Guam was the latest posting for the National Monument’s new
superintendent
Paicines – Eric Brunnemann, a 16-year veteran of the National Park Service, has been named to succeed to Cicely Muldoon as Superintendent of Pinnacles National Monument.
“(The Pinnacles) is utterly beautiful,” said Brunnemann. “It will be good to come back to that sort of climate.”
Muldoon, who had been at the Pinnacles since February, 2002 was promoted last month to deputy regional director for public use management. Her new duties include overseeing fire protection and law enforcement for parks in the Pacific West region, with special attention to desert parks such as Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks.
Since 2002 Brunnemann has served as superintendent of War in the Pacific National Historical Park on Guam. A two-hour flight from Tokyo, War is a monument to soldiers who fought in the Pacific during World War II. At the time of his arrival, the park had recently been ravaged by two typhoons.
“Whatever damage the first typhoon didn’t do, the second one did,” he said. “And I’ve been rebuilding this park for the past three years. It teaches you tremendous patience.”
Brunnemann began his career with the NPS at the soon-to-be-created Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico. Brunnemann would later work at Fort Davis National Historical Park in Texas, as well as several parks and monuments in Utah.
With the Pinnacles poised to grow by 1,700 acres in the next three years, and with the condor rehabilitation program ongoing, Brunneman is sure to have his hands full when he moves in mid-October.
“I’ve never been in a park with condors before,” he said. “One of the biggest focuses we have right now, though, is to start a new visitor’s center on the west side of the park. But I seem to be pretty good at that sort of thing.”
As excited as Brunnemann is, his move doesn’t come without at least a few regrets.
“I’ll definitely miss the weather here,” he said. “It’s never cold. This is a land where people never fail to take you down to the beach to a family party, whether they know you or not.”
“One of my kids was born here, he’s two, and has never left the island,” he continued.
By Danielle Smith Staff Writer
