Ousted Missouri parks director called 'casualty of politics'

Bill Bryan, the Missouri State Parks director who oversaw a major expansion of the park system during his tenure, has been fired from his post.

In a phone interview with the News-Leader Wednesday, Bryan, 51, said he was walking down the hall to meet the new director of the Department of Natural Resources on Jan. 23 when he got a call "informing me my services were no longer needed."

"I am no longer director of Missouri State Parks," said Bryan. "I was surprised when I got the call that my services were no longer needed. There was no explanation offered, and I didn't ask for one."

Bryan was nine months short of retirement, though he'll still qualify for state retirement benefits.

Former Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Bryan to head Missouri State Parks in 2009. During his time as director, the park system added seven new state parks, including the $62 million, 430-acre Echo Bluff State Park in Shannon County that Bryan said was a high point in his career.

"That was an amazing project," Bryan said. "It was completed in 30 months from start to finish, from hammering that first nail to opening to the public. I'm proud of the work our entire team did. It's a really special place that will lead Missouri State Parks into its second hundred years."

Missouri State Parks now manages 92 parks and historic sites.

Bryan said he wasn't sure if new Republican Gov. Eric Greitens or his new DNR chief Carol Comer was responsible for his ouster. Missouri State Parks, with approximately 550 full-time employees and up to 2,000 employees during peak tourism seasons, is a division of DNR.

Parker Briden, press secretary for Greitens’ administration, declined to explain why Bryan was fired.

"(We) can't comment on personnel decisions regarding Bill Bryan," Briden said. "We're focused on hiring the best and brightest to help us take Missouri in a new direction."

A DNR spokesman also had little to say about Bryan's firing.

"The Department does not comment on matters of personnel," DNR communications director Tom Bastian wrote in an email. "The position is currently vacant.  The day-to-day operations of Missouri State Parks are being managed by the division’s two deputy directors."

Along with Echo Bluff, Bryan said he was proud of a joint project Missouri State Parks undertook with Missouri Workforce Development to hire young people part time in a State Park Youth Corps.

"We developed that in 2009 and more than 3,000 young people had their first jobs working in that program," Bryan said. "They put in over 800,000 hours working on park projects."

He also thanked Missouri residents for continuing to support Missouri State Parks by consistently renewing the state's 1/10th of one percent parks, soils and water tax, half of which is used to fund a majority of park projects.

"Eighty percent of Missourians and every county in Missouri voted for the latest renewal," Bryan said. "That's a resounding endorsement for everything state parks has done."

Missouri State Parks and the Department of Natural Resources have come under fire recently for the use of lead mine cleanup funds to buy land for new parks. Three new state parks were announced in December, using funds from the ASARCO settlement intended for cleaning up lead-contaminated areas in eastern Missouri.

Bryan said he didn't know if that factored into his termination. The issue has triggered at least one bill in the Missouri House to slow or stop state park expansions.

A proposal to block the acquisition of land for state parks was heard Wednesday morning by the House Committee on Conservation and Natural Resources. Some fine-tuning is needed, but committee chair Rep. Sonya Anderson, R-Springfield, said she supports the idea behind the bill.

Bryan said he'll take some time to look for a different job and already had applied for several positions that would mesh with his background as a lawyer, conservationist and experience in the outdoors industry.

"I was nine months short of retirement," he added. "I'm very disappointed. There's a lot more work to do, but I know the state parks are in good hands. It will work out."

Brandon Butler, executive director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, said he knew Bryan well and thanked him for what he did for Missouri State Parks.

"I think Bill's a great guy and did a good job managing the governor's vision of expanding the park system," Butler said. "I've been to Echo Bluff and it's one of the premier state parks in the system."

Despite Bryan's seven-year tenure at Missouri State Parks, Butler said he wasn't too surprised that a change was made when a new governor took office.

"I think Bill was hopeful he'd get to keep his job," Butler said. "I want to thank Bill for what he did when he was there."

Not everyone is a fan of Bryan. A year ago, Rep. Craig Redmon, R-Canton, sponsored an amendment that would have cut Bryan's $111,606 annual salary in half after DNR used ASARCO cleanup funds to buy land for a new Eleven Point River State Park and several others.

On Wednesday, Redmon said he thought Bryan had done "an adequate job" as head of the park system.

"I think his departure is more aligned with having a new governor in place," Redmon said. "Bill was a casualty of politics."

Asked whether the proposal to cut Bryan's pay in half targeted the wrong person, instead of others pushing to tap the ASARCO money, Redmon said no.

"A lot of times you fire the coach, even if it's the team that's to blame," he said. "I'm looking forward to working with a new parks director, whomever that is."

Steve Nagle, president of the Missouri Parks Association, said he hoped Bryan could have stayed on as the new governor made his transition to office. The association was a key player in getting the first parks, soils and water tax passed in 1984.

"It has been a very rewarding eight years with Bill running the state parks program," Nagle said. "He became a professional park manager very quickly, was very courteous and was always well informed on park issues."

Nagle said the state park system has become a concern among some state lawmakers in recent years, many who are concerned about maintaining existing park properties instead of expanding the system.

"Our hope was that Bill could have stayed on and help patch things up with the legislature," he said. "Five years from now, when the dust settles, people will realize how valuable these state parks are to their local economies."

Nagle said he hoped Greitens would conduct a nationwide search for Bryan's replacement, while also keeping the door open for current state park staff to apply.

"Casting a wide net for a professional parks person would be best," Nagle said.

News-Leader reporter Will Schmitt contributed to this report