Monday, Jul. 13, 2009

Obama wants ex-Mount Rainier super to run National Park Service

By Eric Degerman, sportstricities.com

On Friday, it was announced that President Obama wants Jon Jarvis — who has strong ties to Mount Rainier and the North Cascades — to become the next director of the National Park Service.

Jarvis spent three years as superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park, a stint that included overseeing Mount Rainier's centennial celebration in 1999.

Since 2002, he's been director for the NPS' Pacific West Region, overseeing the 54 units in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada and Hawaii.

Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, said in a statement, “There is no substitute for experience, and Jon Jarvis has three decades of hands-on experience in our parks that will be invaluable as we seek to reinvigorate and improve our National Park System in time for its 100th anniversary in 2016.”

Mary Bomar retired in January as the NPS director. Her background was in administration and moved into the job in October 2006. She toured Mount Rainier not long after the November 2006 flood that destroyed much of the backcountry.

Jarvis' background seems centered on science rather than bureaucracy. He was the chief of natural and cultural resources at North Cascades National Park, and he earned a biology degree from William & Mary.

“President Obama has made a commitment to bring new life into our National Park System, and Jon Jarvis has proven he is the right person to make sure that happens,” Salazar said.