Published: March 13, 2008 10:51 pm            

Fort Mountain's Ensley named manager of the year

Fort Mountain State Park manager Brian Ensley was recently named manager of the year by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Each year, DNR recognizes outstanding state parks and historic sites for their customer service, programming, maintenance and other achievements. Employees were recognized for accomplishments as serious as fighting wildfires and as unusual as hosting bug-eating programs, DNR said.

“Brian Ensley is a distinguished leader who is always willing to try new approaches for improving his park,” DNR said in a press release. “He is a Wilderness First Responder who was instrumental in working with local officials to improve safety on nearby roads.”

Ensley, a University of Georgia graduate and certified law enforcement officer, began as a resource manager with the Lodge Region before being promoted to assistant manager and then park manager. DNR said Fort Mountain State Park “has been recognized on both state and regional levels for outstanding operations in maintenance, interpretive programming, resource management, administration, law enforcement, search and rescue operations, and search management.”

Ensley “can often be found out working with his staff on his 3,000-acre park, usually on a trail or assisting with a maintenance project,” the department said. "His community respects Brian, as he is often the first to respond to auto accidents on the mountain because local responders have so far to travel to reach accident scenes. He was instrumental in working with state and local officials to have the speed limit reduced near his park to lower the number of these auto accidents. ...

“He ensures that his staff is treated fairly with regard to work schedules and assignments, even if it means some degree of sacrifice on his behalf. Although a quiet man, Brian speaks volumes by his actions as an outdoor recreation professional. His guest services are always good and his staff is always motivated to take on the tough projects and do them well. Fort Mountain is immaculate, not just because Brian cares about the park, but because he knows how to lead others to excellence.”

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources operates 63 state parks and historic sites, seven golf courses and a tourist train. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaStateParks.org or call 1-800-864-7275.

        

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