Jay welcomes Mark Dowdle for a discussion of the Gates of the Arctic National Park. Mark Dowdle, a 22-year veteran of the National Park Service was selected as the new superintendent of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve and Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve in March of 2022.

Prior to this appointment, Dowdle served in several leadership roles including most recently as the deputy superintendent of the Outer Banks Group national park sites in eastern North Carolina. Dowdle began his NPS career in Yellowstone National Park working in historical preservation maintenance and interpretative positions before joining the Old Faithful backcountry office and becoming a commissioned park ranger. Subsequent ranger positions include Chiricahua National Monument, Big Cypress National Preserve, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Yosemite National Park, and as the chief park ranger at the National Parks of Boston. Dowdle also served as the acting superintendent at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, acting deputy superintendent for Everglades and Dry Tortugas national parks, and recently as the acting superintendent of the Western Arctic National Parklands in Kotzebue, Alaska.

A native of North Carolina, Dowdle is a graduate of Brevard College, Clemson University, and the FBI National Academy.