Grand Teton Superintendent David Vela encountered few tough questions Thursday during his confirmation hearing to become director of the National Park Service/NPS
David Vela encountered little turbulence Thursday during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, pledging to set the standard for accountability and transparency as director of the National Park Service.
On issues ranging from sexual misconduct and other forms of harassment to addressing the nearly $12 billion backlog of maintenance needs across the National Park System, Vela, currently Grand Teton National Park's superintendent, essentially said the buck stops with him.
"I think it starts with the individual, and if confirmed, setting the example as director, setting the bar as to what is not acceptable," Vela replied when U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, pointed to ethical transgressions in the Interior Department, singling out ongoing investigations into Secretary Ryan Zinke's behavior, and asked what he would change to deal with "this spree of unethical behavior" if confirmed.
"It starts at the top. If confirmed I will provide that leadership," added Vela.
Sen. Wyden was not satisifed, though, saying he couldn't support the nomination unless Vela specifically addressed how he would change what the senator viewed as lackluster regard for ethical behavior.
If confirmed, Vela would become the first Latino to rise to the directorship of the Park Service. He was nominated for the director's job on August 31. Before becoming superintendent at Grand Teton in 2014, Vela worked in Washington, D.C., as the Park Service's associate director for Workforce, Relevancy and Inclusion. He oversaw NPS programs including Human Resources, Learning and Development, Equal Opportunity, Youth, and the Office of Relevancy, Diversity & Inclusion. Prior to that, he was director of the agency's Southeast Region based in Atlanta.
Vela, should the Senate confirm him, will take the reins of an agency that has been struggling with a staggering deferred maintenance backlog, and low morale among a workforce that has grappled with sexual harassment issues, low pay, work-life balance inequity, concerns over leadership, and concerns around strategic management, according to the 2017 Best Places To Work survey.
During the two-hour hearing, which Vela shared with nominees for the Assistant Secretary of Energy (Nuclear Energy) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Park Service veteran encountered few tough questions outside of workplace misconduct.
He was not asked about Secretary Zinke's push for more lenient hunting and trapping regulations in national preserves in Alaska, about carrying capacities for visitation in crowded parks, about President Trump's proposed cuts in manpower and budget for the Park Service, or whether, as then-director of the Park Service's Southeast Region, he worked with Pedro Ramos, at the time superintendent of Big Cypress, to try to persuade then-NPS Director Jon Jarvis to waive a section of the National Park Service's Management Policies pertaining to wilderness-quality landscapes so they could allow ORV use in 147,000 acres that were added to Big Cypress in 1996.
Vela did say he believed in climate science, voiced support for the Restore Our Parks Act legislation before Congress that could provide up to $6.5 billion to address the park system's maintenance backlog, for continuation of the Land and Water Conservation Fund that expired at the end of September, and was open to discussing a redesignation of New River Gorge National River as New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, with the "preserve" added to allow continued hunting in the unit.
He did balk a bit when Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said more units of the park system should charge entrance fees. Currently, just 115 of the 418 units charge the fees.
“I think fees play a role and I think what we need to do as we tackle the challenges … that we need to take a hard look at all options," said Vela. "But at the same time, and in the same breath, we need to take a look at who we might be excluding from the process, who don’t have the ability to pay additional fees. So I think those interests are equally compelling and equally important.”
The nomination is expected to go before the full Senate before year's end.
Comments
Good luck, Mr. Vela.
His nomination is one of very few positive things to come out of the current administration. I really expected the selection of a new NPS director to be even worse than what we saw from some previous go 'rounds.
Now let's hope that he is allowed to try to do his job properly without too much political interference.
I agree, let's hope for the best.
A good day for the NPS. Having a confirmed Director is important for the morale of the agency. I hope we see some independence the NPS has been known for in the past - that seems to have vanished over the past 2 years. DC and the Region used to have the supts backs - seems lately it cuts them at the knees. Dave has been at all levels and that will help. Let's hope he gets some good people around him!!
Best of luck to you Mr. Vela. I know you're no stranger to facing the big challenges square on. You'll chart the course forward to progress.
Congratulations David and best of luck to you as you take on the challenges of NPS Director. Having worked with you before I know you keep an open mind, explore all options and pay attention to the enabling laegislations of each park unit when addressing their issues.
Hopefully in these challenging times you will be able to lead the NPS forward and be an effective advocate for all it stands for.
Congrats to David. He was did a great job at Grand Teton and he will do a great job as NPS Director.
Congratulations Mr. Vila on your confirmation. As a native of North Carolina, I have enjoyed the Blue Ridge Parkway. I am just an old retired Veteran, who van/camps frequently. Might I suggest NP. users be asked to donate time to the NP system, helping defry the expense of maintaining our National Parks System. Perhaps something akin to :
"National Parks Steward" designation, with an earned bumper sticker designation. Let those who love out National Parks work alittle to help preserve our Unique American Tradition of, "Lands for the people"
If I could possible aid you in your future endeavors please let me know.
The best of luck to you.
Sincerely,
Geoffrey Wallwork, Jr.
Mr. Wallwork--
Most National Park units have active volunteer programs. Some volunteers lead additional programs for visitors, some maintain trails, others help with invasive species control or restoration efforts, some even help out with administrative tasks. Training is provided for volunteers, depending on the activity. The simplest way to find out what opportunities are available in a park is to look at the park website. For Blue Ridge Parkway (BLRI), the website is https://www.nps.gov/blri/getinvolved/volunteer.htm For Great Smoky Mountains NP, replace the blri with grsm, for Cabrillo it's cabr, etc. Or from a park's website www.nps.gov/PARK you can select "Get Involved" then "Volunteer" in the drop down menu.
If you don't have internet access, you can ask at the visitor center, but the ranger at the desk isn't likely to be the volunteer coordinator, so they might not know as much about volunteer opportunities at that park.
Some folks volunteer for a specific one-time event, others volunteer a few hours every month or week, and some may spend 1000 hours a year. In addition to volunteer appreciation events put on by individual parks, after a threshold number of hous, volunteers receive a special interagency pass like the annual passes or golden age passes.