Confirmation of Jonathan Jarvis as Director of the National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior
Date: September 24, 2009

Secretary Salazar Applauds Senate’s Confirmation of
Jonathan Jarvis as Director of the National Park Service

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised the
Senate’s confirmation of Jonathan Jarvis to be director of the National
Park Service.

“This is a great day for the National Park Service and for the American
public,” Secretary Salazar said.  “Jon Jarvis is a career professional who
has consistently stood up for protection of national parks.  He brings
great wisdom and three decades of experience to the job.”

Jarvis, a 30-year veteran of the National Park Service, has served since
2002 as regional director of the agency’s Pacific West Region, where he was
responsible for 54 national parks in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California,
Nevada, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands of Guam, Saipan and American Samoa,
as well as a host of NPS community revitalization programs that serve those
states.

"America's National Park System is a gift from past generations to this and
succeeding generations.  I look forward to working with Secretary Salazar,
the Congress, our partners, and the extraordinary employees of the National
Park Service as we prepare for the next century of stewardship and
excellent visitor experiences," Jarvis said today.

Jarvis has served as superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park in
Ashford, Washington, Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, and
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve in Alaska. A trained biologist,
he was also Chief of Natural and Cultural Resources at North Cascades
National Park.  Jarvis is currently the co-leader of the Children in Nature
taskforce with the National Association of State Park Directors.

A native of Virginia, Jarvis has a B.S. in biology from the College of
William and Mary and completed the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Program
in 2001.