Recognizing the Service of Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly

Floor Speech

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Mr. ZINKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the selfless service of Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly, a man who has demonstrated unwavering dedication to preserving and protecting America's best idea, our National Park system.

Cam Sholly is the son of a career National Park Service employee. He grew up hiking, fishing, camping and learning in our parks, to include attending elementary school in Crater National Park, middle school in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, and graduated high school a Gardiner Bruin in Yellowstone National Park. This upbringing shaped a deep love for public lands and America's great outdoors.

Truly born for the National Park Service, Cam started his career in 1990 working in Yellowstone's backcountry before serving as Chief of Ranger Operations at Yosemite National Park, Deputy Associate Director and later Associate Director for Visitor and Resource Protection at the National Park Service, Superintendent of Natchez Trace Parkway, and Regional Director for the NPS Midwest Region, overseeing 61 national park units across 13 states before returning to Montana and being chosen to lead Yellowstone National Park as Superintendent in 2018.

Cam's experience and deep knowledge of our National Parks molded him into the perfect leader Yellowstone needed through several of the park's most significant challenges since its founding in 1872. Cam led park operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and unlike many public lands managers, Cam made the call to keep the park open. With the pandemic limiting activities worldwide, Americans sought outdoor destinations. Yellowstone National Park hosted 3.8 million visits in 2020 and a record-breaking 4.8 million visits in 2021, while working to provide millions of visitors with a safe experience.

Cam's greatest challenge, and a defining moment of his leadership, came directly after the pandemic when historic floods triggered what hydrologists described as a 500-year flood. In 2022, the flooding destroyed miles of roads, washed away bridges, triggered massive mudslides and rockslides, damaged water and wastewater systems, and completely severed the North Entrance between Gardiner, Montana, and Mammoth Hot Springs. In one of the most successful emergency recoveries in National Park history, Cam was able to reopen 93 percent of the park within 20 days and rebuild two major road corridors in only four months. This recovery not only saved the public park experience, but the surrounding Montana communities that rely on tourism. Cam's resilience in the face of adversity turned what many expected to be a years-long closure into a recovery that allowed Yellowstone to welcome millions of visitors again while rebuilding for the future.

Cam Sholly's career reflects the very best of the National Park Service and the American spirit. Through decades of dedicated service, he has protected our Nation's greatest treasures while ensuring that millions of Americans can experience the beauty and wonder of our public lands.

Mr. Speaker, as our Nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, it is fitting that we recognize individuals like Cam Sholly, whose commitment to conservation, public service, and the stewardship of America's great outdoors will benefit generations to come. I thank Cam Sholly for his unwavering dedication to Yellowstone National Park, the State of Montana, and the United States of America.

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