b'EDITORS NOTES BY BEN QUIGGLEIn the Best of Times, Prepare for the WorstGun violence has unfortunately been nabbing quite a few news headlines over the past few years, including a number of incidents at campgrounds, like the recent shootout with police at a park in Arizona.What is a park owner to do to prevent these kind of situations? Or if an event does occur, how does a park owner keep employees and campers safe?Woodalls Campground Magazine (WCM) wanted answers to both of those questions, and while there are no perfect solutions, Christine Taylor, a principal partner at The Towne Law Firm, does a good job of explaining how park owners can prepare in a responsible way before an event occurs. (You can read her column on page 14) She tackles the legality of bag searches, the need to create active shooter policies and the importance of employee training. All these things can help employees and campers understand what to do should the worst occur and give park owners a leg to stand on should lawsuits come down the pipeline.The gun issue got WCM thinking about another area of safety that is just as importanttree maintenance. One of the great joys about spending time at a campground is being surrounded by the natural elements, and often that means RVs and tents are sitting under a canopy of trees.While tree maintenance is probably not something that most park owners enjoy, nu-merous stories over the past few years of deathsmainly at national or state parkshave continued to highlight the need for a comprehensive tree maintenance program to en-sure the safety of campers. One recent story that popped up on the radar of WCM included a mother who is griev-ing the loss of her two young kids due to a tree that fell over at a private park in Indiana last summer. She is spending time this spring to remind everyone to check trees for de-caying or eroded limbs, including the placement of a billboard near the campground where the incident took place.Spending a little money just to make sure they are okay is well worth it, she noted to local TV station FOX59.Like Benjamin Franklin noted, An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.It can be easy for park owners to move forward with their heads down, especially given the recent explosion in campers and camper nights, along with the struggle to find em-ployees. Still, it is important to take a look at maintenance logs and keep your safety plan updated and your employees trained.It is a crazy worldto some degreethat we live in, with natural disasters and human tragedies occurring at a rapid pace. People are escaping in record numbers to the out-doors as a safe way to relieve stress and reconnect with themselves or family.Lets enjoy the good times, but also be prepared for the bad times while keeping campers as safe as possible. WCMwww.woodallscm.com GG M E D I AVol. 54 No. 4 April 2023& GROUP LLCRick Kessler, PublisherTrina Nissley, Art Director rkessler@rvbusiness.comtnissley@rvbusiness.com (734) 777-6830 ADVERTISING: Scott Stropkai, Chief Operating Officer sstropkai@rvbusiness.comAlly Kollat, Account (616) 901-8335Executive, National Ad Sales akollat@g-gmediagroup.com Sherman Goldenberg, Senior EditorOffice: (574) 266-7980 sgoldenberg@rvbusiness.com (574) 457-6637Wendy Thorne, Account Executive, National Ad Sales Ben Quiggle, Editorwthorne@g-gmediagroup.com bquiggle@rvbusiness.comOffice (574) 266-7980Mobile: (574) 306-7781Gary Gerard, Editorial Director ggerard@rvbusiness.com (574) 528-1275Scan tosubscribeAlex Burkett, to our daily Digital Media Coordinatornews feed aburkett@rvbusiness.comand print publicationsJeff Crider, Contributor campinginfosource@gmail.comAll general correspondence and circulation inquiries may be directed to the following: Woodalls Campground Magazine, C/O G&G Media Group LLC, 223 South Main Street, Elkhart, IN 46516Email: rvbusiness@rvbusiness.comOwners, managers or marketing directors of privately held U.S. campgrounds may receive a free subscription upon request to Woodalls Campground Magazineone free subscription per campground. Others may purchase subscriptions at these rates: $24.95 per year U.S. or $35.95 per year in Canada.Email: rvbusiness@rvbusiness.comWoodalls Campground Magazine is published monthly by G&G Media Group LLC at the above address. 2 April 2023 Woodalls Campground Magazine'