Salazar Appoints National Park Service Advisory Board

WASHINGTON, DC -- Secretary Of the Interior Ken Salazar has appointed 12 new members to the National Park System Advisory Board. The Board, first authorized in 1935, advises the Secretary and the Director of the National Park Service (NPS) on matters relating to the Service's work.

“The members of the Board are highly accomplished men and women whose creativity and wisdom will help us prepare for the challenges of the National Parks Service's second hundred years,” said Secretary Salazar.

Eight of the new members previously served on the independent Second Century Commission that was charged with developing a 21st century vision for the National Park Service. In 2009 the commission submitted a comprehensive report that included sweeping recommendations for enhancing the ability of the National Park Service to share its natural heritage with all Americans and engage them in its protection.

“The mission of the NPS is more vital than ever as we work to fulfill the promise of President Obama's America's Great Outdoors Initiative,” added Secretary Salazar. “The issues we face today such as the economy, climate change, connecting Americans to the great outdoors, obesity, and the loss of cultural literacy are all areas that the Board can help us address.”

Members are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior for terms not to exceed four years. The new appointees are:

• Paul Bardacke, Senior Partner, Sutin, Thayer & Browne, PC, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Leonore Blitz, President, Leonore Blitz Consultants, Ltd., Washington, DC
• Prof. Linda Bilmes, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
• Hon. Judy Burke, Mayor of Grand Lake, Colorado, Grand Lake, Co
• Milton Chen, PhD, Executive Director, The George Lucas Foundation, Nicasio, CA
• Rita Colwell, PhD, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
• Belinda Faustinos, Executive Officer, San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountain Conservancy, Azusa, CA
• Carolyn Finney, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley, CA
• Ronald James, Nevada State Historic Preservation Officer, Carson City, NV
• Hon. Tony Knowles, Former Governor of Alaska, Anchorage, AK
• Gretchen Long, Board Member, World Resources Institute, Wilson, WY
• Margaret Wheatley, EdD, Board President, Emeritus, The Berkana Institute, Provo, UT

Editor's note: NPSAB biographies are available at http://www.nps.gov/policy/advisory/advboard.htm