A passing of the guard is occurring at two parks, with two very different outcomes.
At Yellowstone, two new deputy superintendents are lined up to join the staff. Colin Campbell, currently the superintendent at Padre Island National Seashore, and Christine Lehnertz, currently with the Environmental Protection Agency in Denver, will join Suzanne Lewis's staff next month.
Campbell will be in charge of ranger operations and facility management, while Lehnertz will focus on resource management and business practices.
Interestingly, at a time when some parks, such as Canyonlands, are cutting staff to make ends meet, Campbell and Lehnertz actually are taking on "expanded roles based on the duties of former Deputy Superintendent Frank Walker," who retired last summer.
More so, while Yellowstone has found the financial resources to hire two deputies, at the Blue Ridge Parkway the coffers are so empty that Superintendent Phil Francis can't afford to replace park spokesman Phil Noblitt, who retired Wednesday after 35 years with the Park Service.
It's good to see Yellowstone has the resources to expand its staff, but it's disappointing that at the same time other parks are forced to cut through their muscle and into the bone.
Two Parks, Two Different Outcomes
Published Date
January 4, 2007
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