BROWN COUNTY
Crossley’ s park pass collection. photo by Brian Blair
Away from his desk, Crossley’ s responsibilities require a physical fitness that he hones off duty on the park’ s hiking trails and also on the weights, treadmills, and ellipticals at the Brown County YMCA. He is grateful for a spinal fusion 13 years ago that relieved long-term, scoliosis-born back pain that once left him overweight and woefully out of shape.
“ I’ m laid back,” Crossley said.“ But I don’ t sit still all that well.”
He aims to do as much as possible in order for others to be active. As the dad of adult son Dylan, who battles a disability, Crossley loves the fact that an electric mobility chair with rugged, oversized tires sits outside his office for visitors to use for free in the park, including on a level, half-mile trail nestled near the rear of the park office.
Just like with storm-felled trees, Crossley wants nothing in the way. The former girls high school basketball coach still sometimes thinks in sporting lingo.
“ Around here,” he said,“ every weekend especially, is like our big game.” •
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Baird, the former decades-long property manager who now serves as president of the Friends group.“ But I also know that his experience already has meant an awful lot.”
Baird acknowledged that, in his own tenure, maybe among the more significant staff challenges and successes was overseeing the first public deer hunts to healthily balance the property’ s wildlife and natural habitat.
“ I simply tried to do the best I could do with all the resources I had available,” Baird said.
Crossley’ s boss, Carl Lindell, central region manager for Indiana State Parks, views Crossley as appropriately active in the right areas.
“ Mountain biking currently presents a big opportunity to us,” Lindell said, adding that Crossley is diligently working to enhance relationships among cyclists nationwide and globally while also improving the park’ s nearly 40 miles of such trails. Crossley himself is a mountain biker.
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24 Our Brown County • May / June 2025