News Release
NPS Photo
News Release Date: May 26, 2022
Contact: PWR_Public_Affairs@nps.gov
SAN FRANCISCO - The National Park Service (NPS) has recognized three employees in the Pacific West Region for their dedication to preserving park cultural resources and history for this and future generations of visitors. The annual, regional recognition applauds creativity and outstanding contributions in cultural resource management, particularly projects that serve as models across the agency.
“The NPS is a leader in preservation and its employees take to heart our mission to protect the nation’s heritage – its stories, places, and artifacts that make up the fabric of our collective past,” said Regional Chief of Cultural Resources and Science, David Louter. “The awards recognize their high degree of professionalism and ability to work with partners to build a coalition of dedicated preservationists inside and outside of NPS.”
The recipients of the regional award are also being considered for the national Appleman-Judd-Lewis Award for Cultural Resource Stewardship and Management, to be announced later this summer.
Award for Park Superintendent – Craig Kenkel, Point Reyes National Seashore
Craig Kenkel is recognized for developing a government-to-government partnership with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. Through a formal agreement, the park and Tribe will cooperatively manage ancestral territories in Point Reyes National Seashore. This will include developing designations for Traditional Cultural Properties eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and ensuring that Tribal views and traditional ecological knowledge are part of managing tule elk and ranching lands in the park. The agreement, and the long-term relationship it fosters, serves as a model for strengthening nation-to-nation relationships with Tribal partners across the NPS. Learn more in this interview about Kenkel’s project.
Award for Facility Maintenance Specialist- Keith Park, Horticulturist, Arborist
Keith Park has served thirteen years as a horticulturalist and certified arborist and maintains the historic landscapes at John Muir National Historic Site, Eugene O’Neil National Historic Site, Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, and Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial. He works with underserved communities and provides hands-on technical assistance to other NPS units and non-profit organizations across the region. Park taught the City of Richmond’s Urban Tilth nonprofit staff to prune street trees along the Richmond Greenway, a rails-to-trails park that runs through underserved neighborhoods in the city. He also collaborated with Yosemite National Park staff, the Yosemite Conservancy and a local Native American forestry crew on maintaining the historic Curry Village apple orchard. Park taught skills to the forestry crew while gaining insight into traditional values and knowledge in stewarding this landscape. Learn more in this interview about Park’s project.
Award for Cultural Resource Specialist – Anna Tamura, Planning Portfolio Manager
Anna Tamura is recognized for bringing public awareness to the stories of World War II Japanese American Confinement Sites and building NPS credibility in Japanese American, Asian American, and local communities. In 2021, Tamura co-founded the national NPS Japanese American Confinement Sites Working Group to provide leadership and promote a high level of stewardship of these important sites. She collaborated to update the “Terminology of the Mass Incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.” She also served as a subject matter expert on the Amache Special Resource Study team, leading to the successful authorization to the future establishment of Amache National Historic Site. Learn more in this interview about Tamura’s project.
The annual regional cultural resources awards have been given to deserving employees across the region for 50 years and are announced each spring. More information about these regional awards and interviews with this year’s recipients can be found on the National Park Service’s website.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
About NPS Interior Regions 8, 9 10 & 12. The westernmost region of the National Park Service spans 106 degrees around the globe and includes more than 60 national park sites within the eight states of California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, portions of Arizona and Montana and the territories of Guam, American Samoa, as well as the Northern Mariana Islands.
Last updated: May 26, 2022