Mother Neff State Park adds new interpreter to lead programs

Britton Trotter will be the voice that helps Coryell County families make sense of Mother Neff State Park, from Tonkawa Cave to the CCC stone tower and the wildlife along the Leon River. The park has added him as its new interpreter, giving visitors a dedicated on-site educator to lead programs, outreach and public interpretation as spring turns toward summer.

Trotter was hired about two months ago and is already tied to multiple park programs. He said, “The main thing is educational programming and outreach activities - more about helping visitors to the park to connect to that education.” He added, “This new job is a really good fit for me.” Park superintendent Melissa Chadwick called the hire a “game changer” and said it matters that visitors understand Mother Neff is Texas’ first state park.

The job gives Mother Neff a single point person for programs that connect local families, school groups and volunteers to the park’s history and ecology. TPWD event listings already name Trotter as the contact for spring programs, including Ranger in a Cave on April 4 and Finding Your Niche on April 25, where visitors will learn how animals adapt to their habitats. His public contact is (737) 289-3244 and britton.trotter@tpwd.texas.gov.

Mother Neff covers about 259 acres near Moody and Gatesville and offers nearly 3.5 miles of trails, along with a visitor center and a newer camping loop with about 20 full-hookup sites and roughly 15 tent sites. Some riverfront facilities have remained closed for flood repairs since damage in 2024, which makes a stronger interpretive presence even more useful for visitors trying to plan a trip around the park’s open spaces.

The park’s story gives the new role extra weight. Isabella Eleanor “Mother” Neff donated the original six acres, Governor Pat M. Neff later added more land, and Civilian Conservation Corps Company 817 built roads, trails, picnic areas and the stone lookout tower between 1934 and 1938. The park opened to the public in 1937, and its Mother’s Day dedication in 1938 drew about 1,000 people. Mother Neff State Park and its historic district were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

The added interpreter also reflects the park’s broader community reach in Coryell County. Volunteers and the Mother Neff State Park Association have helped keep programs visible, and local volunteer Liz Rohrer was recognized for nearly 1,000 hours since February 2021. With a dedicated interpreter in place, the park is better positioned to turn its history, trails and prairie habitat into learning experiences that keep local visitors coming back.