Dear Interior Secretary Zinke, before you and President Trump settle on a nominee for National Park Service director, please read these books.
They're relatively short reads, but as summer for all intents and purposes is here and your travel schedule has been full recently, let me summarize them for you.
Author Paul Berkowitz packs three stories into this title: One that details what seems to be a grave injustice done to a man many describe as the last, and one of the best, of the country's true-to-life Indian traders; a second on mismanagement within one of the National Park Service's largest cooperating associations, and; a third that reveals an incredibly dark side of the National Park Service.
It is that final piece of the triangle that you need to focus on. After all, many in the general public see the National Park Service as their favorite government agency. But within The Case of the Indian Trader, Mr. Berkowitz peels back the luminous outer skin of the Park Service to reveal a dysfunctional culture, one that by his accounts has more than a few times placed itself above the law. It is a culture that at times seems to struggle with the question of whether the ends justify the means. One that, despite findings and warnings from the Interior Department's inspector general, outwardly seems to have resisted change.
Legacy of the Yosemite Mafia: The Ranger Image and Noble Cause Corruption in the National Park Service
This is the latest work by Mr. Berkowitz -- who, by the way, was a special agent for the National Park Service -- and is so new that we at the Traveler haven't quite finished it for a review. But you could view it as a sequel of sorts to The Case of the Indian Trader, for once again the author digs into the culture of the Park Service in an attempt to understand its struggles at times with law enforcement and proper management. As Andrea Lankford, herself a former ranger and author of Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks, told me, "In short, it is an extremely accurate and insightful perspective on an ongoing problem within NPS culture and the dysfunctional way the agency has viewed park (law enforcement) and other first response needs."
National Parks: The American Experience
Finally, Secretary Zinke, you should read, if you haven't already, National Parks: The American Experience, by Dr. Alfred Runte. This is a foundational primer every National Park Service employee should be required to read. Dr. Runte (a Traveler contributor) lays down the history of national parks and the National Park Service, and examines the nation's movement to preserve nature in the park system. Naturally, if you're talking preservation, you have to discuss the threats to it, and this book does it in the context of the National Park System.
There are many more books you should add to your reading list, Mr. Secretary. Certainly Worth Fighting For, Robert Danno's account of how he was railroaded for blowing the whistle on superiors who ignored well-established federal laws and agency policies and procedures in allowing a billionaire to chop down trees in a scenic easement along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Then there's Desert Solitare by Ed Abbey, Wilderness and the American Mind by Roderick Nash; Ms. Lankford's aforementioned Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks, and; Preserving Nature in the National Parks: A History, by Richard West Sellars.
But we're guessing you're short on time, so stick to the first three, and expand with the others in the months to come.
We settled on the first three as must-reads because there's a cancer of sorts eating away at the National Park Service, one that is a key source of the relatively low morale within the rank-and-file. If you've glanced recently at the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings, you know that the Park Service in the most recent survey landed 262 out of 305 agencies surveyed for workplace bliss. Out of the federal agencies that work in the energy and environmental sectors, the Park Service ranked 15th...out of 15.
Sure, Park Service pay scales probably have something to do with low morale, and the staffing situation that leaves many employees with collateral duties. But if you spend a few minutes looking at this survey, you'll see that the agency's workforce doesn't think very highly of its leaders. In the category of "Effective Leadership," the Park Service ranked 278 out of 303 agencies. In terms of "Effective Leadership: Empowerment," it stood 265 out of 303. In terms of "Fairness," the Park Service leaders ranked 249 out of 303. Worse, yet, "Senior Leaders" ranked 284 out of 303 when it came to "Effective Leadership," and in terms of "Strategic Management," the agency scored 289 out of 304.
Notice the trend, Mr. Secretary?
Recent events in the agency aren't likely to help these scores. Former Park Service Director John Jarvis ignored the Interior Department's ethics rules, saying it would take too long to follow them to publish a book on "American Values and Our National Parks." Northeast Regional Director Mike Caldwell recently was found to have run up nearly $18,000 in travel reimbursements that he wasn't entitled to claim. And most recently, the superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park has been reassigned pending the outcome of an Office of Inspector General investigation. What that investigation is all about has been a very well-kept secret, but if you have to reassign a superintendent, well, it can't be too good.
And, of course, there's the whole chapter written on sexual harassment in the National Park System, from Grand Canyon and Yellowstone to Canaveral National Seashore, Chatahoochee River National Recreation Area, and DeSoto National Memorial.
Those first two books by Mr. Berkowitz portray the culture of the Park Service, and provide insights that can help explain some of the managerial foibles as well as the low morale. The third title, by Dr. Runte, provides a grounding in the history of the national parks and the National Park Service, and their evolution.
All three are vital titles for guiding the Park Service in the years to come, and helping the agency improve on its disturbing rankings when it comes to a place to work.
Oh, and when you interview candidates for the job, Secretary Zinke? Ask them if they've read these books.
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Comments
Thanks for this timely and appropriate article, Kurt. The National Park Service has many fine employees, but the total agency is far less than the sum of its parts due to widespread mismanagement. I hope he reads your recommended books, but I doubt Secretary Zinke will be impressed with your travel fraud example, since he's been reported to be guilty of the same offense:
https://theintercept.com/2016/12/20/trumps-pick-for-interior-secretary-w...
Also Read: https://www.amazon.com/People-Lie-Hope-Healing-Human/dp/0684848597
In this absorbing and equally inspiring companion volume to his classic trilogy—The Road Less Traveled, Further Along the Road Less Traveled, and The Road Less Traveled and Beyond—Dr. M. Scott Peck brilliantly probes into the essence of human evil.
People who are evil attack others instead of facing their own failures. Peck demonstrates the havoc these people of the lie work in the lives of those around them. He presents, from vivid incidents encountered in his psychiatric practice, examples of evil in everyday life.
This book is by turns disturbing, fascinating, and altogether impossible to put down as it offers a strikingly original approach to the age-old problem of human evil.
I am glad you are making these suggestions. I will also add that there is clear evidence that performing hit jobs on people who run counter to the NPS line seems to be the shortest route to advancement in the agency. But I have zero hope that Zinke will reflect upon the NPS misdeeds in light of his own travel expenditure malfeasance. There is a cultural problem at the NPS and he isn't the one to right the ship. Now expect the NPS glee club to chime in defense of the NPS.
In response to m13's post above, I read "People of the Lie - The Hope for Healing Human Evil", by M. Scott Peck, while working at my last National Park. The insights contained in this book helped me understand how the Park's management team operated, thereby helping me survive a difficult period of my career. The NPS has all too many managers who fit Mr. Peck's profiles, degrading what should be the best agency in the federal government. My decision to leave the NPS was the best career move I ever made.
"People of the Lie" is one of the most important books ever written. Everyone needs to read it. And my experiences with NPS brass fit right in there.
Thank you for writing this wonderful article with its excellent suggestions. I can only hope Secretary Zinke follows your advice and reads all of these books. He should also have his staff read them as well. Many more books of this type can be found on the npshistory.com web site at http://npshistory.com/books/index.htm.
Let's hope people who are in position to make a difference will grab the opportunity to do that.
The thousands of honest, excellent, hardworking people who are really the NPS deserve nothing less.
m13 - took your advice and read the book. No sure how it applies to NPS management. Must say I had some issues with Pecks conclusions. In general, I didn't think any of his examples were truely "evil". Hitler was evil, Stalan was evil, ISIS is evil. Being a narcissist or not wanting to let go of your childred is not "evil". I also object to his characterization of evil as an illness. I don't see it as an illness any more than kindness, generosity or shyness is an "illness". Calling it an illness takes away the personal responsibility.
To better understand EVIL, read: https://philsphil.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/introducing-three-degrees-of-...
Does Evil Equate to Ignorance? “The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.” ~ Socrates
Introducing Three Degrees of Evil
by Philip Jonkers
1. Evil by Intent
2. Evil by Unwitting Complicity
3. Evil by Apathetic Witnessing
“He who does not punish evil, commands it to be done.” ~ Leonardo Da Vinci
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” ~ Edmund Burk
Yes, let's spend our time reading the hit jobs by disgruntled retired employees who can finally grind their axes fine with the help of a good libel attorney and an editor. Rob's book is an excellent one-sided account of how politics as usual in DC can grind up the little folks. Paul's? Not so much. His read as an exericise in exorcizing his own ego-demons.
By the way you're assuming Zinke reads books by anyone other than Tom Clancy.
Yes, there is much corruption in the NPS - that's the reason I left - but much of that is a result, I believe, of hiring practices and promotion practices no longer based on tough Civil Service Exams and experience, but on politics. That must change, and the Service must return to hiring and promotion on the basis of the requirements of the work, not diversity politics.
On the other hand, be careful with Berkowitz. He managed to get a good Yosemite Superintendent fired in what seems to me a questionable manner: http://articles.latimes.com/1986-01-29/news/mn-1173_1_ranger-force
And, yes, People of the Lie is a keystone bit of reading. So is Desert Solitaire, which has a chapter critical of park managers.
I'd recommend Dianetics for it's piercing account of the role of suppressive persons in damaging organizations.
I believe this too. Diversity politics has had huge contribution to the swamp.
I agree with the Indian Trader. I would add Yellowstone Ranger by Jerry Mernin to discover what a real ranger does. Berkowitz's attitude toward anyone who doesn't share his rather narrow definition of NPS law enforcement is well-known. There are number of books dealing with rewilding bears including Engineering Eden by Jordan Fisher Smith that would be worth his time.
beachdumb--
In my experience, diversity politics has nothing to do with the hiring dysfunction in NPS; almost the opposite. HR hiring folks are terribly slow (sometimes >1 year turnarounds), and unable to distinguish top candidates for positions with specific skills & expertise. Many NPS folks work around that impediment by finding a person who is qualified, then reverse-engineering the position description to ensure the known candidate comes out most qualified. That can prevent getting stuck hiring unqualified (except on paper) folks. But it also means that the _best_ outside candidates don't get considered, because the fix is in. I know of a smart ranger with a BS in Forestry and a red card working as a WS-5 laborer, who simply can't get a natural resources job until he's talked with enough folks on fires that a position opens where someone happens to know of him. This is half of the good-old-boy (& girl!) process in NPS.
The other half is "developmental opportunities" and other temporary details that get current employees experience at higher-level jobs, and get them more widely known. Temporary details and acting positions are very important for promotions and career advancement in NPS. The catch is that even now, the vast majority of such temporary details have the detailee still paid by their home park, even when working for another park. Only individuals with supervisors willing to pay 3-4 months of their salary at no direct benefit to the home park get these opportunities. This level of grooming for promotions is beyond simply having a mentor, and it directly perpetuates the good-old-boy/girl networking system. Simply making all temporary details funded by the benefitting park or program would crack open the system. [Neither of these affect me directly' I'm just an observer. Also, both tend to _decrease_ diversity, at least of backgrounds & styles, as supervisors tend to groom folks like themselves.]
As for recommended reading: I agree with The Case of the Indian Trader and Al Runte's book, but I want a new director to better understand the resources as well as the institutional & leadership issues. Sellars' Preserving Nature book is on my list, and perhaps the Leopold Report. Harry, what would you recommend as the equivalent for cultural resources?
I would recommend that Secretary Zinke read the OIG's 2002 report "A Disquieting State of Disorder", which critiqued the law enforcement programs of the Interior agencies, especially the NPS followed by the BLM. This scathing report can be easily accessed on the OIG's website. The agencies have worked tirelessly to sidestep or give lip service to most of the OIG's recommendations. 15 years later, it is no surprise the LE Programs of these agencies remain as dysfunctional as ever.
In a wide random sample, definitely not complete, I have thus far failed to idetify anyone complaining about "diversity politics" who is other than white male.
Full disclosure - I am a white male. And I'm happy to see people around me of every gender and color.
The only legitimate complaint about "diversity politics" in recruitment is that it tends to favor superficial diversity while extending the old boy's club.
People of color who attend top public universities or typical ranger schools, do an SCA internship, and then work at some flagship like Yosemite or Yellowstone or a heavily visited eastern historical park tend to advance more quickly than just about anyone.
Meanwhile, a person of color without that other background will be a fee collector or motor vehicle operator for a long time. If they're lucky.
SINCE TRUMP DOESN'T RESPECT LEARNING THROUGH READING, ZINKE MAY NOT EITHER
Also, Recall Trump saying "I Know More Than the Generals"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/donald-trump-doesnt-read-much-be...
Trump said reading long documents is a waste of time because he absorbs the gist of an issue very quickly. “I’m a very efficient guy,” he said. “Now, I could also do it verbally, which is fine. I’d always rather have — I want it short. There’s no reason to do hundreds of pages because I know exactly what it is.”
It has been truly disappointing watching National Park Service directors ingeniously circumvent Section 106 National Historic Preservat Act laws and run interference for Special Interest organizations desirous to build rental apartments abutting the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park and World Heritage Site. Furthermore, the National Park Service needs to stop propping-up the oustide organizations, with hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, when these organizations are steeped in Special Interest groups. US-Icomos is one of those organizations. Truly sad commentary. Sec.Zinke should look into the squandering of financial resources and corresponding institutional corruption post-haste.