to make some changes in the day-use program. We had some parks that weren't manning their gates. We felt like we weren't capitalizing on resources financially.

"We put more emphasis on the trails. We put more emphasis on partnering with people who could help us take care of these trails. We brought in concessionaires like the zip-line companies, food trucks and the cable skiing at Oak Mountain. I felt like it was important for our State Parks to stay relevant to the younger generations."

Lein said he feels those efforts have been successful, and State Parks has been able to keep pace with the younger generations.

"That applies to technology and having a newer and better reservation system, getting Wi-Fi in the parks, and that has been a challenge," he said. "But you can't make that technology work if you don't have that connectivity. And realizing that we don't have to do everything ourselves. It was about not being afraid to have partners with greater core competencies than we do.

"The zip lines are a great example of that. We didn't have to design it. We didn't have to build it. We don't have to staff it. But we get to promote it as something people can do as a day activity or as an enhancement to an overnight stay in the State Parks System."

Tackling the backlog of maintenance issues in State Parks has been one goal, but Lein knows Capps will have to continue that effort.

"These 12 years have gone by in a flash," Lein said. "None of it would have been possible without having a great team of managers. Matthew has been an exceptional Deputy Director. He's brought a lot of fresh ideas to the table with different ways of approaching things. I'm excited about stepping away and leaving it in his hands."

After Capps graduated from Auburn University, he worked with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant program in Mobile. He was director of Dauphin Island Parks and Beach Board and the City of Mobile Parks and Recreation before working in the private sector for several years. He became State Parks Deputy Director three years ago.

"I think we're in a great spot in our State Parks System," said the 42-year-old Capps. "I think we need to maintain and grow. I think if we leverage our partnerships, we can be more financially sustainable. The bond ($80 million bond issue overwhelmingly passed by Alabama voters) is really helping us get our infrastructure into place where we have good return on investment."

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