The White house has announced their pick for the director of the National Park service.
The Biden administration selected Charles Sams to direct the National Park Service Wednesday. The nomination now goes to the senate for approval. Sams, from Oregon, is Cayuse and Walla Walla of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Indian Reservation.
If confirmed by the senate, Sams will be the first Native person to direct the National Park Service.
The Department of Interior said in a statement that Sams has twenty five years working with Tribal governments, and nonprofit entities that deal with conservation and natural resource management. Sams also has experience as a U.S. Navy veteran and an education in Indigneous peoples law.
Interior Secretary Deb Haalan, the first Native American member of the executive cabinet, said that the “diverse experience that Chuck brings to the National Park Service will be an incredible asset as we work to conserve and protect our national parks to make them more accessible for everyone.”
Governor of Oregon Kate Brown also said in a statement about the selection, “I have worked closely with Chuck for many years, and have witnessed first hand his unparalleled devotion and service to his Tribe, our state, and our nation.”
