I should have guessed from yesterday's up-tick in Google inquiries for "Mary Bomar" -- not only were members of the U.S. Senate trying to find out anything they could about Mary, but so were a number of Park Service field offices.
    Well, today comes word that she has been nominated by Dubya to succeed Fran as the Park Service director.
    I'm not sure that's a good thing or not. As I noted last week, Mary currently is notable for two things: she really sucked up to Fran with a glowing "goodbye" memo, and she apparently is supportive of a plan to bisect Independence Square in Philadelphia with a 7-foot-tall fence in the name of security.
    While Dirk says Mary "is the right person to ensure that our parks endure for the enjoyment of future generations," I'll withhold judgment for the immediate future.
    I do wonder why Steve Martin, the NPS deputy director with a long career in the agency and who handled much of Fran's "dirty work" -- taking heat from Congress, explaining the Management Policies revisions to field employees -- was passed over? I hear his ticket has been punched for Grand Canyon National Park, so perhaps he wanted out of D.C. as soon as possible.