History follows park chief's journey from coast to coast
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Web Posted 3/30/2009 11:22:00 AM
Article :
Zach Bolitho is all energy. His hands flick as he speaks, illustrating and emphasizing his words. But being energetic and active might be a Bolitho family trait. Bolitho has just joined the staff of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park as its new chief of resources.
One of the early things he did after arriving at the park was hike the Fort to Sea Trail. Bolitho and his wife, Carolyn, set out with a group of nearly 50 other park service personnel from across the country two weeks ago with 13-month-old daughter Ada in a baby backpack carrier. But Ada became a little crabby after a short while and Carolyn headed back home with her.
Bolitho explained that Ada prefers to continue to move along the trail, and wasn't happy about the frequent stops for discussions. Then again, maybe she'd had enough travel for a while. The family had just come cross-country from Bolitho's last assignment with the Park Service, at Gettysburg National Military Park, in Pennsylvania. He said Ada is fine when he pushes her along for five or six miles in her jogging stroller.
The diverse activities at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park attracted Bolitho to the job. "I think it was the mix between cultural and natural resources - like Gettysburg," he said. He added that - in much the same way leaders at Lewis and Clark are striving to return the park to the biological state it was in when the explorers first arrived, leadership in Gettysburg is trying to restore that park to its Civil War-era state. Both parks are trying to preserve a piece of history, while restoring their area's historic landscapes. And Bolitho was ready to try something new. Either my park, where I was at, was going to give me more responsibility, or I was going to have to jump out and try something else," he said.He said Lewis and Clark was a new park, in a new part of the country for him, that had begun projects - like the restoration of South Clatsop Slough - that he could take part in. Otter Point - those types of projects are of interest. It was a step forward," he said. "I thought it was an opportunity to try something out. You've got a lot going on here."
Bolitho's first job with the Park Service was at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. It was later expanded and reclassified as a national monument and preserve. He moved on to the Shenandoah National Park, where he was a member of the Exotic Plant Management Team. The team assessed, controlled and eradicated (where possible) the most invasive plant and insect species in eight national parks in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland. Since his time there, the team has expanded to control invasive species in 14 national parks.
He then moved on to Gettysburg. Bolitho's work in the past eight years in Gettysburg has been to restore the 1863 battlefield landscape. His natural resources office in Gettysburg was responsible for monitoring forest health and sustainability. It managed the park's agricultural properties - leasing out 3,000 acres for farmland. "I think I've got a lot to learn, in a good way," he said. "The resources are different."
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HTTP://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&subsectionID=398&articleID=59606&Q=80343.12
Web Posted 3/30/2009 11:22:00 AM
Article :
Zach Bolitho is all energy. His hands flick as he speaks, illustrating and emphasizing his words. But being energetic and active might be a Bolitho family trait. Bolitho has just joined the staff of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park as its new chief of resources.
One of the early things he did after arriving at the park was hike the Fort to Sea Trail. Bolitho and his wife, Carolyn, set out with a group of nearly 50 other park service personnel from across the country two weeks ago with 13-month-old daughter Ada in a baby backpack carrier. But Ada became a little crabby after a short while and Carolyn headed back home with her.
Bolitho explained that Ada prefers to continue to move along the trail, and wasn't happy about the frequent stops for discussions. Then again, maybe she'd had enough travel for a while. The family had just come cross-country from Bolitho's last assignment with the Park Service, at Gettysburg National Military Park, in Pennsylvania. He said Ada is fine when he pushes her along for five or six miles in her jogging stroller.
The diverse activities at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park attracted Bolitho to the job. "I think it was the mix between cultural and natural resources - like Gettysburg," he said. He added that - in much the same way leaders at Lewis and Clark are striving to return the park to the biological state it was in when the explorers first arrived, leadership in Gettysburg is trying to restore that park to its Civil War-era state. Both parks are trying to preserve a piece of history, while restoring their area's historic landscapes. And Bolitho was ready to try something new. Either my park, where I was at, was going to give me more responsibility, or I was going to have to jump out and try something else," he said.He said Lewis and Clark was a new park, in a new part of the country for him, that had begun projects - like the restoration of South Clatsop Slough - that he could take part in. Otter Point - those types of projects are of interest. It was a step forward," he said. "I thought it was an opportunity to try something out. You've got a lot going on here."
Bolitho's first job with the Park Service was at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. It was later expanded and reclassified as a national monument and preserve. He moved on to the Shenandoah National Park, where he was a member of the Exotic Plant Management Team. The team assessed, controlled and eradicated (where possible) the most invasive plant and insect species in eight national parks in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland. Since his time there, the team has expanded to control invasive species in 14 national parks.
He then moved on to Gettysburg. Bolitho's work in the past eight years in Gettysburg has been to restore the 1863 battlefield landscape. His natural resources office in Gettysburg was responsible for monitoring forest health and sustainability. It managed the park's agricultural properties - leasing out 3,000 acres for farmland. "I think I've got a lot to learn, in a good way," he said. "The resources are different."
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4 comments:
Y'all are famous!! Welcome to small town America...again. :)
Keep up the good work. There is nothing like taking our fmily to see this great nation of ours, and we have people like you to thank
Way to go Zach! Ada's child modeling career can now commence! :)
All energy indeed! Although they may have gotten a different idea about that if they'd done the interview at the end of a DR night.
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