News Release
NPS Photo/John Richter
News Release Date: May 15, 2023
SAN FRANCISCO – During Preservation Month this May, the National Park Service (NPS) recognizes three employees from the Pacific West Region for their dedication to preserving cultural resources for this and future generations.In addition to safeguarding tracts of wilderness and iconic landscapes, NPS is charged with caring for the nation’s cultural heritage. NPS employees restore historic buildings, care for artifacts, operate museums, co-steward parks lands with Tribal partners, and share the history of these important sites with the public. This annual award recognizes three individuals for their creativity and outstanding contributions to this mission.
Congratulations to this year’s winners from NPS Pacific West Region: Tom Leatherman, Joseph Kaiama, and Laura Kirn. Learn more about their work below.
These individuals will also be considered for the national Director's Awards for Natural and Cultural Resources.
Award for Superintendent – Tom Leatherman, Pearl Harbor National Memorial
In early 2022, Tom Leatherman helped establish and lead the new Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) Working Group, an internal NPS group whose mission is to provide leadership for sites associated with the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. A colleague of Leatherman's shared that “he has a unique ability to lead while shining a light on others. This type of horizontal leadership, as opposed to a hierarchy, invites the rest of the team to collaborate and contribute their expertise,” which is a testament to the group’s success. This philosophy is reflected in the group’s charter, which Leatherman helped write.
The group brings together NPS employees from all levels of the organization. Each NPS incarceration site participates, along with employees from diverse disciplines, like cultural resources, planning, education, interpretation, and more. This broad knowledge base helps the group tackle issues that incarceration sites face and share lessons learned.
Through his inclusive and strategic way of leading, Leatherman has ensured that the JACS working group is well organized and has a reputation for being approachable subject matter experts on this critical history. Their work has increased awareness of the wrongful incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII.
Award for Facility Maintenance Specialist – Joseph Kaiama, Kalaupapa National Historical Park
Joseph Kaiama’s aunt was a former resident at the Hansen's disease settlement on Molokai, now Kalaupapa National Historical Park. Considering this, his position as preservation work leader is not just a job, it is a way to honor his culture and preserve his family history, brick by brick.
From 2022-2023, Kaiama spearheaded a project to restore the historic buildings of Molokai Light. These buildings served as a site where exiled residents could access the outside world. Since children with Hansen's disease were taken away at birth and not allowed in the settlement, exiled residents would often drive to the lighthouse and park outside the boundary to listen to the sounds of laughter and watch children playing. In the future, the buildings will provide housing for residents in the park.
Using his vast experience in historic preservation carpentry, Kaiama led a seven-person crew made primarily of Native Hawaiian employees. This crew worked hard to clear out the houses, which were full of pests from being vacant, and restored them to their previous condition. As part of the project, Kaiama trained his young crew on preservation skills, passing on his knowledge to the next generation of stewards. Now, thanks to his leadership and the hard work of his crew, the restored buildings can proudly serve the needs of Kalaupapa’s remaining residents.
Award for Cultural Resource Specialist – Laura Kirn, Channel Islands National Park
Laura Kirn has been instrumental in navigating complex cultural resource and wilderness management and planning challenges at Channel Islands National Park. There are roughly 3,000 archeological sites within the park’s boundaries. Many of these sites are in wilderness areas and are sacred to Chumash peoples, including the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and others. The sites are impacted by climate change and visitor activity. Kirn has been working closely with the Tribe, who lived on the islands for 650 generations, to navigate these overlapping concerns.
The park developed a cooperative agreement with the Tribe to work together on archeological inventory, trail work, and a plan for traditional plant gathering. Throughout, Kirn has worked hard to build trust with Tribal partners. Together, they are working to honor the Tribe’s cultural and spiritual connections to the land, increasing transparency in data sharing and project oversight, and focusing on Tribal priorities. Their efforts have the potential to serve as a model of co-stewardship for other parks throughout the system.
The Regional Awards for Cultural Resources have been announced each spring for 50 years. More information about this and past years’ winners can be found on the National Park Service Website.
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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 15, 2023