FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- June 25, 2008

Joan Anzelmo: (970) 858-3617 x301

John Quinley: (907) 644-3512

**NPS Superintendents Summit to Meet in Utah**

**WASHINGTON, DC --** The superintendents and senior leadership of the
National Park Service will gather in Utah next month for a two-day
meeting focused on the agency's second century of service and the
challenges it will face.

The NPS Superintendents Summit 2008 will be held July 16-17, 2008, at
the Cliff Lodge in Snowbird, just outside Salt Lake City. About 450
employees will attend, including the superintendents who manage the 391
sites in the National Park System.

National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar said: "As we approach our
100^th^ anniversary in 2016, we have three significant tasks ahead of
us: reconnecting Americans with their national parks, increasing the
capacity of the national park system, and developing park leaders for
our second century. The Summit will focus on these themes."

The rapidly diversifying American population, their habits and interests
will be addressed by California State University at Chico professor Dr.
Emilyn Sheffield on July 16. Now chair of the largest undergraduate
recreation department in the West, Sheffield has worked for more than 20
years with partners to connect people to the parks and protected places.
Her \"trends work\" helps local, state, and federal agencies and
conservation organizations respond more effectively to changing
demographic and lifestyle trends. She is currently exploring community
engagement strategies in volunteerism and conservation stewardship at
the Golden Gate National Parks in San Francisco.

Several smaller sessions will follow on the afternoon of July 16,
focusing on topics such as youth programs, emerging technologies, and
citizen stewardship.

The July 16 program will be opened by Director Bomar, Utah Governor Jon
Huntsman, and U.S. Forest Service Chief Gail Kimball (the meeting is
being held within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest). Department of the
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne is also an invited speaker that
morning.

Charles Jordan, Chairman of The Conservation Fund, will address an
evening session on July 16. His presentation is titled "All Hands on
Deck: Engaging All Citizens in Conservation."

"Engaging volunteers and other partners is one of the ways we can
increase the capacity of the National Park Service," said Bomar.
"Charles Jordan has had a rich and varied career in parks and
recreation, from city parks to presidential commissions, all with a goal
of increasing participation and engaging the American public."

The second day's program will look at both the Service's traditions, and
toward its Centennial. Filmmaker Dayton Duncan will preview and discuss
an upcoming 12-part production with Ken Burns on the national parks.
Other speakers will focus on the 2016 NPS Centennial, including
increasing the agency's capacity through funding and private
philanthropic partnerships.

Superintendent meetings are rare for the National Park Service. This is
the third such national gathering in two decades. Conference chair Joan
Anzelmo, superintendent at Colorado National Monument, noted that the
last similar conference was in 2000 in Missouri and then back in 1988 in
Wyoming.

"The National Park Service is a \$2.3 billion organization with 275
million visitors and units spread across the nation," Anzelmo said.
"This type of gathering helps our leadership to understand issues facing
the system as a whole and how fundamental national changes are going to
affect park management and the mission of the National Park Service."

-NPS-

**Note to Editors:** Media representatives are welcome to attend the
Superintendents Summit. In order to have adequate space and facilities,
please contact one of the following before arriving at Snowbird:

Conference Chair Joan Anzelmo, <joan_anzelmo@nps.gov>, (970) 858-3617
x301

Conference Communications Chair John Quinley, <john_quinley@nps.gov>,
907-644-3512

NPS Chief of Communications & Public Affairs David Barna,
<david_barna@nps.gov>, 202-208-4995