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King, 57, has been serving as acting superintendent since July when Dave Uberuaga left to become superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park.
“Randy … is extremely familiar with the park, its partners and staff, and has demonstrated success in building partnerships and solving problems,” Chris Lehnertz, director of the Pacific West Region of the National Park Service, said in a statement announcing the appointment Thursday.
“I believe that we have found the right mix in Randy, with deep knowledge of park issues, understanding the park’s complexities, strong leadership skills, ability to listen, confidence in speaking to the park’s mission and the larger NPS values and … a personal commitment to the growth of each and every employee in the park.”
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity,” King said. “It’s such a remarkable place and so important to so many people.
“You don’t get chances like this too often in your life. It’s a bit overwhelming, too, in a positive way,” he added.
In 34 years with the Park Service, King has worked at six national parks – including Acadia and Yellowstone – and the Intermountain Regional Office. He also took part in a six-month work exchange, working with Western Australia’s Department of Conservation and Land Management.
King and his wife, Sally, and their three children – Mackenzie, Dylan and Skylar – live in Eatonville.
EXPERIENCED LEADER
King’s experience will be a benefit for the park, its staff and visitors, said people familiar with the park. His eight years at Mount Rainier include a 15-month stint as acting superintendent in 2009-2010.
“He knows what’s going on the park. He’s been working in the park. He knows who we are, what we do and what issues we are facing to do our job,” said Brooke Childrey, the park’s museum curator.
“He just has extraordinary respect from the staff. You go to a work day, Randy is on his knees in the dirt,” said Jay Satz, Northwest executive for the Student Conservation Association. “He truly understands what their job is.”
“He won’t have a long learning curve another person from somewhere else would have,” said Sean Smith, Northwest policy director for the National Parks Conservation Association.
Jim Ross, outreach specialist at the park, has a unique perspective when it comes to park bosses. In 45 years of working at Mount Rainier, King will be the eighth superintendent for whom Ross will work.
“He is really interested in people and hearing input from people, both park people and people outside the park,” Ross said.
King deserves credit for being at the park booth during the Puyallup Fair and attending events such as the Eatonville Fourth of July parade, Ross said.
“Randy has a slightly different personality, but he is still interested in people and still listens to people, maybe just a little quieter than (Uberuaga).”
MANY CHALLENGES
Those qualities will be tested as King deals with varied and immediate challenges including potential budget cuts and declining visitation.
Fabiani says maintaining park access in the face of budget cuts will be one of the key issues. Some people estimate parks could see cuts of 5 percent to 10 percent. The park, with about 200 employees, has an operating budget of about $12 million.
“The biggest challenge is the reality of what’s happening with budgets. The good news is he’s not someone new trying to figure things out,” Smith said. “He’s going to be in the best possible position to make these difficult decisions.”
“We’re going to have to get creative to provide the services the public expects and deserves,” King said.
Another challenge is introducing the park to people who have never been there.
“We have to expand the support of national parks, especially Rainier, with what we call underserved populations, groups that have traditionally not been users of the parks,” Ross said. “Along with that we need to reach more of the youth, helping them to make a connection with the natural world.”
“That’s a long-term concern of the Park Service; engaging kids, making sure they have those life experiences in the parks, that the parks are telling stories that are relevant to them.”
“One of his strongest characteristics is his absolute commitment to building a constituency that reflects who America is today,” Satz said.
The mountain itself creates challenges, King admits.
“There are challenges with the environment, what the mountain throws at you every day, every year. The Carbon River is a good example. We can no longer provide vehicle access there anymore,” he said.
He cited the struggle to open the Sunrise area this summer. A heavy snowfall and a cold spring almost delayed the opening until after the July 4 weekend.
Like his predecessors, King will have to find the right balance of maintaining the park’s integrity while welcoming more than 1 million visitors a year.
“We have the mandate to protect the resources, both natural and cultural,” Childrey said. “But we also have to welcome the visitors. Those are conflicting needs, that’s difficult to balance.”
“It is a tough chore,” Fabiani said, “but he will be a good superintendent.”
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 Jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.
