John Bundy will be missed by John Dersham

From day one when I began my job as Director of Tourism I had the pleasure to begin working with John Bundy, Superintendent of one of DeKalb County’s largest tourist attractions, Little River Canyon National Preserve. John serves as Ex Officio on our DeKalb Tourism board and has been an active and a well respected voice in our organization from the beginning. John and Laura Bundy came to Fort Payne and Little River Canyon in 2002. Little River Canyon became part of the National Park System in 1992, so John has been Superintendent half the time it has been a National Preserve. If you take a look at Little River Canyon N.P. now you will see dynamic growth in infrastructure and a great deal more for our tourists and local people to enjoy and do since John came to Little River Canyon N.P. To look at it organizationally, John comes from an extensive lifelong career (34 years and counting) with the NPS. He has had 18 positions with the NPS and has moved 12 times. Have a look at John’s locations over his career. His career is absolutely outstanding. Alcatraz, California Fort Clatsop National Monument (Recently renamed Lewis and Clark National Park), Oregon Independence National Historic Park, Pennsylvania Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada and Arizona Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada Johnstown Flood National Memorial, Pennsylvania America's Industrial Heritage Project, Pennsylvania Ocmulgee National Monument, Georgia Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alagnak Wild River, Aniakchak National Monument, Alaska Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, Alabama Little River Canyon National Preserve, Russell Cave National Monument, Alabama. John is the consummate NPS professional; he came here with the knowledge of how to make a very young National Preserve into a flourishing highly visited site becoming more and more known nationally and internationally. In fact last year nearly 200,000 people came to Little River Canyon N.P. The numbers are increasing every year as marketing and publicity along with dramatic improvements in the park have made it a must see location when visiting the southeast. A couple years ago John applied for and received a grant from the National Park Foundation, which is the official nonprofit partner to the NPS, to begin a Friends group for Little River Canyon. John though not allowed to serve on the Friends of the Preserve board was key in its organization and development. In addition John’s wife, Laura a former National Park service employee, has dedicated long hours to support the Friends group with her multimedia skills that support some great work on our Friends website and Facebook and she has provided graphic arts skills to give our Friends group it’s look. National Park Friends groups are support organizations who are dedicated to improving the visitor experience through environmental improvements, education and special events like our Rendezvous at the Rim last Saturday which was a celebration of Earth Day and the beginning of National Park week. It was a day of guided hikes, food, education booths and it was a great contribution to our community and to tourism. I have been honored to be the first President of Friends of the Preserve at LRC. If you have not been to Little River Canyon National Preserve lately you need to go and enjoy one of nature’s most spectacular sites. Little River Canyon is a one of kind location filled with beauty but also host to one of a king plant and animal species. The canyon is host to both northern and southern species of Flora and Fauna. I want to thank John and Laura Bundy and John’s entire organization, including his great volunteers whom make our very own N.P. a very, very special place and a greatly improved N.P. in John’s tenure.