Conviction

Resource specialist receives Mather award

e are not putting park natural resources on a high enough pedestal these days," according to Riley Hoggard, Resource Management Specialist at Gulf Islands National Seashore. Hoggard is the 1996 winner of the National Parks and Conservation Association-Stephen Tyng Mather Award. He received a $2,500 cash prize from the conservation organization last November for his efforts in fighting for the relocation of an important road in the park. His strong conviction for doing what is right is likely to make a difference to nesting sea turtles and other wildlife, allowing the processes that both build and erode sand dunes to continue unimpeded.

The problem began when Hurricane Opal destroyed a 7-mile section of Highway 399 in the Florida district of the Florida and Mississippi park in October 1995. "The road was clearly in the wrong place," Hoggard explained. "It had prevented the natural migration of sand dunes. If rebuilt in the same place, it would result in an artificially steep beach that could impact nesting sea turtles and other wildlife."

Hoggard saw this act of nature as an opportunity to move the road to a more sensible location. Bolstering his position was the park general management plan, which recognizes that roads and campgrounds are not considered permanent structures when washed out. However, pressures from local communities, economically hard hit by the storm, initially convinced park officials to agree to rebuild the road promptly in its original location. Disillusioned, Hoggard began a lonely vigil of arguing for road relocation that lasted 10 months.

To make his point, the talkative 20-year veteran of the National Park Service toured cooperators on-site to demonstrate the problems associated with the road placement. Time after time experts from the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Florida Department of Environmental Protection agreed that sand dunes would reform naturally if the road were moved. Their corroboration and scientific data showed that relocation was the right course of action and would also minimize the likelihood of similar future road damage. In the end, the Federal Highway Administration funded 3 miles of road relocation because it made both ecological and economic sense. "The right time to move a road is right after a large storm like this," Hoggard continued. "Habitat is already disturbed. Additional disturbances caused by road construction are inconsequential."

Hoggard kept the issue alive until early opponents were converts. From the experience, he explained, "If we don't stand up in our local communities and say no when we have to, we will lose parks as we know them."

Other articles in the "People & Preservation" chapter:

Kemp's Ridley returns to Padre Island

Partnership honored by National Park Foundation

Retiring superintendent knows the value of resource management

Air quality at Big Bend is an international challenge

Director honors natural resource stewards

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This material is from Natural Resource Year in Review--1996, published by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, in May 1997 (publication D-1182) http://www2./YearInReview/yir/yr_rvw96 /chapter8/mather.htm
Last Update:8/20/2002