YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — When you think of Yellowstone National Park, you might think of the wide open spaces and bison of the Lamar Valley, or perhaps the thermal areas in the center of the park or the mountains all around you. But to a large extent, your experience in the park depends on the people who run it and manage it. And the leader of those people, for more than seven years now, is Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly.
But that time is getting closer to its conclusion, he told MTN News.
“Because in some ways, I feel like I just got here. I mean, seven years in October. So that time has gone by really fast,” said Sholly.
WATCH: Yellowstone superintendent Cam Sholly reflects on 7 years, hints at departure
Now, Sholly tells MTN News, he feels he is closer to the end of his stint as superintendent than he is to the beginning.
He went on to say, “I still get up, and I love working in Yellowstone. It's been the privilege of a lifetime to be the superintendent here. Seven years plus is a long time. We've got a considerable amount of things that I want to make sure are solidified before I would think about departing.”
Ashea Mills, owner of Walking Shadow Ecology Tours, said, "Yellowstone has benefitted from Sholly’s leadership. It's such a pinnacle park. It's such a known place and such a huge operation that it really requires somebody who comes in at the top of their game. Cam certainly did that.”
“Cam's been a remarkable leader for Yellowstone. I'm really grateful for his leadership, especially during a pretty tumultuous period of time,” said Scott Christensen, the Executive Director of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.
He listed the challenges Sholly has faced, “Multiple government shutdowns, COVID pandemic, you know, 500-year flood, big investments in infrastructure, all while visitation has grown.”
RELATED: Flooding in Yellowstone National Park, Park Co. (Jun. 13, 2022)
“He's just been really incredible,” said Gardiner Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Terese Petcoff. “Gardner is super, super lucky to have him. He can't get much more local than Cam. There aren't a lot of parks out there. I'm sure that we have a superintendent who graduated from the local high school,” she added.
“I think he's highly respected in our community, and he's done a phenomenal job. And I hope that he's still young. I hope that he is able and wants to stick around,” said Ashea Mills, owner of Walking Shadow Ecology Yellowstone Tours.
But Sholly suggested he is not one to camp out in the Mammoth administrative offices. He said, “I'm not a huge fan of people who sit in these jobs for, I think, some of those superintendents would be here for like 20 years. That's not going to be me.”
“Personally, I hope he stays for as long as possible, but I understand that, you know, things change,” said Christensen. He added, “It's been an honor to work with him, and I'd love to keep working with him for as long as he's in that role.”
No matter how good of a job you might be doing, it's not a bad thing to have fresh leadership. I don't know exactly when that's going to be. I can assure you I will not be here for another seven years, but I don't know exactly what that time frame looks like.
Mills said, “I hope that he is able and wants to stick around. I think he's very welcome in his role. I know his employees respect him a lot. He has done an incredible job at creating community, not just within the park service, but within our larger community.”
“So we are, we've just been really lucky to have him while it's, you know, obviously not what I want to hear for him to leave, because I think he's just done such an incredible job. It's understandable for anybody. So, yeah, I'm really, really happy for him, whatever he continues to do. And I would love for him to stay for another 10 years, but I understand,” said Petcoff.
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Among community members around Yellowstone, MTN found widespread respect for Sholly. But some have questioned his laser focus on infrastructure. Sholly, aware of the criticism, says there is a reason for that focus. He said, “If I didn't focus on the infrastructure, if we hadn't focused on the infrastructure the way we have over the last, during my tenure, seven plus years, you would get to a point where access would be restricted or eliminated in many areas of this park.”
Sholly recognizes protecting both the visitor experience and the environment, “Protecting this place is paramount. Providing for the enjoyment, though, is also very, very important on a variety of different fronts. You know, we've got this, I think, tremendous amount of work that's been done and a tremendous amount of work that's being done. And a really good plan for the future on the highest priority areas of this park.”
That’s right in line with Christensen’s vision for Yellowstone, which he described is, “to ensure that the experience in Yellowstone is maintained, that people are still drawn to the same things, the amazing wildlife watching opportunities, of course, the geothermal features, all of that, and in a way that keeps that experience of coming to Yellowstone as magical as it has always been, but also protects the resource.”
Though he maintained that there are goals still to be accomplished. He said, “There's more partnership work to be done to ensure that the wildlife that moves in and out of the park has a safe home in the winter, as it does in the summer in Yellowstone.”
Christensen went on to note that he believes Sholly has vision beyond the park boundaries. He said, “He's brought a perspective that is broader than just Yellowstone. So he's thinking about what's happening outside the park that could impact what's happening inside the park. And that's unique and really important.”
Sholly seems to have a clear path and vision for his own future. He remarked, “No matter how good of a job you might be doing, it's not a bad thing to have fresh leadership. I don't know exactly when that's going to be. I can assure you I will not be here for another seven years, but I don't know exactly what that time frame looks like.”
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Full Interview: Ashea Mills, Walking Shadow Ecology Tours
Full Interview: Scott Christensen, executive director of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition
