OCR Text |
Show 1 ' ' . ', f - 4 ; lVvV ' ' - - i r ,f Vt - k. f i ; ,: ' s;U 1 V!' . V , .x A .'hi'" my' , . , , ' r hi vx. , ;'r' u ; I X N- -, 5 . " X -r V- ' 5 i v k N 1 ' - 1 , ' " t i ' i V . V -- i:r ... - . v , V ft . ! " l q ,i ; - ? . v Z ; - ' n- r , ?--.,;' c -a EAST f , ' .' 1 - AUG" ' .1 f ' V6.K jMike O. Hill, new superintendent of Timpanogos Cave, looks over his new stewardship. )$Timp supt. plans -few changes 3 By RACHEL C. MURDOCH Michael O. Hill, a 17-year veteran f the National Park Service, took ver this season as the new Park Superintendent of Timp Cave Rational Monument. - He said his supervision will not ause immediate changes at the ark, and he will basically continue lie projects and precedents set by reviews superintendents. "I have an attitude that if 'it ain't 'roke, don't fix it,' " said Hill. We're fortunate here to have an xcellent maintenance staff, some f whom have been here for 20 or 30 ears. We also have guides who ep coming back year after year," esaid. This continuity has helped make park a well-run one with few roblems. 'Some of these people just keep oming back, and their concern for ark resources is really valuable," aid Hill. "Their efforts make my b much easier." sme projects which will be ontmued by Hill include resur-!cing resur-!cing the visitor's center parking its in May, building new retaining 'a"s in the river to prevent further rosion, and construction of a "ture trail which will allow visitors to view the cave trom a distance Before entering the Park Service. Hill attended Humbolt State University in his native ('alilornia His schooling was mlerupted In a two-year and eight month stint in Vietnam as a member nt the Marine Corps. Following his return, he graduated from Humbolt state with a degree in Natural Hesource Planning "I got into the Park Service realh by accident." Hill said He nad worked as a cowboy a real cowboy working with cows. Hill said "1 decided to see il I could get a job in a national park one year, and they were having trouble finding people who knew livestock well enough to be a horse ranger said Hill. He ended up with a job as a back country horse ranger in Sequoia National Park that summer and tor the next four summers. He worked an additional season at the Channel Islands National Monument in 1976. then took a permanent job as Horse Patrol Supervisor at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. Hill has worked full-time in the Park Service since that time. He See 1 1 1 I.I. on page 2 oHill - Continued from front uaee returned to Channel Islands for several years, then transferred to Shenandoah National Park, in Virginia. He was there for five years as Assistant District Ranger, during which time he directed many major searches and rescues. It was also during this time that he met and married Janice Carpenter, who was then a ranger at Everglades National Park. Hill then went to Biscayne National Park in Southern Florida where he was Chief of Ranger Activities, including "interpretation." "in-terpretation." Hill said interpretation is probably the most important thing done by rangers in any National Park. "It's a combination of education and entertainment," said Hill "We try to bring the park alive to people: help them anm-Bnhu ,..u.. is a park." Every National Park is set ass for a particular historic or t vironmental reason. Timp Cave been set aside because of the unf formations in the stones of the said Hill. Although Timp Cave Nat Monument is located in then the Uinta National Forest, they operated by two completely 1 ferent bodies, Hill explained. "The Forest Service ope under the Department ' Agriculture," said Hill. ''w is to provide goods anc sen' from Forest' Service Ian10' good of the public. The mJ the National Park e however, is one of preservation. Hill said the Park Service J maintain areas so that s who visits today can bring ; grandchildren back in 35 yea-" see the same park. "It's kind of like the Sin Institute," said Hill. "Art objects which people want i for posterity, they pack up and send to the Smiths preservation. Those things too big to pack in a box a National Parks." ((it The Park Service w f everything from the Gat .-Arctic .-Arctic National Park '" the White House and Bell, Hill said. , frc' Hill came to Timp J Biscayne, and says heexp here several years, are generally more long-' regular rangers, due to t of their duties," he s;U. . )!' don't mind. It's beaut"1" the people are great " , I i |