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Contact: Deborah Coble, 907-280-8739
After more than 40 years of devoted federal service, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area’s superintendent, Bill Cox, retired Jan. 3, 2020. Bill’s federal career is truly commendable. He began his career in 1997 working first as a Student Conservation Aid and then as a seasonal park ranger for the National Park Service at Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments in Flagstaff, Arizona. Bill worked for five seasons in Arizona and when he wasn’t donning his uniform, he was furthering his education working on a Masters in geography with an emphasis in environmental and resource planning. Both his studies and work fit naturally together to create a symbiotic vocation.In the late 70s when Bill began his journey with the National Park Service he did a little bit of everything, “We weren’t specialized back then. We all did the tasks that needed to be done no matter the job series. I thoroughly enjoyed getting out and marking monument boundaries. Aspects of physical geography I had studied in text books were coming alive,” he said. He also really appreciated working with the Navajo staff and learning the anthropological characteristics of the area, “It was really quite the experience for a kid from suburban Atlanta,” he added.
In 1981, Bill found his first permanent position with the Department of Defense as a cartographer. Soon after that he worked as a civilian in the Air Force’s environmental program and during that 10-year period, Bill worked all over country and the world honing his skills in solving environmental and land planning issues.
From the Air Force, Bill moved on to the Environmental Protection Agency as a supervisory environmental scientist and program manager. “It was really my time working with the Air Force that spurred my interest in the EPA. I had the opportunity to apply many of the skills acquired in assessing environmental and land use issues solving specific problems many communities were facing.” Bill spent the next 20 years, between Dallas, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia, with the EPA, much of which was devoted to water resources.
In 2009, Bill participated in a career development assignment as the assistant superintendent for Zion National Park, his favorite park, until 2011. “I was reminded of the love I had for the National Park Service, its mission and the folks within the agency. It drew me back in.”
Bill did two more years with the EPA, this time in Atlanta, managing the Wetlands Coastal and Ocean programs in the southeast, but was actively recruited by the National Park Service to serve as the superintendent for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in 2013.
Some of Bill’s greatest contributions to the NPS came while working for other agencies. “In the 1980s, while working for the Air Force, I was able to help reduce the impacts of low level overflights at the Petrified Forest National Park. In the early 1990s, while at the EPA, I was able to work with others in getting the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw a pending oil and gas lease that would negatively affect Lechuguilla Cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park.”
As far as recent NPS contributions go, Bill set a strategic direction while at CHAT that resulted in partnership projects, which have the potential to enhance facilities throughout the park. He also helped further develop the Friends Group (the Chattahoochee Parks Conservancy) into one that is now providing important philanthropic support to the park. The significant increase in awareness for CHAT among local municipalities and organizations, and the importance of managing the watershed to protect the park and the economic benefits that result from it is also owed to Bill.
Over a span of 40 years, Bill has offered a steady hand and calming influence that always focused on the mission. “These 40 years went by really fast and it was a lot of fun. I’d like to think I did my best to protect our outstanding resources and take care of the folks who worked for me.”
With a federal career and devotion as grand as Bill’s we can’t just let him silently slip out without thanking him for his service and contributions. He has been a friend to all and we will miss him.
Last updated: January 31, 2020