Level Walk Reports

You won’t always see three blogs on the same day, but I wanted to kick off with a fair amount of useful info for your first visit. Most of us are in the age range to remember the Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys book series. They started with feeder sets of three (1927 for the Hardys and 1930 for Nancy). I collect old series books so I am well familiar with this concept, and copied the idea as a feeder set of blogs.

Level Walker reports are a significant element in how we do business. When I started as a level walker in the fall of 1992 we only did paper forms and mailed them in. Several still do that! (Which is fine.) The majority I receive now are via email. I am flexible on how you submit reports – I receive them in five different file formats. I’ve even gotten text messages and phone calls! It is all valuable, even the small bits of info add up to the bigger story of the use and conditions of our beloved park.

Tracking all of this info is a bit dicey sometimes because of the volume of email we all seem to receive no matter what we do. You may have noticed I can’t always get back to you right away. That is not a lack of interest or appreciation, just a fact that I have to manage my time and I can’t always respond quickly. I do screen emails for emergent issues that require more immediate action.

I have considered an alternate submission method, but our diverse group of users are not all ready for that. Over time I will reconsider that; but for now email still rules. You’ve probably also been frustrated if you’ve seen that I missed your report in Along the Towpath or failed to respond to a question. I regret that, but it is a human mistake. I can’t blame the editor because we are the same person! I would like to ask you to consider the following things when you submit:

Submit reports to level.molly@gmail.com. This will separate level walker reports from other emails and improve my chances of keeping track of them.
Put “LW Report” in the subject line of the email that includes the report. This is especially important if you send me multiple emails about your walk.
If there is a serious condition that requires attention put “Condition” in the subject line. Remember that you should call 866-877-6677 for an actual park emergency.
If there is a question for me that needs a timely response put “Question” in the subject line.

In a future blog I will discuss upcoming revisions to the report form. Thanks!