gator aid – mike gauthier for mrnp superintendent

since superintendent dave uberuaga announced he'll be leaving mount rainier np to become superintendent at grand canyon np .. the position is open .. and who better suited for the position than mike gauthier .. who is now assist supt at yosemite .. i think if we want a real people's park we should start a letter writing campaign requesting mike for the job ..

i'm guessing these 2 would be the right people to contact:

Jon Jarvis, Director
National Park Service
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
202-208-3818 / Jon_Jarvis@nps.gov

Pacific West Region
Christine Lehnertz, Regional Director
National Park Service
One Jackson Center
1111 Jackson Street, Suite 700
Oakland, CA 94607
510-817-1304 / Chris_Lehnertz@nps.gov

someone asked me what's so special about this guy .. my answer:

he was the head climbing ranger on rainier for many years (though he is still very young relatively speaking) so he knows the mountain and the park more than any incoming supt ever could .. he has recently worked in washington dc boning up on the administrative stuff .. he is now the assist supt at yosemite -- not exactly a cushy position .. he's a really nice guy .. and imo and others .. he will give the park back to the people .. meaning i expect he will streamline the permit system which is ridicuously redundant ..and make it so we, the people, can really enjoy the park to its fullest ... w/o a lot of hassle

imo i think his appointment would be precedent-setting .. and progressive-minded .. we need new ideas and new blood .. and what better place than in the great pnw

I totally agree.
I'd love to have gator as the Park Super.
Getting started on my letters now.

Makes to much sense.

He would be a great choice (young age notwithstanding. But how could you wish such a shitty job on such a great guy? How 'bout bringing him back as a climbing ranger, but at the salary/bennie level of a superintendent?

That way, he can get his just compensation for his considerable talents, but do the job he probably enjoys doing more

This being the NPS we are talking about means that nominations from the public will have the exact opposite effect on NPS senior management and ENSURE Gator does not get the post.

Scotsman, I tried to make the same point over on NWHikers, that a grassroots campaign might actually hurt Mike's chances