By South Dakota standards, Lori Skadsen was a city kid. Growing up in Sioux Falls, she said her parents did occasionally take the family camping, but it never really occurred to her to live in the country or get a job that would take her into the great outdoors. So the fact that she is retiring this week from 43 years with the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks might seem a little head-scratching at first.
Skadsen’s journey into the world of South Dakota State Parks began at South Dakota State University when she was shopping for a major to pursue. “I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do and was flipping through the catalog,” Skadsen says. “When I saw ‘Park Management,’ I thought that sounded fun.”
As she went to school for park management, Skadsen dipped her toe into the Parks system working at Oakwood State Park northwest of Brookings. She showed her mettle by requesting to work in the maintenance department at the park, something that not many young women did. “I wanted that kind of experience,” said Skadsen. “My first day there, I drove a garbage truck! The guys I worked with were great and so willing to help me figure things out.”
It was at Oakwood that Skadsen said she started to embrace the outdoorsy-ness of her chosen career. “I really became aware of my outdoor surroundings and started to enjoy that,” she emphasized.
When she graduated from SDSU, Skadsen’s first big gig was as the Assistant Manager at Hartford Beach State Park near Milbank. She then was stationed at Snake Creek State Recreation Area near Platte. When her husband Dennis had a tough time finding a job in that area, the couple kept looking for new park options.
That’s when Skadsen’s journey took her to her permanent home in northeast South Dakota. It was the early 90s and the park manager position was open at Pickerel Lake State Park near Grenville. “My husband’s uncle had a cabin on Buffalo Lake and he said it was a nice area, so we went for it,” said Skadsen. Her husband went to work for the Day County Conservation District.
Skadsen would spend the next 34 years at Pickerel Lake. She recalls the parks being a little different in the 90s. She says the campground was only really full on holiday weekends. “This was before the reservation system so I would have people call on a Friday afternoon and we could get them in no problem.”
Over the years, she witnessed lots of positive changes at the state parks. In her time, Pickerel got a new nice big comfort station and some of the first camping cabins in the state. “I love that Parks was constantly looking to improve their facilities,” said Skadsen. “They are proactive with capital development and willing to try new things.”
Skadsen was also happy to see visitors grow with the parks. “We have more campers than ever. I think people enjoy the idea of disconnecting from the outside world. They also want to give their kids those fun outdoor experiences.”
In 2020, Skadsen was in for a big move and a big challenge. She had been named the District Park Supervisor in 2016. That meant she oversaw not only Pickerel, but also Roy Lake, Sica Hollow and Fort Sisseton State Parks as well. And in the vein of that capital development that she lauded, the GFP took a big step in Skadsen’s district in 2020 when they acquired the Roy Lake Resort in the heart of the park.
Skadsen was asked to move to Roy to help get the project underway. “It was a big step,” she said. “The resort needed some work and we had to learn as we went. It was also in the midst of COVID so we weren’t sure what was going to happen with the parks.”
But Skadsen stepped up to the challenge. She admits it was tough leaving a home she had for almost 35 years, but every year got a little better. “There was so much potential here,” stressed the park manager. “It was great to see the resort improve, and visitors really embrace it.”
Skadsen says the best part of her 40-plus year park job was the people she met along the way, both visitors and staff. “I became good friends with many of the regular campers at Pickerel over the years,” she said. “I went to their kids’ weddings, and they went to my kids’ graduation parties.”
She also can’t say enough about the great staff she worked with. “I’ve worked with some really great people, both permanent staff and summer employees,” she asserts. “People who care about visitors, the environment and the park experience.”
For their part, park management also appreciated Skadsen’s contributions to the GFP through the years. “Some of the things that I have grown to appreciate about Lori are that she always seemed to have a way to brighten people’s day and did not back down from a challenge,” said her boss and the Regional Park Supervisor Willy Collignon. “She had an eye for recognizing the needs of her parks and the public that visited those spaces. I have appreciated her thoughts and ideas and will miss her presence on my team.”
The level of appreciation surrounding Skadsen’s years of service went so far that this past Monday, Oct. 23, was declared “Lori Skadsen Day” by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. The proclamation was penned by Collignon and Skadsen’s son, Nathan.
With all the memorable experiences, Skadsen said she was still ready to retire this year. Her husband Dennis recently retired and the couple is looking forward to more time spent with their three children and their families. The Skadsens will be moving to Sioux Falls where the once park manager is looking forward to babysitting her five-month old granddaughter.
As she drives through the park for the last time as manager, Skadsen looks back fondly on her years serving South Dakota State Parks. “My goal was always to make a clean, safe place for people to go, unwind and relax,” she emphasized. “And over the years, I think I did that.”
