Demographic shift causes state parks to adapt

Demographic shift forces Maryland state parks to adapt to new guests

When an approaching thunderstorm threatens swimmers at Greenbrier State Park, lifeguards reach for an iPod, scroll through the menu and press play. "La tormenta se aproxima,' says the recording amplified by the loud speaker system. "Todo el mundo salga del agua." With that, hundreds of people move toward shore. The staff at Maryland's state parks, destination for 11 million visitors last year, is learning to adapt to a rapidly growing and enthusiastic clientele: Hispanic families.


About a month after last season ended, Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano received a text from a friend that read: "I'm watching one of your players run in the sand for an hour." Later that morning, another text came in: "Now, I'm watching your player swim 30 minutes in the ocean." When Pagano finally asked for the name of the player, it was as if he already knew the answer: Ray Lewis.

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