DIVERSITY | Offering a place for everyone
15 July 2008
Special Places Uniting All Americans
An Interview With Mary A. Bomar
Mary A. Bomar is the 17th director of the U.S. National Park Service, appointed to that position in 2006 after16 years spent working in many different park facilities. In a written interview with eJournal USA, Director Bomar explained why she is devoted to America’s park system, and her hopes for leading it in the 21st century.
Question: In what way is the National Park Service emblematic of the entire American story, the settlement and expansion of the nation?
Bomar: The National Park Service is in every way emblematic of the entire scope of the American story. We manage areas that preserve American history and cultural experience from the first permanent settlements at Jamestown, Virginia, to the struggle for American independence, from the expansion of this nation and the wars we have fought, to the plight of Native Americans and minorities. We manage areas that highlight every aspect of our growth as a nation, from the good things we have accomplished to our dirty laundry.
From across the nation and around the world, visitors come to the places that reflect the American spirit and hear the stories of heroism and sacrifice certainly, but also sadder stories that are a part of who we are.
I always say that “there are special places that unite us all as Americans -- and national parks are those places.”
Q: How does your life add another chapter to this story?
Bomar: I am fond of saying -- and am proud to call myself -- “an American by choice.” I took the oath of allegiance to the Constitution of the United States on October 28, 1977, in Spokane, Washington; it was a very proud moment in my life and that of my family.
My story is an American story and a story of immigration. My family owned a large hosiery manufacturing company in Leicester, England. I was very fortunate to be raised by wonderful parents with four brothers and one sister. My love of preservation came from living in lovely villages in the English countryside. My family had a true love of historic preservation.
I also lived in the United States for some time as a child. I visited the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Golden Gate, Mount Rushmore, and many other national parks. These journeys provided me with an education that no school could have given me -- seeing and experiencing American cultures across the states. These wonderful childhood experiences instilled in me a strong passion for America’s landscapes, cultures, and people. That’s why I truly think of the National Park Service as the world’s largest university!
I joined the National Park Service in 1990, and served in a number of different parks and regions, all the time building my appreciation and understanding of the park system as a whole, in all its diversity and breadth. I was appointed to the director’s position in 2006, after serving as the director of the northeast region, which includes Philadelphia’s Independence Hall where America’s Founding Fathers pledged their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” for the cause of liberty.
But this is not about me. It’s about the continued relevance of America’s national parks and the preservation of the nation’s natural and cultural resources for our grandchildren. My vision is to connect every American to the parks and ensure financial sustainability and protection of park resources.
Anything that I accomplish will be with the assistance of the more than 20,000 men and women who work so hard every day for this agency -- they are the ones who will reach the children of our nation and excite them about nature, science, and history. I can only hope to give them the tools they need to accomplish their jobs and be their voice to the nation.
Q: What do you see as the greatest challenges facing the Park Service today?
Bomar: There are several challenges facing the National Park Service at the beginning of the 21st century. Let me list them for you:
• Re-energizing the support of the American people for the national parks and rejuvenating their pride in the “best idea America ever had.”
• Improving the capabilities of the system for the 21st century to meet the needs of a changing population, including the recruitment, retention, training, and preparation of a new generation of leadership for the service.
• Reaching our vast audiences and shifting our methods to be in keeping with today’s technology and the rapidly changing demographics of our country. That is of paramount importance to me.
Our superintendents and staff are always working to provide quality experiences at our parks. To keep pace with the tastes, technology, and changing demographics of the 21st century, we have developed multilingual and tactile exhibits, as well as new approaches to accessibility, and we keep pace with modern technology with Web-based information, podcasts, and cell-phone tours, just to name a few.
We must make our parks more vibrant, attractive and compelling places by improving our infrastructure, and we will need to recruit, train and develop a new generation of 21st-century leaders.
Q: The parks are frequently cited as one of the most beloved national institutions, but there are certainly some situations when disputes arise about how a site should be managed or how a historical narrative is presented. How do you deal with those situations?
Bomar: Of course there are times when sharp differences in public opinion are expressed, and we need to rebuild relationships with park neighbors, partners and the tourism community. If we listen, learn and take action to include the public and our tourism partners in park issues, we can resolve those sharp differences. We have generally been very successful in forging outstanding relationships with these community partners and overcoming misconceptions or disagreements. After all, we all want the same thing.
Throughout my 18 years with the National Park Service, I have been known for bringing people together. In 2000, I was superintendent at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the site of the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building [which claimed 168 lives]. There were some very raw feelings in the community when we prepared to open, as you might imagine in the aftermath of a tragedy of that magnitude. I worked with family members, survivors, rescue workers, and state and local governments to make sure everyone’s voice was heard. It is important -- in fact critical -- to hear from all sides, including what I call the “squeaky wheel.”
Q: Part of the Park Service mandate is to preserve the parks for future generations. Could you explain some of the service’s education programs that work to make sure youngsters become adults who understand the significance of conserving natural, historical and cultural sites?
Bomar: National Park Service educational programs are designed to enrich lives and enhance learning, to nurture people’s appreciation for parks and other special places, and thereby help preserve America’s heritage. Our Parks As Classrooms (PAC) program was created to encourage a larger educational effort through a variety of activities so that people become better informed about scientific, historical and cultural processes and research. They then might apply this knowledge toward the formulation of their own personal decision-making and stewardship ethic. We want to help people develop a feeling of lifelong stewardship toward the parks through programs that really involve them in activities such as exhibits, films, interpretive programs, and the like.
Our premiere “in-park” program for children and families is the Junior Ranger Program, encouraging children to “Explore. Learn. Protect.” When Junior Rangers and their families come in to a park, they use activity booklets designed especially for them as they explore the park. The booklets introduce the park’s story and point out parts of the park that might otherwise go unnoticed. While exploring the park, they learn more about the nation’s history, their own cultural heritage, and the natural world we share. And there is the “protection” piece of the activity. Junior Rangers, nearly 500,000 each year, discover things they can do -- in the park and at home -- to help make sure there are parks to visit in the future.
Most Junior Rangers are between 7 and 12 years of age, and we hope that they find it to be an enjoyable way to make a new kind of connection with favorite national parks, places that shaped the nation’s history, places of natural beauty and scientific wonder. And, of course, what we’re really trying to do is engage children and their families, and to challenge them to begin the process of caring about and caring for their national parks.
