As a member of the National Parks Traveler community for more than five years, I have noticed that many stories touch on aspects of National Park Service management and policies.
Often, comments on these stories have posed questions about NPS management procedures and practices. Sometimes the questions are answered by persons who know the subject. Sometimes the questions go unanswered.
It is heartening to know that so many people care about the national parks and want to be involved in improving the parks and their management. Along those lines, we are starting a new Q&A feature: Ask A Former National Park Superintendent.
Questions regarding NPS policies and practices can be submitted and I will answer one question or more every other week. Questions can be of any subject or park, but we will not address or comment on individual people or employees.
The goals of this effort will be to post accurate information, resources for further information where appropriate, and to encourage vigorous and informed discussion of national park management.
With that said, raise your questions via comments to this post, and I'll pick one or more to answer.
Costa Dillon is a recently retired veteran of 35 years with the National Park Service. He was the superintendent of Fire Island National Seashore, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and Homestead National Monument of America. He was also the Superintendent of the Horace M. Albright Training Center, responsible for the orientation training for all new NPS employees.
He is the recipient of the Department of the Interior Meritorious Service Award, the National Park Service Sequoia Award for Interpretation, and the Secretary of the Interior's Award for Long-Term Achievement in Diversity. He is an Honorary Fellow of Indiana University's Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands and is currently an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Recreation Management and Policy at the University of New Hampshire.
Comments
years ago, it was common for Federal agencies to post a Table of Organization that included names of employees and positions. They don't post such info anymore. The primary reason is probably security but there are other reasons. Since 2001, it's difficult to get any specific information on positions let alone names of employees...beyond that, websites are usually out of date.
A Table of Organization and whether or not the position is filled would be helpful. The grade of the occupant should be part of it. Keeping it up to date would be another matter.
Backpacker-I guess no former NPS employee should ever post anything here because you always are quick with the accusation that these are "the usual comments from the usual NPS suspects." Maybe we should start labeling your comments as the usual comments from someoine opposed to the backcountry fee in the Smokies. I don't think that would be fair just like I don't think your label is fair.
Rick
And how much staff time would be required to calculate and keep track of those details? Yes, staffing and budget decisions need to be based on good information, but frankly, ec, your question illustrates the kind of bean-counter mentality that grows a bureauracy and drives up the cost of government. I'd suggest the time required for that level of detail would be better spent serving park visitors.
As Kurt points out, the basic facts already cited in the link provided indicate that traffic enforcement is one of many functions appropriate for this heavily-visited park. Given that information (traffic accidents are among the two leading causes of fatalities and result in an average of 50 serious injuries a year in this park), if managers were not devoting some resources to traffic safety, they would certainly be receiving some valid criticism.
As I pointed out in my previous comment, the on-going challenge for every park superintendent is deciding how to allocate scarce NPS dollars and positions among all of the functions required to keep a park operating.
As to the anecdotal examples cited, they are simply that, and are primarily for your benefit, since you constantly challenge other contributors to provide sources to support their positions.
I find myself wondering right now if Costa Dillon is sitting someplace staring at his computer screen and thinking, "What the dickens did I just get myself into?"
Lee, I was thinking much the same....
I find the thoughts on here very interesting, especially those on law enforcement staff. Having performed law enforcement and emergency services for pretty much my whole career, I have seen a sea change in LE in the NPS. Lee Dalton reminds us of the days when guns were hidden in the vehicle and when very few NPS LE staff had much LE training at all. The agency at that time was doing that staff and the visiting public a great disservice, and major changes were needed and have taken place. The harsh reality is that violent crimes do happen in National Parks. Margaret Anderson was not the first, only the latest. NPS LE needed to change and face that reality. NPS LE rangers need to be prepared for that reality.
There have always been those people asking why the NPS needs LE staff, can't the local agencies just handle it all. Well, as someone previously pointed out, local agencies are already pushed to their limit and do not want or need more responsiblity. Also, local/State agencies can not charge violators for NPS specific regulations found in the Code of Federal Regulations, and often not those laws found in the United States Code. Most of theose regulations are the ones we in the NPS depend upon to protect our resources. Those include the establishment of use limits, permit systems and the like.
My thought is, that if you are seeing an LE Ranger that is not busy, does not know the park, can not provide visitor information, can not assit at the front desk, can not help resource management staff, then you are wittnessing a performance and/or a supervisory issue. The Law Enforcement and Emergency Service/Visitor and Resource Protection function is not the only function in national parks that can have these issues. As far as increases in LE staff in parks, during my career I have seen periods with increases and periods with decreases. In general I have seen, in my opinion and experience, an increase across the board in the number of Resource Management positions and in a number of units sustained increases in interpretive staff.
Another thought is that no one ever really wants law enforcement around until they need them.
Good luck Costa!
I was surprised when the "Ask a Superintendent" feature - which is a great idea - was organized in this fashion. In my opinion the comments above show precisely why this format is a mistake. Better to receive questions by email and then select one and feature it and your new answer in a new post/article once a week. Then the usual suspects can opine ad nauseum in the comments under each individual article instead of trashing the whole space.
Here you've simply created a forum for unfocused bitching and any actual answers will be lost in the maelstrom.
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I agree with Alaskaflyer, and was coming here to say as much.
"Ask a xxx" is a great idea. Gathering comments in the usual bitching session format from the usual suspects of all sorts probably won't be as productive as a [figurative] wooden box with a slot for notes to be dropped into.
My two cents on this topic, FWIW. I say again - the topic is a great idea.