Superintendent of Oregon's Crater Lake National Park resigns, citing staffing cuts

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KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) — The superintendent of Crater Lake National Park in Oregon has resigned after just months in the role, citing staffing cuts that he called unsustainable and damaging.

Kevin Heatley resigned Friday from the position he had held since January, Portland TV station KGW reported. He told the outlet the decision was difficult but that policies undertaken by the Trump administration had impacted the ability of the National Park Service to function.

“I did not want to be empowering the current administration to cause that kind of impact on the people that I’m responsible for,” Heatley said. “And I also did not want to participate in the dismantlement — effectively a dismantlement — of the National Park Service.”

“We’re being told, for instance, when people leave, they only want to replace 25% of those permanent positions,” he said. “You can’t run an organization like that.”

A message seeking comment was sent Wednesday to the agency's communications office.

Heatley said a seasonal increase in staffing of about 60 to 65 workers to help with summer crowds isn't sufficient to preserve park infrastructure or sustain its longterm needs. A number of the park's eight ranger positions — full-time positions tasked with maintaining park roads, buildings and trails — are unfilled, he said.

Heatley's previous experience includes planning and management roles with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. He said he felt conflicted staying in a role where he saw the system as being undermined.

Crater Lake National Park is home to the deepest lake in the U.S. and the deepest lake in the world formed by volcanic activity.