Lee Taylor, the chief of interpretation and education at Mount Rainier National Park the last three years, was named superintendent Tuesday at San Juan Island National Historical Park.
A 30-year career employee of the National Park Service, Taylor replaces Peter Dederich, who recently transferred to the Park Service’s Pacific West Regional Office in Seattle. Taylor will start her new job April 22.
“Lee has a great deal of energy, creativity and passion and excels at engaging communities,” said Pacific West Regional director Chris Lehnertz. “She has a collaborative approach that will lend itself well to working with the community to prepare the park for its next century of stewardship and engagement.”
Taylor has been in charge of Mount Rainier’s information and education program the past three years. That included developing new exhibits, publications and the park’s website. Taylor and her staff operate the park visitor centers, lead educational programs for visitors, school groups and communities, and they manage a program of 1,800 volunteers each year.
Before that, Taylor worked as district interpreter at Mount Rainier, supervising visitor information and interpretive services in the Paradise area. She also has worked at Fort Vancouver National Historic Preserve, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area and Craters of the Moon National Monument, among other Park Service units.
“I am looking forward to working with the park staff and partners to maximize the value of the park to visitors and the community,” Taylor said. “It is a fascinating park in a beautiful location and I am honored to serve as superintendent.”
The San Juan Island park was created in 1966 to preserve the sites of the American and English camps and to commemorate the historic events that occurred from 1853-1871 including the so-called Pig War of 1859. The 2,064-acre park attracts about 265,000 visitors each year.
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640
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