Big Bend National Park superintendent retires as more layoffs loom

Big Bend National Park superintendent retires as more layoffs loom

Mitchell Recreation Superintendent Kevin DeVries retires from Parks Department

MITCHELL — Mitchell Recreation Superintendent Kevin DeVries has been planning on retiring on his 55th birthday for the past few years. On Wednesday, May 14, DeVries walked into the Recreation Center for the last time as a city employee. The change is bittersweet for DeVries, who worked 31 years with the city of Mitchell’s parks department. “My head is ready, but my heart is not,” DeVries said. “It’s tough to leave after three decades.” When DeVr…

TRAVEL: National Parks Set Visitation Record Last Year, Yet Operational Challenges Looming

Last year was a record-breaking one for the National Park Service with about 331.9 million recreational visits, a nearly 2% increase from the previous year and surpassing the previous all-time high in 2016.