Scott Babcock has served as a project manager and senior planner within the National Park Service’s (NPS) Denver Service Center Planning Division since November 2013.  Prior to coming to the NPS, he served for about seven years as the strategic planning manager for Colorado State Parks (which became Colorado Parks and Wildlife after merging with the Colorado Division of Wildlife in 2011). He also served as a natural resource planner with ERO Resources and Greystone Environmental Consultants (both Denver-based consulting firms) for a little over six years after finishing his MEM degree at the Nicholas School in 1999. 

Scott currently leads a variety of planning teams to help national park units around the country address a wide variety of issues and challenges. Some of his work has included leading visitor use management planning at Zion National Park (UT) and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (MI), backcountry and wilderness planning at Katmai National Park and Preserve (AK), and road and trail management planning at the Ozark National Scenic Riverways (MO). These planning efforts strike at the core mission of the NPS—essentially conserving resources and providing for their enjoyment in such a manner that they are left unimpaired for future generations. The work that he and his teams are leading can serve as a model for not only other national park units, but also other non-NPS parks and protected areas.

Scott previously served as a Board Member on the Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals from 2010 to 2014. In 2010, Colorado State Parks awarded him with a Distinguished Service Award for leading development of the agency’s strategic plan. Scott is a professionally certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and a certified project management professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute.