NPS INTERVIE W
Jennifer Carpenter
Chief, Yellowstone Center for Resources With a National Park Service lineage, Jennifer Carpenter has made a name for herself working in parks like Bandelier, Grand Teton, Lassen Volcanic, and Yellowstone. Here she talks about her role as chief of Yellowstone’s Center for Resources (YCR) and her connection to the park and its mission.
habitat, and determining how to or not to respond. With visitation up 50 percent since the year 2000 and with another significant jump between 2014 and 2017, we’re also focusing on visitor use. Increased visitation impacts the resources on the ground and affects the visitor experience. We have to determine how to protect park resources in perpetuity. Also, for people to be invested in protecting our parks, we need to provide a visitor experience that instills the sense of wonder that comes with experiencing an intact wilderness.
How did you come to work for the National Park Service?
It’s a combination of my family connection to the National Park Service and my belief in the park service’s conservation mission. My grandfather was a career National Park Service employee and deputy superintendent of Yellowstone in the mid ’60s. My dad grew up in Mesa Verde National Park and told stories of how amazing it was. My park service career began in 2004 when I had the opportunity to work at Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, a park where my father worked as a seasonal employee in the 1950s. After working in several other parks, I came to Yellowstone in 2012.
How are Yellowstone Forever and YCR connected?
Yellowstone Forever is an integral partner for YCR. Without their support we simply couldn’t do many of the things we do to protect park resources. Yellowstone Forever provides financial support, and also in-kind support. They fund many projects, including the Wolf Project, Wildlife Health, and our Home on the Range project, which was co-developed by Yellowstone Forever and YCR’s bison management program. Yellowstone Forever also provides funding for a lot of science publications, both in terms of popular science like Yellowstone Science, which highlights work going on within YCR and the park, and technical science, like Vitals Signs and the Wolf Report, that offer information about data we collect.
What does your role as chief for YCR entail?
I provide overall leadership and guidance for the division. It’s one of the most complex and largest resources divisions in the entire National Park Service. We cover everything from A to Z in terms of natural and cultural resources, from archeology to wolves. It’s an honor to work with an amazing group of scientists and staff that are the heart of protecting Yellowstone and living the mission on a daily basis. It’s my job to support them so they can be on the cutting-edge in terms of research and management.
How does it feel to be the first female chief of YCR?
It’s an honor. There were four male division chiefs prior to me, so it’s a door opening in some respects. I hope it shows young people they can do anything.
What are some key issues for YCR at the moment?
Climate change is a big one since things are already changing. We’re monitoring issues like the invasion of exotic vegetation, changing wildlife habitat and ranges, and native fisheries 16
