NEW DEATH VALLEY
NATIONAL PARK SUPERINTENDENT
SAN
FRANCISCO – Kathy Billings has been selected as the new superintendent for
Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada. Kathy is currently the
Superintendent at Kaloko-Honokōhau
and Pu`uhonua o Hōnaunau
National Historical Parks in Hawai`i. She will begin her new position in mid
March. She replaces former superintendent Sarah Craighead, who left in November
to become superintendent at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.
“Kathy’s
breadth of experience will be a great asset for the park,” said Pacific West
Regional Director Chris Lehnertz. “Her background managing many different types
of parks makes her an excellent choice to oversee the varied and complex issues
at Death Valley.”
During
her career of 29 years, Kathy has worked and lived at national parks located in
all four deserts of the United States, including Big Bend National Park in the
Chihuahuan Desert; Joshua Tree National Park in the Mojave Desert; Organ Pipe
Cactus National Monument in the Sonoran Desert; and Great Basin National Park
in the Great Basin Desert. She has served as superintendent at USS Arizona
Memorial (now World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument), Great Basin
National Park, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and Pecos National
Historical Park.
Kathy
and her husband Dick are originally from Southern California. Kathy holds a
Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
The
largest national park in the United States outside of Alaska, Death Valley is
well known for its extremes, especially in temperature and elevation. The park
recorded the highest temperature on record anywhere in the world, 134 degrees
Fahrenheit, in 1913. Within its borders is the lowest point in North America at
Badwater, 282 feet below sea level, only a few miles away from the summit of
Telescope Peak, rising to over 11,000 feet. The park is also widely recognized
for its colorful landscapes, and for its equally colorful history. More
information about Death Valley National Park is available online at www.nps.gov/deva.
“I am
humbled and thrilled to be offered the opportunity to work with the community
and staff of Death Valley,” states Kathy. “It is exciting to return to the
desert and continue to learn about the desert environment, diversity of the
resources and incredible culture of the area. I look forward to joining the
park team in advancing the stewardship vision for Death Valley National Park.”
No comments:
Post a Comment