Pikes Peak State Park has new manager
Andy Roach took over as park manager of Pikes Peak State Park in July. He said working at the park has been a long-time dream: “Where we’re at here, there’s no prettier place in the whole state.” (Photo by Audrey Posten)
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
Andy Roach is the new park manager at Pikes Peak State Park near McGregor. He took over in early July, filling a position long held by Matt Tschirgi.
Born in Prairie du Chien but raised in West Union, Roach said he often returned to the area to visit his grandparents.
“I grew up spending time on the river with my grandpa and coming up here to Pikes Peak. I loved the view,” he recalled. “I knew, if I ever got into the DNR and had an option to come to what, for me, is a Zen place, I wanted to come back.”
Roach’s career choice was also inspired by classroom visits from Fayette County Conservation.
“They would bring in a squirrel or raccoon,” he said. “As a young kid loving the outdoors, I thought, ‘What better job could you get into where you can do that and get paid to do it?’ That was one of the big deciding moments in my life.”
Roach earned an associates degree at Kirkwood Community College and graduated from Upper Iowa University with a bachelor of science degree. Jobs in the field were scarce in 2009, however, so he joined the Marine Corps to set himself apart. After two tours of duty in Afghanistan—one in 2010 and another in 2012—he landed his first full-time job with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in 2013, at southwest Iowa’s Lake of Three Fires State Park.
From there, he became the park manager at Lake Darling State Park, then moved to Mines of Spain Recreation Area. He was most recently at Volga River State Recreation Area.
According to Roach, each of those locations has prepared him for his current role.
“I learned different aspects of trails in southern Iowa, and the different soil types. Then, Lake Darling is more like Pikes Peak and a ‘destination park,’ where they have cabins, a lodge, a 300-acre lake and a lot of different intricacies. Mines of Spain is a heavily used recreation area,” he explained. “Each one of those positions has been another tool in the tool box, where you can take the information you gathered here and there to benefit you in the place you go.”
Roach has been especially busy the past month. He’s still maintaining the water and wastewater at Volga River State Recreation Area and overseeing the campground at Yellow River State Forest, in addition to his duties at Pikes Peak, which is currently undergoing a major campground renovation. Milling started last week to prepare for pavement improvements to the parking lot and main overlook area as well.
“I’m a man of many hats,” Roach joked. “But I thrive on challenges and doing everything I can within my shift to better not only Pikes Peak but Yellow River and Volga River, all at the same time.”
While Roach’s main priority is getting the campground completed and seeded, one passion he hopes to incorporate at Pikes Peak is prairie resource management. The practice harkens back to Iowa’s earlier days, when the state was predominantly prairie.
“At Volga River, I did a lot of prescribed fire burns. I tried to burn at least 1,000 acres every year,” Roach said. “Fire is probably one of the cheapest resource management aspects you have—you can do a lot more with prescribed fire than mechanical equipment.”
Prescribed fire can also help check invasive species, including those encroaching along the main overlook area and bluffs at Pikes Peak, he added.
Another priority is aiding the Friends of Pikes Peak State Park group. Although it’s been closed this year, staffing the concession stand is one of the group’s main activities.
“We have an active friends group, but some members are getting older, so I want to do my part and get more volunteers to help them help the park. More hands make easier work for everyone in the long run,” Roach said.
Volunteers are welcome any time, and Roach encourages interested people to call the park office at (563) 873-2341.
“I’m open to anyone who wants to volunteer. I can find jobs for you,” he said.
A volunteer day is even planned for Saturday, Sept. 24, at 9 a.m., at the park office area. Duties will include assembling the 60 new picnic tables for the campground.
“It will be like putting together an erector set,” Roach quipped.
As he continues to settle into the park manager position, Roach said the fact he was selected to be the steward of Pikes Peak is humbling.
“I feel very proud and honored to be the park manager here at Pikes Peak State Park. To have the ability to work at one of the most photographed areas in the whole state of Iowa—a destination park,” he reflected. “All the hard work, from when I first started and even when I was in the Marine Corps, got me to this point, to do what I can for the resource and the customer service aspect and the economic impact Pikes Peak has on not only McGregor, but Marquette and Prairie and the surrounding area. What one 1,300-acre park can bring to a community is an absolute eye opener.”
Roach understands closing the campground for renovations has impacted local tourism. But he stressed there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
“With the new campground and paved overlook and parking area, more people are going to come. It’s only going to be a benefit,” he shared. “Where we’re at here, there’s no prettier place in the whole state, in my mind. That’s why a lot of people want to come up here. They see the wonder and beauty of what northeast Iowa has to offer.”
