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Professional Profile: Parks and Wildlife Management

This is an excerpt from Introduction to Physical Education, Fitness, and Sport-9th Edition by Daryl L. Siedentop & Hans van der Mars.

By Eric Legg, PhD

Megan Dimpsey

Opportunities to recreate in parks and nature are provided through parks and programming at the local, state, and national levels. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is a state government organization whose mission is “to perpetuate the wildlife resources of the state, to provide a quality state parks system, and to provide enjoyable and sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities that educate and inspire current and future generations to serve as active stewards of Colorado’s natural resources” (CPW, n.d.). This includes management of 41 state parks, more than 350 state wildlife areas, all wildlife in Colorado, and numerous recreational programs.

Megan Dimpsey works as a program assistant for CPW. In her role she oversees a staff of five to seven seasonal employees and provides ongoing assistance to customers, external agents, and staff in the field. A typical day might involve communicating with a retail store about selling hunting and fishing permits, making sure her staff has what they need, ensuring the financials are balanced, and addressing any other issues, such as technology malfunctions, that come up. Megan states that she likes that her job involves so many different roles that it’s different every day. “It may seem mundane,” Megan says, “but it’s the behind-the-scenes workers that keep a lot of the wheels moving.”

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