Montgomery County Parks has over 36,000 acres and 421 park sites as part of the Maryland-National Capitol Park and Playground Commission (MNCPPC). With over 1 million citizens, the agency has multiple missions to interpret natural and cultural resources, balance demand for recreation with the need for conservation, offer various enjoyable recreational activities that encourage healthy lifestyles, and provide clean, safe, and accessible places. Senior Natural Resources Specialist David Petersen said about one important training effort, “The folks at Eppley understand the public lands environment. This understanding, attention to detail and creativity were key to the development of an E-course for hunters in our deer management program.”
The employee workforce is critical, but volunteers also play a significant role in assisting Montgomery County Parks in achieving this mission. The Montgomery County Parks Department volunteer office was very proactive in developing online learning to help these volunteers understand the areas in which they would be working. Tracking volunteer qualifications and training completed became a challenge; and the online offerings, were not accessible and had dated technology. The overall goals of this project to develop a state-of-the art, accessible online education program for volunteers. LEAP LMS turned out to be the perfect platform for the Montgomery County Parks Volunteer Program.
