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National Park Service Regional Director Stan Austin announced the selection of Mike Gauthier as superintendent of Mojave National Preserve and Castle Mountains National Monument in California. Gauthier succeeds Todd Seuss, who transferred to the agency’s Natural Resource, Stewardship, and Science Program as Biological Resource Division Chief in February.
Gauthier is a veteran park ranger who has most recently served as superintendent of Nez Perce National Historical Park, Big Hole National Battlefield, and Whitman Mission National Historical Site. He previously worked at Olympic, Mount Rainier, Denali and Yosemite national parks. Over his 30-plus year career, he has served as a wilderness ranger, firefighter, fee collector, custodian, climbing ranger, and search and rescue coordinator. In 2008, Gauthier was selected as a Bevinetto Fellow and worked for one year with the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a second year with the Department of the Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. He has also served as the chief of staff for Yosemite National Park from 2010 to 2016 and completed a detail assignment as acting superintendent for Cape Lookout National Seashore in 2017.
“Mike led the strategic reorganization of Nez Perce National Historical Park and has a diverse background of management experience with the NPS,” said Austin. “His field experience and Washington, D.C. perspective will serve Mojave National Preserve and Castle Mountains National Monument well.”
Gauthier joined the NPS in 1985 and holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Washington, Seattle. He enjoys writing, climbing, whitewater boating and photography.
“It is a gift to live and work in the Mojave Desert,” said Gauthier. “The preserve and monument embody a raw, vast, and intricate landscape filled with rich and complicated stories, wilderness exploration, outdoor recreation, and more. The unique management challenges of the two units fascinate me, and I look forward to working with our partners, friends, and NPS staff to help preserve and prepare these two units for their next century of stewardship.”
He will assume the new assignment in mid-August.
Last updated: March 5, 2021