|
On Tuesday, Charles "Chuck" Sams III appeared before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, answering questions about his nomination to become director of the National Park Service. An enrolled member of the Cayuse and Walla Walla tribes and former executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Sams would become the first Native American to lead the agency in its 105-year history.
Sams' nomination comes at a critical time for the Park Service. While park visitation has surged in recent years, the agency lost 6% of its permanent staff over the last decade, faces an ever-increasing maintenance backlog, and operated without a Senate-confirmed director throughout the entirety of the Trump administration.
Many tribal members hope Sams' nomination will lead to increased consultation in the management of national parks and an acknowledgement of the agency's history of dispossession and forced removal of Native peoples. “I would like to see consultation with tribes on decisions impacting areas of Native significance,” said White Mountain Apache Chairwoman Gwendena Lee-Gatewood. “We have a voice.” Sams' nomination will next be voted on by the Senate Energy committee before heading to the floor of the Senate.
|
The past few years have been incredibly disruptive to this agency, to you and to your families. You deserve better, and so do the communities that we serve. My priority is to work with you to revitalize and rebuild the BLM to provide support for you to meet the pressing challenges of our time.”
