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National Park Service finally gains a new leader with first Native director
Thursday, December 16, 2021
Indianz.Com
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Park Service has a permanent leader for the first time in five years and it’s a historic one thanks to President Joe Biden.
For the first time since the agency began in 1916, a tribal citizen will be serving as director. Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III, who hails from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, was ceremonially sworn into the job on Thursday by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, who herself is breaking new ground as the first Native person in a presidential cabinet.
“Everyone should have access to the outdoors no matter where they live, how much money they have, or what their background is,” Haaland said in a news release. “Chuck Sams understands the importance of connecting people to nature, and I am thrilled to work with him as the Interior Department works to make our national park system accessible to all Americans.”
“Under his leadership, the National Park Service will continue to protect our public lands for generations to come and make critical investments in the vast infrastructure that sustains our public lands and national parks,” added Haaland, who is a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna.
As director, Sams will oversee millions of acres of national parks and monuments, many of which lie within tribal homelands. He is bringing his decades of experience in tribal government, natural resource management and conservation management to the job. “I am honored to serve as Director of the National Park Service and thank President Biden and Secretary Haaland for entrusting in me the care of one of America’s greatest gifts: our National Park system,” Sams said in the news release. “I am also incredibly proud to work with the dedicated employees of the National Park Service,” Sams continued. “I have no doubt that together, we’ll be able to expand access to the outdoors, protect America’s public lands, and upgrade our nation’s infrastructure system through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”History was made on December 16, 2021, with the swearing in of Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III as the first tribal citizen to serve as director of the Nation Park Service.
— indianz.com (@indianz) December 16, 2021
Sams hails from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. @Interior @NatlParkService pic.twitter.com/AcwwSxVBtt

I’m thrilled Chuck Sams has joined us as Director of @NatlParkService. Chuck understands the importance of connecting people to nature. Under his leadership, the National Park Service will continue to protect our public lands for generations to come. pic.twitter.com/S7sGCS6BX1
— Secretary Deb Haaland (@SecDebHaaland) December 16, 2021
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Charles “Chuck” F. Sams III Opening Statement – Nominee, National Park Service (October 20, 2021)Cronkite News: Tribes welcome restoration of Bears Ears National Monument (October 19, 2021)
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