Quest for adventure leads new Parks director to Whitefish

Four years ago, Maria Butts and her husband Lance did what many people only dream about.

Living in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, the couple quit their jobs, sold their home, their cars and all of their possessions, and decided to go West. The couple had lived in the same area their entire lives and craved an adventure and a new view for their family.

“We had our home and family and were pretty settled,” Butts explained. “But we had lived in the same area our whole lives and just decided we wanted to explore and see what was out there.”

After unloading all of their belongings, the couple bought an RV and hit the highway. Their final destination was Alaska.

“We never made it there,” Butts said. “We knew we wanted lakes, trees and mountains. When we got to the Flathead Valley, we looked at each other and knew this was it. We decided immediately.”

After touring various schools with their children, Lilly, 13, and Jared, 11, the family was unanimous on settling in Whitefish. They spent the next winter living out of their RV at the KOA campground off Highway 93.

“We wanted to be here, so we made the decision to stay until we could make it,” Butts said.

Lance quickly found work at Montana Coffee Traders as a service technician. A former English teacher, Butts knew she wanted to continue working with children in some capacity outside of the schools, preferably in the outdoors.

“When I left New York, although I truly loved teaching, we were in this mode of changing our lives to shape our direction,” she said.

Shortly after arriving in Whitefish, Butts saw the Whitefish Parks and Recreation department’s Stumptown Summer Day Camp at Riverside Park.

“I said, ‘I want to do that.’” she said.

She started as a camp counselor and quickly moved into recreation coordinator, a position she’s held for the past three years.

Last month, Butts was named director of Parks and Recreation, succeeding Karl Cozad who retired this spring.

Butts says her experience working as a camp counselor and then as recreation coordinator will serve her well in her new role.

“I’ve been a seasonal worker,” she said. “Working as recreation coordinator helped me see how the community uses the parks.”

As recreation coordinator she helped start the Friday night ski program with the middle school.

Butts admits directing the parks department will be a juggling act with the numerous programs, parks and facilities to oversee.

One area she hopes to find balance is at the Stumptown Ice Den.

“That is a public facility and we need to make sure the public is an equal user group,” she said.

Currently, Butts is working on planning for Armory Park and going over the department’s annual budget.

She said team work will be key to the department’s success going forward.

“We need to identify what we do well and focus on those strengths and make sure those are the best they can be,” Butts said. “If we focus as a team, it will help us tackle the broad spectrum of what we do.”