About

I'm an outdoorsman, a conservationist, a leader, a husband, and a dad. And I want to be better at all of those things. 

So I created this blog. Here I hope to share ideas, stories, interviews, and tidbits of info that either have helped me in the past, or which might prove useful in the future. Maybe it'll help you too. 

Why Outdoor Executive Dad?

Because that's what I am. I'm the Executive Director of my county's conservation department. I either am, or have been, the leader (president, chairperson, whatever) of a number of outdoor organizations. Basically, I go to a lot of meetings. It's all very executive. I'm a husband (married since 2012). And of course, I'm a dad. Girl was born in 2015, Boy in 2018. And those two things, more than anything, define me as a person. And I really have no idea what I'm doing in that aspect of my life.

Does anyone, really?

In a nod to political correctness, I was going to name this the Outdoor Professional Parent, but I just wasn't down with the resulting acronym (yeah, you know me!). And we government employee types are serious about our acronyms. (If you didn't get that joke, you're either too young or you've lived a very sheltered life. Either way, I'm sorry.)

I work for a relatively small county conservation department (Des Moines County) in a relatively small town (Burlington) along the not-so-small Mississippi River in the southeast corner of Iowa. So if some of my posts don't make any sense to you, it's probably because you're not from around here. And for that, you should be sorry.

What's My Plan for This Site?

I don't have one. Really, I have no idea what I expect out of this site. So neither should you. I have some ideas floating around, some random notes scattered across various apps on my phone (note to self, make blog post about what note taking apps I use), but I don't have any real expectations. I do know that I enjoy sharing knowledge with others, especially if it's helpful to them in some way. So maybe I'll actually turn some of my random thoughts into useful posts. Maybe you'll find value in that information and it will help you be a better park manager, conservationist, outdoorsman (or woman), or parent. 

Or maybe it'll be terrible advice and you'll decide to never return to this site ever again. Or maybe - and this is probably the most likely - I'll lose ambition and never get around to sharing anything useful and you won't have to actively avoid the site because it will just cease to exist eventually anyway. Hard to say. The future is unpredictable that way. 

And that's what makes life so exciting! Or something like that. 

So anyway, enjoy the site while it lasts. And if you do, leave some feedback. If you don't, then keep your thoughts to yourself. Nobody likes a Negative Nancy.

Cheers!