Yellowstone Superintendent Announces Retirement

Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk just announced his decision to retire on March 30, 2019.
By the time he retires, Wenk will have more than 43 years of public service dedicated to the national park system. He says he is in the midst of several important projects that he will finish before he departs to ensure the smoothest transition for Yellowstone.
Over Wenk’s remaining tenure, he says his areas of focus will be implementing the bison quarantine program by sending live animals to the tribes at Fort Peck; collecting data and developing community support for the long-term visitor use management planning effort; negotiating concessions contracts; managing transboundary wildlife issues; and working with park staff to improve workplace culture.
Wenk’s career with the National Park Service began in 1975 as a landscape architect. He was named Superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial in 1985 where he served for 16 years. Wenk served as Deputy Director of Operations for the National Park Service in Washington D.C. from 2007 through 2011. He served as Acting Director of the National Park Service for nine months in 2009.
As the current Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park since 2011, Wenk manages more than 2.2 million acres, a staff of 800, and an annual budget of more than $60 million.