Gratitude for Mark: Speak Quietly and Do Something!
Mark Hardgrove: Public Land Manager, Volunteer, and Amazing Person. Mark is an example of how to retire to something meaningful.
The saying goes that you shouldn’t retire from something, but rather that you should retire to something. We are eternally grateful that Mark Hardgrove retired to ConservationVIP. He is a great example of how someone can choose to retire to something meaningful. Mark is a doer. He speaks quietly and gets a lot accomplished.
He has been making a difference at ConservationVIP for 12 years now and there are not words to fairly describe his impact. He is a volunteer Board Member, Board Secretary, Director of Field Operations, Program Manager for Galapagos, US Virgin Islands, and Amazon destinations, Trip Leader, mentor, friend, hero, and much more. All you need to do is scan the Trip Reviews on our website to see the many people Mark has impacted.
“I traveled to Italy with our [ConservationVIP] leader Mark, so I knew how awesome he was going into the trip: congenial, calm, caring, yet always on task in making sure everyone was happy and all details were covered.” Jane, Galapagos Trip Review, 2023
It is not just trip participants that Mark impacts, it is all of us. Susan Murray is a volunteer Trip Leader who retired to ConservationVIP and leads ConservationVIP trips to Alaska, Torres del Paine, and the US Virgin Islands. Susan had this to say about volunteering with Mark as a trip leader: “I am fortunate to co-lead several trips with Mark. He’s organized, proactive, thoughtful, and incredibly patient. His quiet sense of humor lifts the entire group and brings a sense of ease to even the busiest days. On the USVI trips, where leaders also take on cooking duties, Mark’s calm presence and steady humor make everything feel manageable and even fun. He keeps things simple, stays grounded, and always seems to find a path forward that works for everyone. I’ve learned a lot from him and am grateful for the opportunity to continue leading alongside him.”
“He keeps things simple, stays grounded, and always seems to find a path forward that works for everyone.”
Why Volunteer in Public Lands After a Public Lands Career?
We asked Mark why he decided to volunteer in the Public Lands realm after retiring from a career in Public Lands?
“My journey through life started when I joined the National Park Service after high school. The joy and passion were mutual as I loved taking care of our National Parks and I loved interacting with volunteers and partners to further our mutual interests. My first 20 years I served in 8 National Parks in Facility Management and my second 20 years I served in 7 National Parks as Park Manager or what the NPS calls Superintendents. I was proud to manage the US Virgin Islands National Parks on St. John and St. Thomas and the Marine Protected areas that protected the park’s, reefs and provided access to our local fisherfolks.
A few months after I retired the glow wore off and I joined Conservation Volunteers International Program. After being whisked off to join the Trip Leadership team, joining them in Torres del Paine for my first experience. It changed my life, I transitioned from feeling mildly depressed into “I have found my new love”. Suddenly, I realized I was not old or retired I was excited, engaged and passionate about our leadership team, our mission and the impact our volunteers had on these special places. At 70 years young I look forward to each program, each place, each partner as we bring hope to the professionals tasked to protect but that do not have the capacity to implement. Bringing volunteers and developing long term volunteer programs connects communities with special places in a way Park Managers thought possible.”
“Suddenly, I realized I was not old or retired I was excited, engaged and passionate about our leadership team, our mission and the impact our volunteers had on these special places.”
We also asked why he choose to volunteer with ConservationVIP?
“ConservationVIP had sent out a short notice seeking trail crew leaders. Thinking back on my career the most fun I ever had at work was when I served as Roads/Trails/Grounds Maintenance Foreman. It sounded exciting and after a week or so I received a call from the President inviting me to join the Board of Directors. I have been all in since December 2013. After working for the NPS for so long it has been a joy to work with such professional Directors and Trip Leaders. ConservationVIP is a non-profit with partnerships for conservation at every turn. When ConservationVIP was created, they actually chose me.”
Thank you, Mark Hardgrove!
Our Board Chair and CEO, Chris Braunlich, also retired to ConservationVIP. She had this to say about Mark: “In my humble opinion, Mark deserves every bit of praise.
Mark has so many wonderful qualities, it is difficult to adequately list them in just a few words. He very generously donates his time to support public lands, which says volumes about his good heart. Because he has been a public lands manager, he can connect with other land managers to learn about their needs and figure out how our volunteers can help, so I know I can rely on him to ensure his trip plans are mission driven. He is also an extraordinarily good trip leader. Leading a group of volunteers requires organizational skills to manage the group and the project. It also requires an ability to connect with people to help them have a good experience. Trip leading is never easy, yet Mark is so multitalented that the people he leads think it is easy. The clearest evidence of his outstanding ability is that he has led more trips to more destinations than any of our trip leaders; across these diverse destinations and trips, he has consistently earned the highest praise from people on his trips. In sum, I greatly admire him, and I respect his advice.”
P.S. If you are lucky enough to meet Mark, you will discover that for a talented person, he is remarkably modest. He prefers doing to talking. In a group, he is often the quiet one. If you want to learn from him, it’s up to you to ask him for his opinion.”
Thank you for your service, Mark – to our country, to our organization, and to our world!
Have you traveled with Mark? Leave a comment below! Did you retire from a Public Lands career? Consider following Mark’s trail and retiring to ConservationVIP! Get Involved! Would you like to have a life changing experience on a conservation service trip with Mark? Join us to Travel with Purpose.
Ed, thank you for capturing how we all feel about Mark.
Mark, I meant every word I said. I can’t thank you enough for all your volunteer service to ConservationVIP and the public lands we support.