I had the opportunity to sit on the Intermountain Region Wilderness Executive Committee from 2010-2013. I learned a lot about different aspects of wilderness management on a larger scale. It was eye opening and changed the way I looked at the wilderness lands here in GLCA.
What projects have you done within Glen Canyons Wilderness that you're proud of or what do you find most rewarding?
There have been several things that I’m proud of I suppose… a park wilderness web page, in-park wilderness trainings, a Wilderness Character Narrative and more. Of course, you don’t do those things alone. It takes help from specialist, web designers, planners and so on.
Probably the most rewarding thing though is when you can change the way people think about wilderness. Too often, wilderness is seen as the “land of NO", be it in the way it is experienced by the public, or, by the way it is managed. The Wilderness Act states A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. The in contrast part sticks out for me. When people realize that some areas should be experienced differently (no roads, no amenities) and managed with humility, then what may have been seen as a hurdle can be seen as a positive attribute. I find that rewarding. It can require advanced ethics. As Aldo Leopold said, “Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching- even when doing the wrong thing is legal."
What advice do you have for youth and young adults thinking about a career at NPS?
Volunteering and Internships never hurt. You probably won’t get rich, but you may find yourself looking forward to going to work in the morning. I do.
Do you have any hobbies outside of the NPS?
Backcountry skiing, river running, cooking and watching weird movies.
Do you remember the first park you visited?
I’ll never forget it. Carlsbad Caverns. I was five. I had a bowl of chili in the cafeteria and by the time I got out of the elevator I no longer had my bowl of chili. If you were in the elevator with me…. I’m sorry…. still.
What is your background? College? Study?
Sociology, Psychology, Wilderness Management and healthy dose of dirt bag climbing.
Any favorite or funny memories of the job?
Too many.
Favorite Wilderness Quotes:
"We must remember always that the essential quality of the wilderness is its wildness."
-Howard Zahniser
"Wilderness is not so much a place, but a feeling about one."
-Roderick Nash
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service