Grilley says goodbye
Longtime director moves on to form state bicycle advocacy organization
After serving more than 12 years as the Parks & Trails Council's executive director, Dorian Grilley has moved on to pursue his dream of creating a new statewide bicycle advocacy organization. In making his announcement to the Parks & Trails Council's board and staff at the beginning of May, Grilley made it clear that Parks & Trails would always be near and dear to his heart and that he would in fact be spending time this summer visiting many parks and trails with his wife Margie and their two children, Davis and Clare.
"When Minnesota parks and trails giants Gov. Elmer Anderson and Samuel Morgan asked me in 1995 to consider being executive director, I never imagined we would accomplish so much," Grilley said.
"So many great people working on so many great projects has made Minnesota better for generations to come," Grilley continued. "Together we accomplished many important things during my time at Parks & Trails - from the high-profile purchase and preservation of significant places like Gold Rock Point on the scenic North Shore to the creation of our state's newest recreation area at Greenleaf Lake. We protected one-and-one-quarter miles of Whitewater State Park's signature bluff line. And we helped expand Crow Wing State Park so it could link to Lake Bemidji State Park 110 miles away via the Paul Bunyan State Trail. Working together we have also won many hard-earned parks and trails victories at the Minnesota Legislature. There are so many more accomplishments, too many to list here.
"One of the most rewarding aspects of my job has been empowering our members to become more effective advocates for Minnesota's parks and trails. The record parks and trails investments we secured in the bonding bill this session are a testament to our member advocates."
Grilley's time in charge at Parks & Trails marked a period of tremendous growth for the organization. When he began in 1995, Parks & Trails had 880 members. Revenue from membership was about $36,000, the total operating budget was a little more than $100,000 and assets totaled a little less than $800,000. By the end of 2007, membership had reached 3,300 and General Fund revenue had reached $600,000, including more than $200,000 from members. And, thanks in part to Reuel Harmon's $2.9 million bequest, total fund balances totaled more than $7.3 million at the end of 2007.
On behalf of the Parks & Trails Council's board and staff, we thank you, Dorian, for your outstanding leadership and service on behalf of Minnesota's parks and trails. Even though you have told us that you won't be going too far, we will miss you. Happy Trails Dorian!