A former superintendent of Craters of the Moon National Monument has been nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as director of the National Park Service.
The White House announced the nomination of Jonathan Jarvis on Friday, July 10.
Superintendent of Craters of the Moon from 1991 to 1994, Jarvis is now regional director of the agency's Pacific West Region.
"President Obama has made an outstanding choice for director of the National Park Service," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a prepared 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."
Jarvis is currently responsible for the 54 units of the National Park System in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands of Guam, Saipan and American Samoa. He oversees 3,000 employees with a $350 million annual budget.
Prior to becoming regional director in 2002, Jarvis spent three years as superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, where he managed the 235,000 acre park with a staff of 300 and a budget of $14 million. He also served as superintendent of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
At Craters, Jarvis impressed employees with his understanding of the agency and its mission of protecting valuable landscapes around the nation.
"He just had an incredible knowledge of the Park Service," said Dave Clark, who retired as chief of interpretation at the Carey-area national monument six years ago. "He had a real love for the parks."
Jarvis' nomination to the agency's highest post is an indication of just how "outstanding" a manager he is, said Clark, who began his career at Craters in 1978. He said Jarvis immediately impressed him when he arrived at the remote desert park, leading him to think that "he is going to be the director of the Park Service someday."
"He's just an outstanding individual," he said.
Those who worked with him at Craters say Jarvis' varied background will serve him well should he be confirmed as chief of the Park Service. Another employee at Craters who was there while Jarvis was superintendent, current maintenance mechanic at the monument, Bill Aierstuck, said he always advocated for his staff at the monument.
Aierstuck said of the seven superintendents he's worked for at the Craters, Jarvis stands out.
"I consider him the best superintendent we ever had," he said.
Trained as a biologist, Jarvis served as chief of natural and cultural resources at North Cascades National Park in Washington, where he was chief biologist of the 684,000-acre complex of two recreation areas and one national park.
Jason Kauffman: jkauffman@mtexpress.com
Craters of the Moon National Monument has a new claim to fame: Its former superintendent is now slated to head the National Park Service.
Photo by Mountain Express
