New State Park Managers
The Bureau of State Parks has appointed two new managers to oversee operations of a Greene County state park and a two-park complex in Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Michael DiBerardinis announced today.
Alan C. Johnson, formerly a manager trainee at the bureau's Region One office in Emporium, Cameron County, was named manager of Ryerson Station State Park, near Wind Ridge, Greene County.
Angelique D. Croll, formerly acting manager of Memorial Lake and Swatara state parks, takes over the managerial reins at that state park complex in Lebanon and Schuylkill counties.
"A strong grasp of administrative and public relations skills has seen these young managers advance steadily within the Bureau of State Parks," said DiBerardinis. "Under Alan's and Angel's leadership, the parks and their many visitors will benefit."
Located in the far southwest corner of the state near the West Virginia border, Ryerson Station State Park drew almost 80,000 visitors annually to its 1,164-acres before the 52-acre Ronald J. Duke Lake was drained in 2005. Dam safety concerns forced a lake draw-down, but the park remains open for camping, hiking, picnicking and swimming.
"I am looking forward to working with the State Parks' Region 2 Office in Butler County, as well as the wonderful staff at Ryerson Station State Park," said Johnson. "I welcome the chance to continue promoting Ryerson Station and its amenities as a great location for creating memories that will last a lifetime."
Johnson, 29, succeeds Sean Benson, who was named assistant manager at Cook Forest State Park Complex in Clarion County.
Johnson entered the park manager training program in 2007 after graduating with a bachelor's degree in recreation administration from Edinboro University. He is a native of Eldred, McKean County.
With two launching ramps and 56 overnight mooring slips, the 85-acre Memorial Lake is the focal point of the state park, a 230-acre tract surrounded by Fort Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in East Hanover Township, Lebanon County. The complex also includes the largely undeveloped Swatara State Park, a tract on the Lebanon-Schuylkill county border that offers more than 3,500 acres of rolling fields and woodlands bisected by Swatara Creek.
"Memorial Lake complex offers a great opportunity to learn and apply a variety of management skills in a variety of functions and positions," Croll said. "And, it's all up front and personal because of the small, dedicated staff."
Croll succeeds William C. Friese who was named manager of the Tobyhanna State Park Complex, comprised of Tobyhanna, Gouldsboro and Big Pocono state parks, all in Monroe County.
Croll first worked for the Bureau of State Parks in 2006 as a seasonal environmental education specialist at Evansburg State Park, Montgomery County. She entered the bureau's manager trainee program in 2007, working from the Region Four office in Perkasie, Bucks County. She worked as assistant and acting park manager at Promised Land, Pike County; Frances Slocum, Luzerne County; the Tobyhanna Park Complex, based in Monroe County, and, most recently, the Memorial Lake State Park Complex.
Croll graduated from Northland College, Ashland, Wis., with a bachelor's degree in policy studies. A native of Cypress, Texas, she lives with her husband and two daughters near Grantville, Lebanon County.
Alan C. Johnson, formerly a manager trainee at the bureau's Region One office in Emporium, Cameron County, was named manager of Ryerson Station State Park, near Wind Ridge, Greene County.
Angelique D. Croll, formerly acting manager of Memorial Lake and Swatara state parks, takes over the managerial reins at that state park complex in Lebanon and Schuylkill counties.
"A strong grasp of administrative and public relations skills has seen these young managers advance steadily within the Bureau of State Parks," said DiBerardinis. "Under Alan's and Angel's leadership, the parks and their many visitors will benefit."
Located in the far southwest corner of the state near the West Virginia border, Ryerson Station State Park drew almost 80,000 visitors annually to its 1,164-acres before the 52-acre Ronald J. Duke Lake was drained in 2005. Dam safety concerns forced a lake draw-down, but the park remains open for camping, hiking, picnicking and swimming.
"I am looking forward to working with the State Parks' Region 2 Office in Butler County, as well as the wonderful staff at Ryerson Station State Park," said Johnson. "I welcome the chance to continue promoting Ryerson Station and its amenities as a great location for creating memories that will last a lifetime."
Johnson, 29, succeeds Sean Benson, who was named assistant manager at Cook Forest State Park Complex in Clarion County.
Johnson entered the park manager training program in 2007 after graduating with a bachelor's degree in recreation administration from Edinboro University. He is a native of Eldred, McKean County.
With two launching ramps and 56 overnight mooring slips, the 85-acre Memorial Lake is the focal point of the state park, a 230-acre tract surrounded by Fort Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in East Hanover Township, Lebanon County. The complex also includes the largely undeveloped Swatara State Park, a tract on the Lebanon-Schuylkill county border that offers more than 3,500 acres of rolling fields and woodlands bisected by Swatara Creek.
"Memorial Lake complex offers a great opportunity to learn and apply a variety of management skills in a variety of functions and positions," Croll said. "And, it's all up front and personal because of the small, dedicated staff."
Croll succeeds William C. Friese who was named manager of the Tobyhanna State Park Complex, comprised of Tobyhanna, Gouldsboro and Big Pocono state parks, all in Monroe County.
Croll first worked for the Bureau of State Parks in 2006 as a seasonal environmental education specialist at Evansburg State Park, Montgomery County. She entered the bureau's manager trainee program in 2007, working from the Region Four office in Perkasie, Bucks County. She worked as assistant and acting park manager at Promised Land, Pike County; Frances Slocum, Luzerne County; the Tobyhanna Park Complex, based in Monroe County, and, most recently, the Memorial Lake State Park Complex.
Croll graduated from Northland College, Ashland, Wis., with a bachelor's degree in policy studies. A native of Cypress, Texas, she lives with her husband and two daughters near Grantville, Lebanon County.
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