The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Ben Roberts to serve as the permanent superintendent of Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. He has been acting in the role since November 2021 and comes to the position from Great Basin National Park in Nevada where he was the chief of resources management and planning.
“Roberts brings over two decades of NPS experience to this role,” said Regional Director Frank Lands. “His knowledge of interagency partnerships, project management, natural resources, and the importance of community relationships make him a great fit for this position.”
Roberts joined the NPS in 1999 as a seasonal at Great Basin National Park where he worked on native fish reintroduction. He later became a biologist focusing on invasive plants, abandoned mine lands, caves, and planning before moving into the chief of natural resources position. During his time with NPS, Roberts also detailed into the chief of resource management position at Death Valley National Park.
Before joining the NPS, Roberts served as a Peace Corp volunteer in Morocco from 1996 through 1998 as a biologist at Eastern High Atlas National Park. His work focused on community development and the protection of the endangered Barbary Sheep. Roberts’ early conservation and community ties in that country were instrumental in developing a sister park relationship between Great Basin National Park and Morocco’s oldest park, Toubkal National Park, in 2016.
“I am honored to join the amazing staff at Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument,” said Roberts. “Together we will continue the work of protecting the monument’s wild and remote landscape, its diverse resources, and its rich culture of historic and tribal uses. I am excited to work closely with the Bureau of Land Management, who share a unique relationship with us in co-managing the monument.”
Roberts earned his bachelor’s degree in natural resource management with a minor in recreation resource management from Colorado State University. He completed graduate coursework in restoration ecology at the University of Idaho. Roberts and his wife look forward to relocating to the St. George area to explore the diverse recreation opportunities that southern Utah and Arizona offer.
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