Idaho Parks and Recreation announces 2021 ranger of the year
EAST IDAHO (KIFI) – The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) announce Andrew (Andy) Stokes, of Bear Lake State Park, as Ranger of the Year for 2021.
He was nominated by Park Manager Kirk Rich.
“Andy has a long affiliation with the park working as both a park seasonal and a marine deputy. His life before his parks and rec career included working as a general contractor with a background in construction. That means he can build anything as well as fix about anything that is broken. In the past two seasons, he has spearheaded a boat dock replacement project as well as laying out parking areas for another unit of the park. He has served through four hot summers as park ranger working through seasons where we turn away large crowds due to lack of parking capacity. Most recently, he took the lead on implementing the new parking lot construction at East Beach. He continues to work through the Development Bureau on this and other projects," Rich said.
“His proposal for the newly proposed Bear Lake North Beach (west) project stands as the current working document for that proposal. This year he was active in implementing the newly enacted fee increase at North Beach which has doubled park income within the first two months of the year. He has upgraded the approach and kiosk access at North Beach allowing the park to process over 300 cars in an hour. He is always looking for a new and better way. He has strong contacts in the community on both sides of the line. He is a cheerleader for IDPR and makes the agency look good on many fronts. He continues to be the glue that holds the park together on many fronts," he said.
