David G. Talbot

Cornelius Amory Pugsley State Medal Award, 1990

 

David Talbot (1933 - ) received the Pugsley Medal in 1990. As a young boy growing up in Grants Pass, a small town in rural Southern Oregon, Talbot developed a life-long love of the out-of-doors. Contrary to the usual values of the time, he sensed that "play" was not only fun, but much more--that it was good for you, the community and society in general.

 

As a junior at the University of Oregon in 1954, he was searching for a career path when he learned that Professor Lynn Rodney was coming the following year to set up a new major in parks and recreation administration so he graduated from that department. Shortly after graduation, he was appointed director of parks and recreation for Grants Pass where he had grown up.

 

After three and a half years at Grants Pass, in1962 he moved to become state recreation director--a position within Oregon State Parks whose primary job was to assist the rapidly growing number of cities and counties in the state that were starting park and recreation departments. In 1964, he became the first graduate of the University of Oregon's master's degree program in parks and recreation, and at the age of 31 he was selected to be head of the Oregon State Parks agency. Talbot stayed with Oregon State Parks for his whole career.

 

In 1979, under Talbot's leadership, the Oregon State Parks organization gained separate but equal status alongside the Highway Division in the Oregon Department of Transportation. In 1980, the public voted to eliminate the gas tax that supported state parks, which placed the agency more directly under the state legislature because it was then dependent on general fund money to operate. In 1989, the legislature created an independent state park and recreation department.

 

The start of his tenure as state parks superintendent in 1964 had coincided with the wave of national concern and investment in America's out-of-doors which emerged in the mid-1960s. Especially under governor Tom McCall (1967-1975), parks in Oregon were pushed to center stage. He campaigned for office on making Oregon the most livable of states. His opponent in the campaign made "rediscovery" of the Willamette River a key issue, suggesting a continuous greenbelt on both sides of the river with bicycle trails stretching from Eugene to Portland. McCall immediately embraced it telling his opponent "That is a great idea, if I'm elected governor I'm going to do it better than you could." When elected, he called on Talbot saying "I have no idea how to do this, put a plan together for me." It was a high visibility, complex, political project and Talbot was successful in bringing many sections of it to fruitation, although the whole 255-mile greenway was not completed.

 

Oregonians are passionate about the out-of-doors -- the beaches, mountains, lakes and rivers, so most of the time the state's governor and legislators are supportive. During Talbot's tenure, he served under six governors. Under his direction, Oregon became recognized for having one of the best state park systems in the country. By the end of his tenure, the system consisted of 225 parks and waysides which included campgrounds and historic sites, totaling over 90,000 acres.

 

Some of the most memorable highlights of his 28 years as head of Oregon State Parks included:  being the first state in the nation to have its statewide outdoor recreation plan approved, releasing the flow of federal LWCF funding for cities, counties and state parks; forever protecting the state's 226 miles of ocean beaches for public use and access through crafting the 1967 Beach Bill and vigorously defending it against challenges in the courts; management of Oregon's unusual Wild and Scenic Rivers protection program; establishment and management of the Willamette River Greenway -- an extensive park and open space effort along the entire length of the river from Eugene to Portland; implementation of new and far-reaching state and federal laws to preserve and protect Oregon's historic resources; establishing the Columbia Gorge Scenic Recreation Area, and developing the state's recreation trail system.

 

Almost single-handedly, Talbot successfully led fundraising efforts to save the lower 15 miles of the Deschutes River from private development and subsequent loss to public use. The state had long owned a park at the mouth of the river. When the owners of the river corridor lands on both sides, upriver indicated they were going to sell to a private sports fishing group, Talbot galvanized private backing for securing an option and then secured a funding package from multiple sources to acquire it for the public. This leadership was recognized by Governor Victor Atiyeh when he presented Talbot with a special meritorious award.

 

He spearheaded establishment of the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps in 1987 at the direction of Governor Neil Goldschmidt -- a program which provided not only job opportunities for young people throughout the state, but also benefited Oregon's natural environment. He was also one of the prime movers in developing the Glenn Jackson Scholarship Program, which assisted children of Department of Transportation and Parks employees in obtaining a college education.

 

Talbot played a central role in reorganizing and reconstituting the National Conference on State Parks into the National Association of State Park Directors. The older organization had lost some focus and had become in some respects, a social club consisting of retired NPS officials and their old friends in state parks. The new organization became a forum for the 50 state park directors to help one another. This is particularly useful for new appointees, many of whom are political appointments who may not know much about the job.

 

In the state capitol, three of the portraits of Oregon governors which hang there bear testimony to projects Talbot brought to fruition. Tom McCall is portrayed on a beach, because saving the beaches he regarded as his major legacy. In the cases of Governor's Bob Straub and Vic Atiyih, the backgrounds are the Willamette Greenway and the Deschutes River, respectively, which they regarded as the outstanding achievements of their administrations.

 

At the conclusion of his career, Talbot identified four particularly challenging issues that he had faced:

1) Appeasing the "environmental movement" whose views of state parks were more restrictive than his view that parks were for everybody. He perceived the challenge to ensure fragile or endangered resources were adequately protected, but also to encourage the public to use the parks.

2)  Land use planning in the US was pioneered in Oregon. The idea was to protect this beautiful state from over-development. However, a surprising result was to give local interests the final say about where state parks were to be allowed and how they were to be developed, which Talbot considered not to be a good idea.

 

3) He inherited a white, male organization in 1964. Implementing affirmative action and trying to reorient the organization's core values, were among the most difficult tasks he addressed.

 

4) He routinely encountered people who were negative about government, but concluded, "Much of the negativism of many intelligent people who felt this way reflected their ignorance of the process. Most could not identify their elected representative, had no understanding of how they were taxed, how their taxes were spent, or how laws were made." Reflecting on his career Talbot said:

 

Those were wonderful years when it seemed that just about everyone wanted to help. As a country we seemed to understand that parks were good, not just to protect their natural values but for their contribution to our economy as well. As a people, we seemed to recognize the necessity of providing recreational opportunities for our children and families. It was truly a fun time to be part of the 'Parks Team.'

Source:
Lawrence C. Merriam Jr. (1992) Oregon's National Highway Park System, 1921-1989: An Administrative History, Salem Oregon: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

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