With ‘obligation to protect them,’ NW tribal member selected to lead National Park Service
The White House announced Wednesday, Aug. 18, the intent to nominate Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III as director of the National Park Service. The nomination will now be considered by the U.S. Senate.
Sams, an enrolled member of the Cayuse and Walla Walla — Tribes part of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in southeast Washington and northeast Oregon — will be the first enrolled Tribal member to serve as Director of the National Park Service since its creation in 1916. He will also be the first permanent director of the Park Service since former director Jonathan Jarvis retired during the Obama administration in 2017.
Washington state has three national parks — Mt. Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park and North Cascades National Park — with a total of 15 reserves, areas, parks, trails and sites managed by the National Park Service. Together, they host over 7 million visitors a year. Olympic National Park was one of the top 10 most-visited national parks in 2019, according to the Park Service.
“The diverse experience that Chuck brings to the National Park Service will be an incredible asset as we work to conserve and protect our national parks to make them more accessible for everyone. I look forward to working with him to welcome Americans from every corner of our country into our national park system. The outdoors are for everyone, and we have an obligation to protect them for generations to come,” said U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
Sams has more than 25 years experience in state and Tribal governments, non-profit natural resource and conservation management. He currently serves as a council member to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, appointed by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.
“Today is a proud day for Oregon. Chuck Sams is among Oregon’s finest, and I can’t think of a better person for the important role of National Park Service director. I have worked closely with Chuck for many years, and have witnessed firsthand his unparalleled devotion and service to his Tribe, our state, and our nation,” Gov. Brown said in a news release.
Sams recently served as the executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, where he lives with his wife and their four children. He has also had roles as the president/chief executive officer of the Indian Country Conservancy, executive director for the Umatilla Tribal Community Foundation, and national director of the Tribal & Native Lands Program for the Trust for Public Land.
The U.S. Navy veteran holds a bachelor’s of science degree in Business Administration from Concordia University-Portland as well as a master’s of legal studies in Indigenous Peoples Law from the University of Oklahoma.
This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 3:55 PM with the headline "With ‘obligation to protect them,’ NW tribal member selected to lead National Park Service."
