On a chilly early spring morning in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Deb Yandala is walking through the Hines Hill Campus, near the conservancy's office, taking in the tranquility and reflecting on a few of her favorite spots.
"I love a number of places in this park," she said. "I love to bike on the Towpath Trail. That's a special place for me."
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is 33,000 acres of protected natural land nestled between Cleveland and Akron with the Cuyahoga River at its core. The park is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2025. There are events planned throughout the year to mark the occasion, but amid the celebrations, there’s also a moment of transition as the Yandala, the longtime head of the conservancy prepares to retire.
Yandala has served as CEO of the Conservancy for nearly half of the park’s existence. During that time, she’s worked with donors and staff to support fundraising efforts for CVNP.
"We basically connect the community with the National Park through philanthropy, volunteerism, education, programming, retail stores, events," she said. "So, we really exist to be the community voice and the community input and the community support for our country's National Parks."
During her tenure as CEO, Yandala oversaw programming to expand awareness of and access to the park for residents and tourists alike.
She's proud of milestones like the 2021 purchase of the former Brandywine Golf Course and the completion of Boston Mills Visitor Center two years earlier, but Yandala said it’s her role in increasing environmental awareness through the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center that feels the most monumental.
"That's really where my heart is, in educating the next generation of park stewards. I especially love the work we do with the Akron school children and the Cleveland Municipal School District children," she said. "This is their public land, this is their park, they may or may not have yards at home, but these are their trees, their ponds, their Cuyahoga River."
As CVNP celebrates its 50th anniversary, Yandala says this is a good time to reflect on the role the park plays in the larger network of national parks.
"In this country we did an amazing thing back in the 1800s. We looked at our most valuable natural resources and our most valuable historic resources, and we established parks to make them available to the public."
Yandala’s retirement comes at a time when national parks across the country face uncertainty due to federal cuts. The National Parks Service laid off a thousand probationary employees in February including four at CVNP. The park lost a biologist, maintenance worker, engineer and planner Yandala said were essential to its operations, sparking concern for the remaining staff.
"This has been a really hard few months for the park staff," she said. "They've watched colleagues go. They're fearful of what will happen next. It's hard to live with that fear, especially if you're the breadwinner in your family."
The four positions have since been restored, but the cuts spurred pushback from members of the public who protested at CVNP, and at national parks across the country, to advocate for continued federal support.
"It is a federal responsibility to care for these public lands across the country, which tells significant history and give us access to just incredible natural resources," Yandala said. "Knowing that the community is willing on their own to come out and give that kind of support, I think just causes everybody to understand that this park is an important asset here in Northeast Ohio to so many people."
Another priority Yandala hopes to see the park maintain is its commitment to diversity and ensuring all demographics of people feel welcomed at CVNP.
A visitor survey in 2005 revealed less than 5% of CVNP attendees were people of color, Yandala said. The trend continued through 2015 when the park's board decided to take action, investing in art work, installations and events that represented diverse audiences.
"The question is what can we do better to help people feel welcome here in this national park?" Yandala said. "Frankly, we've had national attention on this issue because we know this is important for the relevancy of all parks and public lands going forward. I'm really optimistic that the next person will find ways to continue this."
Yandala officially retires at the end of June and plans to begin part-time work with the National Park Foundation, which offers financial support for national parks across the country. Despite the current turmoil, she said she believes this is the right time for change.
"That to me is also making it feel like the right time for somebody new to come in and take this organization to the next level and support this park in new ways," she said.
Promoting environmental stewardship has long been one of her priorities as CEO of the conservancy. With her retirement she said she hopes to have more time to enjoy the fruits of her labor.
"One of the things I look forward to when I'm not working so hard is ... spending more time on some of the trails that ... I haven't hiked as much," she said.
When it comes to her legacy, Yandala said she hopes her successor maintains the long-held commitment to ensuring Cuyahoga Valley National Park remains public and accessible to all.
