New superintendent hired for Indiana Dunes National Park after stints in Alaska and Montana

Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune
Jason Taylor has been hired as the new superintendent of Indiana Dunes National Park.
Jason Taylor has been hired as the new superintendent of Indiana Dunes National Park.

PORTER — The National Park Service has hired a new superintendent for Indiana Dunes National Park, replacing Paul Labovitz, who retired last summer.

Jason Taylor will move here to begin work this spring, coming from Missoula, Mont., where he’s currently director of the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute for the U.S. Forest Service. But he also brings more than 15 years of experience in federal land management.

“His ability to manage resources through integrating science and ecology with land use principles will be a great asset to the park and the interdisciplinary team of professionals who steward it,” NPS Midwest Regional Director Bert Frost said in a press release.

Indiana Dunes National Park encompasses 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and 15,000 acres of biodiverse beaches, woods, prairies and marshes stretching from Michigan City to nearly the Illinois border. It attracts about 3 million visits per year.

Taylor graduated from the University of Michigan with bachelor’s and master’s degrees and then a doctorate, having studied biology, natural resources and the environment.

He began his federal career at the Bureau of Land Management’s White River Field Office in Colorado. In 2013, he served as chief of natural resource management and science at Cape Cod National Seashore. Later, he became the park services’ Alaska regional chief of natural resources. He went on to become superintendent of Gold Rush National Historical Park in Skagway, Alaska, before joining the U.S. Forest Service.

“Having spent most of my career in faraway places, I am excited to return home to serve the people and resources of the Great Lakes states,” Taylor said in the release. “I am looking forward to joining the talented park staff and contributing to the exceptional work already happening to care for a place that’s so special, ecologically and culturally, and to the community and partners.”

He and his wife, Jennifer, and their two young children enjoy exploring the natural world. Taylor also likes traveling, photography and woodworking.

Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Indiana Dunes National Park superintendent hired in Jason Taylor

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